Are you familiar with "kitten season?" No? You're not alone. Every year, between the months of March and November, animal shelters and veterinary clinics alike experience a flood of homeless pregnant cats and newborn kittens in need of care or fostering.

Yes, kittens are wickedly cute, but without loving homes to support the influx of these newborn felines, many will grow up to be cats, and remain homeless. Worst case, many of these kittens will be destroyed by financially strained shelters who simply cannot keep up with the numbers.
Kitten Rescue, a local cat shelter in Los Angeles, says on their blog, "1,230 animals that [our] volunteers rescued, 820 were kittens, many as young as one day old."

Here are some facts about Kitten Season to keep you in the know:
- 1. “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;
2. An unspayed female cat will go into heat every 3 weeks;
3. The average size of a litter is 4-6 kittens;
4. One mother cat can produce 18 kittens in one season;
5. A female cat can begin having kittens at 6 months old;
6. In 7 years 1 female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats!!!!!
7. During “Kitten Season” the number of kittens far exceeds the number of homes available;
8. During “Kitten Season” you will see signs everywhere for Kittens for Sale, they are sold by the wayside, they are dropped off in boxes at the grocery stores and they end up in animal welfare organizations;
9. There are more kittens available than there are families to take them;
10. During “Kitten Season” it is difficult to find loving homes for adult cats.
Sadly, it's not just kittens we have to worry about. Please - get your pet spayed or neutered! If you come in contact with a homeless animal that you think might not be 'fixed,' contact your local animal shelter.
Even if you can't foster a cat or volunteer your time at a shelter, you can still help by choosing spcaLA as your Cause on SocialVibe. Their current goal of $1,000 has 61 days left, and they're only $163 of the way there!













