Kitten Season

I never, in all of my days, knew what a stressful time late spring, summer, and fall were to those involved with cat rescue!  Kitten season sounds like such a lovely, fun time!  But in reading blogs written by people that run rescues or work or volunteer in shelter, I have come to realize that it can be somewhat hellish.  Not because tons of kittens aren't adorably cute, but because there's just so many of them to find homes for.

I was reading Castaway Cats, a blog maintained by an Animal Rescue League cat care volunteer, and saw yesterday's post:  http://arlcatlady.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/dont-feel-guilty/.

And felt kind of like I'd been gut-punched.  Really?  637 cats in less than one full month?  400 of them kittens?

And they can't be the only shelter that is similarly affected.

Is there an equivalent puppy season?  I never hear about that...  is it because we're getting a better handle on roaming dogs or at least keeping them spayed and neutered?  Or are they just not as fertile as the kitties?  I'm guessing that it's because many people would not hesitate to let a cat roam free at night, even unspayed or unneutered, but probably wouldn't do the same for a dog.

I know that the Animal Rescue League and other shelters and rescues are working overtime to try to get homes for the influx of cats and kittens.  If you were to walk in (or in to their equivalent in your town) and tell them that you wanted to adopt a cat or kitten or multiples of either, they'd probably have to barely restrain themselves from kissing you.

I know that Chrystal over at Daily Dose of Dogs (aka Cats with your Coffee) has had her own influx of kittens, which she desperately needs to find homes for so that they will have room for the others that will undoubtedly come.  (She can and happily does make arrangements for transportation, even if you don't live near her.)

What this meandering post is leading up to is...  if you have even been considering in the back of your mind that you might want to adopt a cat or kitten, you'd be doing an awful lot of good if you could manage to do it now.   It will give at least one little soul a home.  It will make room for the other cats and kittens that are going to come in as the summer months move onward.  It will free up resources that the shelters need.

I know that most of my regular readers are like me and already have a full house of cats, or a full house of dogs that wouldn't play well with cats, but I'm posting this in case I catch the one person who was on the fence.  Or the one person who stumbles on to my blog by accident.

Adopt a kitten!