Kitten Photo courtesy of Kirsten Knox.
Each spring, the flowers pop up and the grass gradually turns green. Amidst all of this growth, kittens also pop up! Once the weather gets warmer, cats start having litters of anywhere between one and eight kittens. Until the first freeze comes in approximately mid-October, Journey Home takes in kittens. Often multiple litters per week with or without the momma cat. These babies can range from being less than a day old to several months, and that determines how long they will stay at JHACC. The most fragile kittens are those under 4 weeks, which still need to nurse. The very young ones often require care around the clock, and to be fed by our team through the use of a bottle.
What’s the problem with having kittens?
Kittens are adorable, but they’re also at-risk. In town, litters run the risk of conflict with dogs, cars, ingesting poison, or getting stuck in places they shouldn’t. Outside of town, kittens may encounter dangerous equipment, hazardous water features, or predators such as coyotes, owls, and mountain lions. In addition to this, large colonies of cats without support from a caregiver run the risk of perpetuating and spreading treatable or preventable diseases, and unaltered colonies are likely to engage in inbreeding.
It’s heartbreaking to find a kitten that is suffering, but we always encourage community members to bring stray animals with medical concerns either to a veterinarian or to our facility.
How do we prevent Kitten Season?
Kitten Season is a yearly experience, but we try to lessen it as much as possible. You can avoid contributing to kitten season by having your cats spayed and neutered at 2 months old (or when they reach 2lbs). This is the most effective way to prevent litters, and also has benefits for the cat’s long-term health! If your cats are already spayed and neutered, consider talking to your friends, family, and neighbors about their cats. Journey Home offers affordable spay and neutering, as well as financial assistance when requested. Our clinic also offers a Trap – Neuter – Return/Release (TNR) program, for the cats that lean more towards feral.
Remember, reducing the strain of kitten season is all about education and access!
To learn more about our TNR program, email our clinic at: VetServices@JHACC.org
How can you help shelters like Journey Home during Kitten Season?
The fastest way to help kittens this Kitten Season is to donate items! Our most needed items include: a Kitten Nursing Kit, boxes of Fancy Feast Kitten Pate, and cans of KMR Kitten Milk Replacer powder. Our Humane Heroes make a huge difference this time of year, because their monthly contributions help us to financially pivot when a larger litter comes in or when a kitten has severe medical needs.
Volunteers can also help during kitten season, most prominently by being foster families. Often fosters will host an entire litter, sometimes with the mom cat. This allows the babies to grow and become ready for new homes, while giving the momma cat a relaxing and comfortable space to raise her kittens. Fill out a cat foster application here.
Another way to help out during kitten season is by attending our Kitten Baby Shower event (this year it is June 20, 2026)! This fun-filled day has games, competitions, and opportunities for you to say hello to the itty bitty kitties that your donations are helping. Add it to your calendar, and make sure to arrive on time to get your slice of delicious cake!
DISCLAIMER: This post has been reviewed by any pertinent staff members of JHACC. Artificial Intelligence has in no way been used to create this content, and it is considered correct to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication.