Happy National Kitten Day!

There are over 150 adoptable kittens in Rhode Island listed on Petfinder today, with hundreds more unlisted but available in shelters and rescues across the state. A kitten is classified as any feline under nine months old. Cats can have up to nine kittens per litter, and with a gestation of two months per pregnancy, one mother cat alone could have five litters a year - or a maximum of 40 kittens per year and hundreds over a lifetime!

You might have heard of “Kitten Season”, which refers to the warmer weather months when stray and feral cats are much more likely to reproduce. With the potential for so many births, female cats who aren’t spayed and are free to roam will quickly lead to overpopulation. There simply isn’t enough room to accommodate so many kittens in state shelters and rescue groups, which also are caring for adult cats.

The quickest way to reduce overpopulation? Spaying and neutering of cats as early as four months old. Even feral cats can receive TNR - or trap, neuter, return services, where they are humanely trapped, fixed, vaccinated, and returned to their colony to live the rest of their life without ever contributing to population growth again.

Know what else you can do? Bring home one or more of the many cats and kittens across Rhode Island! You don’t need to buy a pet store kitten or hope that the offer of a free kitten on social media will result in a good outcome. Adoptable kittens come home with medical care, vaccines, and spay/neuter surgeries completed. You know what you’re getting, and the bonus is that you’re saving a life.

Check out Petfinder.com today, visit local organizations’ social media profiles, and don’t forget to visit your local shelter! Kittens aren’t always listed online because of the volume that become available during Kitten Season. You don’t want to miss out on your newest and most cuddly family member this National Kitten Day and throughout the year!