Kittens! Everyone loves little soft kittens. They are playful and adorable, yes. But what happens when there are not enough people willing to take them in?
Shelters and rescues work tirelessly year-round to take in, care for and find loving homes for thousands of pets who are in need. Often they are bursting at the seams and can't take in any more animals.
Kitten season is a period in the spring where tons of young kittens are born and being surrendered or dumped at shelters. Why? Stray cats and lost pets who have not been spayed or neutered are reproducing at alarming rates - resulting in a huge overpopulation of pets in shelters and rescues.
The importance of spay&neutering your pet is bigger than you think! While these kittens are adorable, there is simply not enough resources and homes to take them in. The simplest solution is to reduce the number of pregnancies in the first place.
What can you do?
- Adopt from a shelter or rescue (you can do that through us!)
- Offer to foster rescue animals in your home to help them find a loving home
- Spay/Neuter your pets
- Advocate that other pet parents spay/neuter their pets
- Volunteer or donate financially to your local shelter or rescue (we support Furry Tales Cat Rescue here at Feline Café)
- Support TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) programs, which help to decrease the reproduction in stray cat colonies
Sources:
HuffPost - http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barbara-cartwright/sterilization-pets_b_5009714.html
OHS - http://www.ottawahumane.ca/you-and-i-can-end-kitten-season/