Latest news with #kittenseason
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Collier County shelter can take in cats again July 31, but rescue strain remains high
On July 17, Megan Sorbara posted a photo of a black-and-white tuxedo cat on Facebook, asking for help. She trapped the feral cat the night before and brought him to Collier County Domestic Animal Services, DAS, the next morning to be fixed. Staff turned her away. "Keep a feral cat in a cage for two weeks? Release him back and never catch him again?" Sorbara wrote in frustration. "This is kitten season, you should be at least continuing TNR (trap-neuter-return), you know try and "fix" the problem so you don't have to shut down intake year after year." Earlier this month, the county shelter announced it would temporarily halt public feline intake from July 14 through July 30, citing a spike in communicable diseases. But to many in Collier County's animal rescue community, the closure is another sign of a system struggling to keep up with the growing overpopulation and leaving residents with nowhere to turn. "Despite the best efforts of our staff and volunteers, we're currently dealing with an increase in communicable diseases in cats," DAS Director Meredith McLean said in a press release. "Temporarily pausing intake will help us reduce our feline census, protect the health of animals already in our care, and allow us to focus our resources on urgent, critical cases.' The shelter saw a 60% increase in cat intake this June compared to the same time last year. DAS only accepted cats that were critically ill, injured, or at-risk during the intake closure. This isn't the first time the shelter has closed its intake. In August 2024, the county shelter paused intake after multiple cats tested positive for feline panleukopenia, a deadly and highly contagious virus. Each time, local rescues have been left to fill the gap, if they can. More: Collier County cat rescues face ongoing challenges. A shelter's temporary closure didn't help What did it mean for rescuers like Megan Sorbara? Sorbara, who runs Purradise Gardens, a nonprofit cat rescue in Naples, said she had no choice but to pay $260 for a private veterinarian to neuter the cat the county shelter turned away. She relies on the county's shelter TNR program to help control feral cat populations, especially during kitten season. "It puts more pressure and more expense on these small groups that are not funded like they (DAS) are," Sorbara said. "We don't have staff. We don't have payroll. We don't have a ton of volunteers. We don't have the whole county behind us, and it just puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the groups." To her, the shutdown wasn't a logistical failure; it was a misuse of public resources. "Those are county tax dollars that are operating that shelter, and the county (taxpayers) should be able to use it whenever they need it," she said. "It's not a surprise. It happens every year," Sorbara said, adding that closures like this one aren't new, and the county should be better prepared. "I do understand they shut down intake to avoid all these animals getting sick," she said, "but at the same time, you know what happens every single year, you know what happens during kitten season, you know what happens during summer. This seems to always happen, so have a plan." Where to go when the county shelter is closed While DAS's feline intake was suspended, residents looked to private veterinarians or nonprofit groups. Some of those groups include: SNIP Collier offers low-cost sterilization for cats and dogs For the Love of Cats provides TNR support for East Naples and Marco Island Humane Society Naples has a rescue and adoption center Residents are encouraged to call ahead, as many local organizations are near or at capacity. What can you do? Advocates say lasting change will require a combination of policy changes, community involvement and people stepping up to help. Here's how you can help: Adopt or foster Spay and neuter your pets Be a responsible pet owner by microchipping, licensing and securing your pets Support local rescue groups by donating, volunteering and fostering The county shelter urged residents to consider fostering or adopting animals already in their care. All adoption fees have been waived through Sept. 9. "We provide all veterinary care, supplies, and support; you just provide the space and love," McLean said. "Even a short-term foster can make a life-saving difference for these animals and help us reduce our feline population." A crisis that's not going away As of July 30, the shelter reopened its feline intake. Without meaningful changes to enforcement, funding and community engagement, advocates fear more shutdowns are inevitable. 'The officers won't trap. They said it takes too much time. They really do lean on the other organizations to do that work. And then for what? We don't get anything out of it.' Her group consists entirely of volunteers and depends solely on donations. "There's only so much room we have,' she said. Despite more than a decade of efforts, the need hasn't let up. Sorbara's nonprofit has focused its work on an industrial park near Shirley Street and Taylor Road, where volunteers feed over 100 feral cats every night. "Even with all of our trapping efforts and our daily feedings and care, we're still getting kittens," she said, adding that the work costs about $3,000 a month. While county funding for animal control exists, Sorbara said it's not reaching the boots-on-the-ground groups doing daily fieldwork. "There is funding there, but they're just not using it," Sorbara said. Mickenzie Hannon is a watchdog reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News, covering Collier and Lee counties. Contact her at 239-435-3423 or mhannon@ This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier County shelter reopens cat intake after pause to fight disease Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
29-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
440 animals in care at Ottawa Humane Society
Over 300 cats in care at Ottawa Humane Society as kitten season ramps up. Sunday, June 29, 2025 (Josh Marano/ CTV News Ottawa) It's one of the busiest times of the year at the Ottawa Humane Society, caring for hundreds of animals. Cats making up the majority, with marketing and communications senior manager of the Society Stephen Smith saying there are over 300 in care. 'Summer is the busiest time at the Ottawa Humane Society and there's a couple reasons we see this, number one kitten season cats are outside they might be breeding, we're seeing litters of kittens coming into our care,' Smith says. Smith says they also tend to see more strays this time of year as well. 'People are spending more time outdoors and the door might be left open, people might be letting their cats outside and they don't return at night, there's a number of reasons animals might become stray, and again, the Ottawa Humane Society is here to help them get home,' Smith says. The shelter is not at capacity, and Smith says they will always find room for animals in need. Along with monetary, toy and food donations, the shelter is asking for more volunteer help during these times, whether that be at the society, or through fostering. 'We're always looking for more foster volunteers, especially those who might be able to take on a large dog who have behavioral challenges,' Smith says. 'If you or somebody who has a lot of experience with dogs, maybe a little bit of a larger property available for them to get a bit more space, the help is always appreciated.' 'If you'd also like to take a litter of kittens for a week or so, we also need that support too. So come one, come all.' Donations can be made at the Ottawa Humane Society website.
CTV News
29-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
440 animals in care at Ottawa Humane Society
Over 300 cats in care at Ottawa Humane Society as kitten season ramps up. Sunday, June 29, 2025 (Josh Marano/ CTV News Ottawa) It's one of the busiest times of the year at the Ottawa Humane Society, caring for hundreds of animals. Cats making up the majority, with marketing and communications senior manager of the Society Stephen Smith saying there are over 300 in care. 'Summer is the busiest time at the Ottawa Humane Society and there's a couple reasons we see this, number one kitten season cats are outside they might be breeding, we're seeing litters of kittens coming into our care,' Smith says. Smith says they also tend to see more strays this time of year as well. 'People are spending more time outdoors and the door might be left open, people might be letting their cats outside and they don't return at night, there's a number of reasons animals might become stray, and again, the Ottawa Humane Society is here to help them get home,' Smith says. The shelter is not at capacity, and Smith says they will always find room for animals in need. Along with monetary, toy and food donations, the shelter is asking for more volunteer help during these times, whether that be at the society, or through fostering. 'We're always looking for more foster volunteers, especially those who might be able to take on a large dog who have behavioral challenges,' Smith says. 'If you or somebody who has a lot of experience with dogs, maybe a little bit of a larger property available for them to get a bit more space, the help is always appreciated.' 'If you'd also like to take a litter of kittens for a week or so, we also need that support too. So come one, come all.' Donations can be made at the Ottawa Humane Society website.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
PCAPS hosts successful kitten shower to support seasonal surge in adoptions
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Kitten season brought an adorable crowd to the Peoria Humane Society as animal lovers gathered for a special Kitten Shower event aimed at supporting the influx of kittens arriving at Peoria County Animal Protection Services. Held from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, the event featured kittens available for adoption, cat-themed games, refreshments, and plenty of opportunities for attendees to cuddle with playful, adoptable kittens. In addition to adoptions, the Humane Society collected much-needed donations to help care for the thousands of cats PCAPS receives each year. Supporters brought items from the organization's wish list, including canned kitten food, litter, formula, nursing bottles, and gift cards to pet supply stores. The community also contributed through an online Amazon wish list. 'We've had a really good response so far,' said Kitty Yanko, director of the Peoria Humane Society. 'We've had lots of donations coming in. It's so exciting to see people walking through that door with Kitty and cat donations, and we've had a few adoptions. And so I think it's been a real big success.' The Kitten Shower also highlighted the challenges local shelters are facing during a particularly heavy kitten season. 'It has been a rough kitten season,' Yanko added. 'I mean, we're seeing a real increase in cats coming in. And the key is for people to spay and neuter their pets and, you know, certainly not let them run loose and reproduce. So we're hoping with some education and just, you know, with more adoptions that we can kind of put a stop to that and just find good homes for cats and all animals that come to shelters.' The event served as both a celebration and a call to action — raising awareness of the rising number of homeless kittens during the warmer months and encouraging the community to adopt, donate, and support local animal welfare efforts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Welcome to kitten season, when animal shelters need all the help they can get
Strawberry, Blueberry, JoJo and Mazzy were about 6 weeks old when animal rescuers coaxed them out of long metal pipes in the parking lot of a storage unit company. Meatball was a single kitten living in a cold garage with a group of semi-feral adult cats. Spaghetti, Macaroni and Rigatoni, meanwhile, were just 2 weeks old when the good folks of LIC Feral Feeders, a cat rescue in Queens, took them in and bottle-fed them until they were strong enough to survive. Consider these cuties the face of kitten season 2025. Kitten season, typically landing during warmer months, is the time of year when most cats give birth. That produces a surge of kittens, often fragile neonates. Shelters get overwhelmed, especially when it comes to the 24-hour care and feeding of extremely young kittens. That, as a result, triggers a need for more foster homes because many of the 4,000 or so shelters in the U.S. don't have the time or resources for around-the-clock care, said Hannah Shaw, an animal welfare advocate known as the Kitten Lady with more than a million followers on Instagram. 'We see about 1.5 million kittens entering shelters every year. And most of them will come into shelters during May and June,' she said. 'Shelters need all hands on deck to help out through fostering.' Familiarity with fostering animals is high, Shaw said. The act of doing it is a different story. There's a false perception, she said, that the expense of fostering animals falls on the people who step up to do it. These days, many shelters and rescues cover the food, supplies and medical costs of fostering. 'A lot of people don't foster because they think it's going to be this huge cost, but fostering actually only costs you time and love,' she said. Lisa Restine, a Hill's Pet Nutrition veterinarian, said people looking to adopt kittens should take pairs since cats often bond early in life. And how many cats is too many cats per household? 'This is nothing serious or medical but my general rule of thumb is the number of adults in the house, like a 2-to-1 ratio, because you can carry one cat in each hand, so if there are two adults you can have four cats and still be sane,' she said. Square footage to avoid territory disputes is a good rule of thumb when planning for cats, Restine said. Two cats per 800 square feet then 200 square feet more for each addition should help, she said. Littermates, like Macaroni and Rigatoni, are much more likely to bond, Restine said. Kittens not biologically related but raised together often bond as well — like Meatball and Spaghetti. But adopters hoping to bond an adult cat with a new kitten arrival may be disappointed. 'Once they're over that 3- or 4-month mark, it's hard to get that true bonding,' Restine said. Typically, kittens stay in their foster homes from a few weeks to a few months. While statistics are not kept on the number of kitten fosters that 'fail' — when foster families decided to keep their charges — some shelters report rates as high as 90%. That's a win, despite use of the word 'fail,' advocates note. Shaw sees another barrier holding people back from fostering: the notion that it requires special training or skills. That's why she has dedicated her life to educating the public, offering videos, books and research on how it works at her site Companies are coming on board, too. Hill's, a pet food company, runs the Hill's Food, Shelter & Love program. It has provided more than $300 million in food support to over 1,000 animal shelters that support fostering in North America. 'About a quarter of a million kittens, unfortunately, don't survive in our shelters every year,' Shaw said. 'The shelter's going to be there to mentor and support you. So I think a lot of the fear that people have about fostering, they might find that actually it is something you totally can do. It's just scary because you haven't done it yet.'
