Spring is time to adopt— shelters full of kittens

PANAMA CITY — Spring is in the air — the flflowers are b l o o mi n g , t h e b i rd s a re chirping, and the kittens are mewing.

You heard that right — kitten season is in full swing and local shelters are flflooded with tiny fur babies.

“O h , y e s , ” s a i d Ma r y Gauden, vice president of the Humane Society of Bay Count y ’s Board of Directors. “Every spring we go through a very large inflflux of kittens.”

The Humane Society has about two dozen kittens up on their website ready for adoptions. They’re all about 2 months old, which is just old enough to be separated from mom and be on their own, Gauden said. Though Bay County Animal Control only had three kittens available for adoption one day last week, a worker said they had just received 10 more kittens that morning. And on Craigslist, there are dozens of postings for free kittens across the county.

Springtime is kitten season,” Gauden said.

Many of the kittens turned over come from the large population of feral cats roaming the county. Gauden advises anyone who sees their neighborhood cat with a litter to avoid separating the mother kittens until they are at least 8 weeks old. Once they’re old enough, there are several organizations that will take the kittens, including the Humane Society, Bay County Animal Control and Castaway Cats, and Gauden said they will work with people to help fifind the kittens a good home.

A n d whi l e k i t t e n s a r e undeniably adorable, cats are prolific breeders and it won’t t ake long before one cat becomes four, then eight, then 20, as cats can produce a litter of between four and seven kittens every four months. Gauden said there are several groups, including Operation Spay Bay, which can provide traps for feral cats and will sterilize them at a reduced cost.

But for the kittens who make it to a shelter, their ending is usually a happy one, Gauden said. Though the Humane Society does have to shoulder extra costs during kitten season for food, litter and medication, it’s worth it to see families come in and fawn over the little bundles of fur.

Even if they come in as f e r a l , G a u d e n s a i d , t h e Humane Societ y has had great success, especially with younger kittens, in socializing them with other cats and getting them used to the domestic life.