Make ‘kitten season’ a thing of the past
On Wednesday we got a release that members of our newsroom — pet owners, all — have come to loathe: Kitten season is still in full swing.
Here in Southwest Florida, kitten season is perpetually, it seems, in “full swing” with spring being particularly bad for “outdoor cats,” strays, ferals and cat castaways left to fend for themselves.
Lee County Domestic Animal Services is again asking the community for help.
The current plea, summed up succinctly?
Please, please, PLEASE try not to bring freshly discovered litters of very young kittens to shelters where the mewing fur-balls will need to be bottle fed to survive.
“Animal Services encourages citizens to ‘Wait Until 8.’ That means waiting, if possible, until kittens are eight weeks of age before separating them from their mothers so the kittens can then eat independently and care for themselves.”
Why is this important, both for shelters and for the kittens themselves?
Shelters are overwhelmed with intakes and, much as we would all like to believe in fairy godmothers and happily -ever-afters, not every kitten, cat — or puppy or dog for that matter — is going to be placed in a forever home.
Or even a foster.
There are simply too many animals and too few homes.
In January, Lee County Domestic Animal Services took in 303 cats and kittens from the public, 224 of them “strays.”
In February, it took in another 257, 191 of them “strays.”
In those two months, the current reporting period, 131 felines were euthanized.
The tally for last year for cats alone was nearly 1,300, excluding owner-requested procedures.
Let us be clear here: We do not blame Domestic Animal Services.
The county department says most of its intakes have what could be called a positive outcome. A handful are claimed by their owners. Some are brought to the agency as trap-neuter-release strays and they are treated and released back to their colony location. Many are transferred to various rescues. Some are fostered while others are adopted into their “forever” home, a best-case scenario.
But for many — far too many — a trip to the shelter is a death sentence.
The answer — the core answer — is to spay or neuter all pets we have.
That is wholly on every pet parent.
The procedure is low-cost and readily available, including clinics at Lee County Domestic Animal Services and the Cape Coral Animal Shelter.
But back to kitten season still being in “full swing.”
Fosters are much-needed for the unweaned kittens being brought to the county’s facility.
Lee County Domestic Animal Services will hold an event this weekend to ease the strain.
“Feline Foster Frenzy” will be held from 9- 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, at the shelter at 5600 Banner Drive, Fort Myers
The feline foster event is for nursing cats and underage kittens.
Supplies will be provided to all new fosters.
Animal Services also has a shelter full of “adorable adult cats and kittens” ready for homes and you can bring one home, vetted and already spayed or neutered, for free.
Adoption fees are waived through June 30 with an approved application.
For more information about fostering or adoption, visit LeeLostPets.com or check out the Cape Coral Animal Shelter at capecoralanimalshelter.com
And please: Spay. Neuter. Adopt, don’t shop.
Together, we can make “kitten season” a thing of the past.
— Breeze editorial
Editor’s Note: On Monday, we received a similar plea for fosters for unweaned kittens from the Gulf Coast Humane Society. The shelter also has a free TNR program that allows residents to “make a real difference for community cats.”
Gulf Coast Humane Society’s free Trap-Neuter-Return program provides informational classes on how to humanely care for feral cats, trap safely, and support your neighborhood colony. The classes are held every third Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. As a bonus, attendees receive two free spay/neuter vouchers courtesy of Haven on Earth Animal League. Call 239-332-1573 for more information.