June is Adopt A Cat Month! Right now, it’s the height of puppy and kitten season, but this is the month when more kittens are surrendered to animal shelters than during any other time of the year. As the weather warmed up in the Spring, female cats that were not spayed went into heat, become pregnant and delivered litters of cute little kittens. That makes this a great time to find adoptable kittens at your local shelter.
People sure seem to like kittens. When we got our first two kittens, I was told that they would be more entertaining than anything I could watch on TV. I quickly found that was the truth.
The problem is that too many kittens need homes. You can help by visiting your local animal shelter and taking in a kitten as your new pet. But while adoption is a great start it only works once or maybe twice for any adopter, and then you need a new approach.
The number of kittens surrendered in June puts a real burden on animal shelters who quickly run out of room, time and folks willing to adopt. The sad truth is that too many of those cute kittens will be euthanized, because there are so many of them and not enough homes.
One option may be to keep kittens out of the shelter, at least for now. You can help by becoming a volunteer and fostering a litter for your local shelter, until they find homes for some of their kittens and make room for the fosters. If you can’t adopt, you could donate your time, food, supplies or money to your local shelter. And a sure-fire way to reduce the number of kittens euthanized is to have your own pet spayed to ensure she will not add to the problem. And help your family members and friends understand the important part we all play in reducing the need for euthanasia by adopting shelter pets, and by having our own pets spayed and neutered.
Adopt A Cat Month is a good time to remember that cats are the most popular companion animal in this country. But too much of a good thing is still too much, even when you’re speaking of pets.
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