As spring flowers bloom and temperatures rise, so does the number of newborn kittens and pregnant mother cats in Southern California.
This time of year is what animal shelters around Southern California call “kitten season.”
This lasts through fall, according to nonprofit Pasadena Humane, which provides animal care and services for homeless and owned animals.
“We are really focused on the kittens now because ‘kitten season’ is in full force right now. Cats can produce multiple litters of kittens a year, so unfortunately the season is quite long,” Kevin McManus, Pasadena Humane Communications Manager said.
Because of the sheer rate of births this time a year shelters become overwhelmed. For Pasadena Humane, taking care of cats and their babies has been a challenge for staff and fosters.
There are about a dozen cats at the shelter that are up for adoption right now.
Pasadena Humane also has a number of kittens in its Kitten Intensive Care Units.
“All these kittens are not big enough to be adopted, so we will be caring for them until they reach the age and weight that we can adopt them out.”
Besides adopting a cat, residents can help by fostering them.
Pasadena Humane currently has about 90 kittens in foster homes.
“The more foster homes we have available, the more lives we can save,” said McManus.
According to McManus, fostering can be for as short as a couple weeks to up to a month or so. Supplies, training and support will be provided to fosters.
Residents can also help the shelter by donating an item to its Kitten Shower.
The gifts will help provide kittens with the supplies they need to grow into healthy, adoptable cats.
The bundles include kitten milk replacer, toys, blankets and other supplies like bowls and litter scooper.
Pasadena Humane also accepts monetary donations.
According to Pasadena Humane, the number of unwanted litters will rise each year without spaying and neutering the population.
Pasadena Humane offers spay/neuter services. “If you have a cat who needs to be sterilized, or if you know of a neighborhood cat who has had kittens, please help us stop the cycle of kittens,” said McManus.
For more information about this visit: https://pasadenahumane.org/
To view pets for adoption visit: https://pasadenahumane.org/adopt/view-pets/
