{"id":14413,"date":"2015-05-06T00:10:06","date_gmt":"2015-05-06T04:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=14413"},"modified":"2015-05-06T19:35:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-06T23:35:07","slug":"kitten-season-a-time-when-we-hope-for-low-ratings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/kitten-season-a-time-when-we-hope-for-low-ratings\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitten Season… A Time When We Hope for Low Ratings…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"televisioncliptest\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When it comes to the new summer or fall season of television, I\u2019m all over it with anticipation. With kitten season, not so much. And don\u2019t get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE kittens. They are literally one of my all-time favorite things in the entire world and if I could have a house full of them, I would. But kitten season is far more than the sweet images that pop into our heads of darling, fluffy balls of playful fun. For shelters, kitten season is the period when births peak and it can be the very worst time of the year.<\/p>\n

According to PetSmart Charities program manager, Bryan Kortis, kitten season happens twice each year \u2013 once in the spring and once in the fall, with the more intense kitten season happening in the spring where there will be an estimated 20 million kittens born.<\/p>\n

Much as they melt our hearts, there simply are not enough forever homes for them and they overwhelm shelters because resources quickly become maxed, forcing tough decisions to be made. Not to mention, caring for kittens is not an easy job. Neonate kittens \u2014 those who are about 2 to 3 weeks old \u2014 must be bottle-fed every few hours and shelters must place them with someone who is trained to care for neonates. If they don\u2019t find those adopters or foster placements fast, the kittens are often euthanized. And even if they are adopted, it’s at a price – usually at the expense of the older, less adoptable cats, such as seniors, cats with disabilities, or black cats that are often euthanized to make room for the more adoptable kittens.<\/p>\n

I know you’ve all heard this before and I know I\u2019m preaching to the kitten loving choir. But the message really hit home for me this year that kitten season is not just a topic to blog about. It’s real. In the past week, I have reached out to several of my friends in regards to book reviews for Purr Prints of the Heart<\/a>. Three of them replied back in general conversation that they were busier than usual because they were fostering litters of kittens they had either found, or a shelter had contacted them to help with. And I know if they are helping out, that is only scratching the surface and I can\u2019t begin to image how many of my other friends and colleagues are doing the same.<\/p>\n

\"Bernadette<\/a>

Photo courtesy of Bernadette Kazmarski of The Creative Cat who found this litter of 5 kittens a few days ago and is now fostering them.<\/p><\/div>\n

Truly the only way to combat this epidemic is to continue our crusade to spread the news on the importance of spay\/neuter to the mainstream public. Whether it is the message that kittens need to be fixed at a younger age, or the message that we must embrace aggressive Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage (TNRM) programs in our communities to help minimize the influx of kittens during kitten season.<\/p>\n

As I said from the beginning, I love a great new season, but when it comes to kitten season, that is one season I prefer get canceled due to low ratings\u2026<\/p>\n

Have a great Wednesday all and to help spread the news about kitten season, please feel free to share the graphic I provided at the beginning of this post or share this FANTASTIC video “There are Kittens Everywhere – Get Ready for Kitten Season” created by my extremely talented friend, Alana Grelyak of Cat CATastrophes<\/a>.<\/p>\n