By Janay Boyd | Reporter
While it may be allergy season, another time of year is quietly creeping in — kitten season. Typically spanning from early spring to late fall, kitten season marks a rise in feline births, leading to a significant influx of newborn kittens and mother cats at shelters and rescues.
“During this time, we see a surge in litters — often orphaned, sick or too young to survive on their own,” said the marketing director of Fuzzy Friends Rescue, Ashley McAdam. “This puts major strain on our resources, space and staff, as these fragile babies require round-the-clock attention and medical care.”
Although the furry arrivals are undeniably adorable, the sheer volume of kittens creates overwhelming demand for medical care, food and shelter space. In Waco, both Fuzzy Friends Rescue and the Animal Birth Control Clinic (ABC) urge the public to get involved, whether that means adopting, fostering or spaying and neutering cats before kitten season ramps up.
“We have seen a steady increase in kitten intakes over the past few years,” McAdam said. “This could be due to warmer weather patterns extending breeding seasons, and an ongoing need for widespread spray and neuter education and access in our community.”
To help curb the seasonal influx, ABC encourages early action, said development and communications coordinator Skylar Turner.
“In preparation for kitten season, we definitely advise people to bring in their cats before kitten season shows up,” Turner said. “Especially with community cats — we always advise and encourage people before kitten season to get any cat that they can get.”
ABC offers walk-in appointments for community cats Monday through Thursday — the only animals accepted without appointments. Turner emphasized the importance of bringing these cats in traps rather than carriers.
“From my current knowledge, the highest number of cats that we had during this kitten season in a day was 35 — just for one day of surgery, and a lot of those are going to be community cats,” Turner said.
One of the most effective strategies for managing community cat populations is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). According to Neighborhood Cats, an animal shelter in New York, TNR is the most humane and proven method for controlling stray and feral cat populations. Cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and returned to their home territory.
At ABC, TNR is supported through their CommC.A.T. (Community Cat Action Team) program. The initiative provides affordable vet care, TNR coaching and access to trap rentals. A $50 deposit is required to rent a trap, but it is refunded once the trap is returned, Turner said.
“When they bring them in, we’ll TNR them and then they’ll return them,” Turner said. “We do believe it’s inhumane to displace or replace cats in a different area once they are in a certain area — that is their home.”
Meanwhile, at Fuzzy Friends Rescue, one of the biggest ongoing challenges is finding enough foster homes to accommodate the surge in kittens.
“Foster families are truly the lifeline of our kitten program,” McAdam said. “The more foster homes we have, the more lives we can save.”
Fuzzy Friends does not currently allow Baylor students to foster. The decision is based on the need for a stable, long-term environment — something students often can’t provide due to housing restrictions, class schedules and travel, McAdam said.
Still, there are plenty of ways the community can help. Fuzzy Friends Rescue welcomes volunteers, donations, social media support and, of course, adopters. ABC encourages people to contact Environmental Health & Safety for on-campus animal concerns, to learn to trap community cats or inquire about volunteer opportunities.
