It’s springtime, and with the spring and summer seasons also comes Kitten Season. That’s right, kittens do have a season, a time of the year when there is a sharp rise in the number of litters born. The rescues, shelters, and back alleys become inundated with sweet furry babies wanting and needing a home.

The Cold Fact is…

As adorable as these kittens are, there are so many that most will never know what it’s like to have a loving home, enough food to eat, or to feel warm and safe. Most won’t live to see their 5th birthday if left outside, or even their 1st birthday if surrendered to a shelter.

Did you know that just 1 pair of cats left unaltered can produce upwards of 420,000 kittens in just 7 years! Cats go into heat every few weeks until mating occurs, and she can carry the offspring of many males at the same time. Gestation is a short 63 days, and they can go back into heat while still nursing their kittens. Furthermore, kittens as young as 4 months of age can go into heat and become pregnant!

If you take it out to year 8, the figure is even more staggering! Over 2 MILLION kittens could result from just one un-spayed female and her offspring!

Only Prevention Will Stop This Cycle

Many local rescues and humane societies hold free and low-cost spay and neuter events. A simple Google search will help you to find them in your area and assist you in getting your cats spayed and neutered. Not only will you prevent potentially hundreds of unwanted kittens being sent to the shelters (which are mostly NOT no-kill), but you will also help your cat to avoid healthy issues such as mammary tumors in females and prostate cancer in males.

You Can Help The Cats Who Are Waiting

If you’ve ever considered opening your home to a frisky feline or two, now is the perfect time to visit your local shelter. I know it can be hard to walk into a shelter, but those are the animals that need to find loving homes as quickly as possible.

And please, don’t forget “Yesterday’s Kittens” who are now young adults. There are plenty of wonderful adult cats who need and deserve to have a loving home, but they aren’t always given a second look once the newest batch of kittens arrives.

Some of these cats are young adults “left over” from last year’s kittens who weren’t lucky enough to get adopted. Some of these are cats whose owners have surrendered them for any number of reasons (more often than not, it is NOT a behavioral issue) and who crave to have the love and companionship of a new human and to have a home again. These cats are often the PURRfect companions for busy households that don’t have the time or energy that tiny kittens require, and older adults who don’t want to deal with the antics and high energy of a baby kitten.

Whether you chose to adopt a kitten, a cat, or one of each, your feline friends will thank you for giving them a cozy place to live and special place on your bed as well as inside your heart.