We are now bracing ourselves for what is known in animal welfare circles as “Kitten Season”. The reason for the season is the timing of the cats’ heat cycles with the warmer weather resulting in a cornucopia of kittens. As cute as this sounds, it presents a very real problem.
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. A 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.
