Press Release

 

Spring Showers Bring Flowers—and a Flood of Kittens

 

ASPCA® Reminds Charlestonians about Kitten Season & What They Can Do To Help

April 13, 2009

ASPCA Media Contact

CHARLESTON, S.C.—Lowcountry residents are all familiar with the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.

But “Kitten Season?”

Both Charleston Animal Society and Pet Helpers in Charleston, partners in the national ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ campaign, are teeming with cats and need the community to do its part in helping to reduce their cat populations.

“For anyone who might be considering adopting a cat, shelters need help now more than ever—and all through the summer's feline 'breeding season’,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “In addition, we hope folks will consider adopting adult cats, so that our shelter partners in Charleston can make room for the new litters that require so much additional care.  As an added benefit, adult cats are typically easier pets than kittens—they've lived in homes, are litter box trained, and don't have the frenetic energy that often makes kittens very 'high maintenance.'”

The main goal behind the ASPCA’s Mission: Orange partnership in Charleston is to provide positive outcomes for at-risk pets (ie: shelter animals) by increasing the live release rate for those animals, be it by adoption, return-to-owner, or transfer to another agency for adoption. In addition, spaying and neutering is a key component in reducing the population of homeless cats and kittens (as well as dogs and puppies) by preventing unwanted litters.

Here are some important “Kitten Season” facts and figures:

  • “Kitten Season” is the unofficial name for the mating season for cats and is generally assumed to last between the months of March and November;
  • An unspayed female cat will go into heat multiple times during “Kitten Season;”
  • The average size of a litter is 4 to 6 kittens;
  • One mother cat may produce 10 to 20 kittens in one season;
  • A female cat can begin having kittens at 6 months of age;
  • During “Kitten Season,” the number of kittens far exceeds the number of homes available;
  • During “Kitten Season,” advertisements for kittens “free to a good home” are prolific;
  • Most kittens end up in animal shelters;
  • There are more kittens available than there are families to adopt them;
  • During “Kitten Season,” it is always difficult to find loving homes for adult cats.

The ASPCA also recommends the best solution to reduce these numbers of unwanted kittens is to have your cats spayed or neutered. In addition to private veterinary clinics, the ASPCA helps to fund two spay/neuter programs in Charleston at Pet Helpers and the Charleston Animal Society.

For information about these two spay/neuter programs, please visit: www.pethelpers.org or www.charlestonanimalsociety.org, or call Pet Helpers at (843) 795-1100 or the Charleston Animal Society at (843) 747-4849.

For more information about the ASPCA Mission: Orange partnership in Charleston, please visit: http://www.aspca.org/adoption/aspca-mission-orange/charleston

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Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501 [c] [3] not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.
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