As the temperature increases, local animal rescues are also seeing a rise in the number of kitten births.Â
While not everyone considers the cat influx to be "kitten season," local animal rescues would say otherwise as kittens have begun overrunning shelters and foster homes.
The warmer months tend to pair with litters of kittens found in backyards or stray families growing on the side of the road, officials say.
Faye Stevens fully believes in kitten season, and with more than 20 years of experience at The Cat House, she should know.
“It seems like over my years, dealing with kitten intake requests, that kitten season has gotten longer. It starts earlier and lasts longer,†said Stevens, current president of The Cat House.
While cats can have litters throughout the year, Stevens said The Cat House sees higher numbers from March to October.
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At the Capital Humane Society, Executive Director Matt Madcharo looks at intake numbers for proof of kitten season. In April, a total of 190 cats were in the humane society’s care, including 78 kittens. The following month, numbers rose to more than 300 cats with 160 kittens.
“When the season gets here, we know pretty quickly because that’s a pretty significant jump in a short amount of time,†Madcharo said.
In his experience, warmer weather causes animals to be more active.
“There’s more animals out and about and so you tend to end up with more pets coming into the shelter for both dogs and cats during the warmer months,†Madcharo said.
The humane society sees its highest numbers in June and July. With a cat’s pregnancy only lasting about 65 days, Madcharo said it’s not uncommon for cats to get pregnant twice during the summer.
For some, finding stray kittens can be a dream come true as the "cat distribution system" chooses them. However, Madcharo said people should avoid kitten-napping.
“This is the time of year where sometimes people will stumble upon a litter of kittens.â€Â
If the kittens look clean, healthy and aren’t crying, Madcharo said it’s best to leave them alone and keep an eye out for mom who’s likely hunting for dinner. He recommends taking flour and making a circle around the kittens to see if mom returns and leaves prints in the flour.
“Ultimately, the best chance that a kitten has to survive is with their mom,†Madcharo said.
However, if the kittens are in a dangerous situation, look dirty or sick, or are in a backyard with a dog, Madcharo said to bring the kittens inside, along with mom if possible. Otherwise, it’s best to wait until the kittens are 6 to 8 weeks old and can eat on their own.
“Kittens are cute and all, but there’s really too many being born,†Madcharo said. “We’ve got to get more pets spayed and neutered in the community.â€
Both the Capital Humane Society and The Cat House run programs to help trap, neuter and release stray cats. The process runs on volunteers who safely trap feral and stray cats who can't be tamed into house cats. These volunteers then bring them into shelters to be neutered or spayed before releasing them back into the wild.
“Unfortunately people don’t always get their own pets spayed or neutered or they don’t understand the importance of helping to get stray and feral cats spayed or neutered,†Stevens said. “Even with all the organizations in Lincoln, we can’t adopt our way out of this.â€
When kitten litters are brought in, organizations such as Brave Animal Rescue look to help tame kittens to get them off the street and into homes. Hannah Manley, co-founder of Brave, said they look for a window when the cat is between 6Â and 10 weeks where they can work on taming the kitten before they follow the path of their feral parent.
“We try to find that sweet spot of taking the kittens from their mom when they’re ready to be weaned and when it’s not too late for them to be socialized,†Manley said.
After they reach the weight requirement of 2 pounds, Manley said they spay and neuter each cat.
“Our goal is, as much as we love kittens, to no longer be needed,†Manley said. “The more we can spay and neuter animals, the less kittens are suffering.â€
In addition to waiting for the procedure, the rescues also wait until the kittens are 8 weeks old to be adopted. At the humane society, Madcharo said this can cause a lack of space during the summer, even with two shelters in Lincoln.
The Admissions and Assessment Center, 2320 Park Blvd., handles lost and surrendered animals. The Pieloch Pet Adoption Center, 6500 S. 70th St., serves as the adoption and education center.
However, when the kittens are too small to be adopted, the humane society must rely on their 150 foster homes.
“Ultimately, what the foster care program is is an extension of the shelter,†Madcharo said. “It expands the capacity for us to be able to care for more pets.â€
Shelters also can be extremely stressful for young pets with unfamiliar scents and sounds.
“Going into a foster home, they’re in a home environment,†Madcharo said. “It’s less stressful for them, especially if it’s an animal recovering from an injury or an illness or disease.â€
The Cat House currently has more than 100 cats that rely completely on 200 part-time volunteers, many who also work full-time jobs like Stevens. Half of the cats live in their shelter, 3633 O St., while the other half are in foster homes around town.
Brave Animal Rescue, however, relies completely on volunteer foster homes as they don’t have a rescue location. Manley said they currently have 30 active foster homes where owners have given up spare bedrooms and bathrooms for pets of all ages waiting to be adopted.
Foster homes at Brave get more than the essential food and litter for their foster kittens. Manley is also in constant communication with each home and is even known for an occasional house visit to help check on the animals.
“We’re big on being resources for our foster homes because I don’t want anybody to feel like they’re up against this alone,†Manley said. “We’re a pretty tight-knit community.â€
Julie York, a foster parent for Brave, has fostered 96 animals with her husband since they started in 2018.
“For us, it’s always been about saving lives and enriching the animals' lives while they’re here,†York said.
Each animal that comes through their doors is given a colored collar and a name related to a theme. Currently, York has six kittens from two different litters, all named after Winnie the Pooh characters.
“It’s a lot of fun, we really enjoy the kitten energy,†York said.
In a successful fostering, the kittens are adopted and move out into a lifelong home. However, every rescue has foster homes that aren’t so successful, leading to “foster fails.â€
“That’s a term of endearment, but sometimes, foster parents fall in love with a pet they’re fostering,†Madcharo said. “Ultimately, once the pet is ready to be adopted, they end up adopting them.â€
Even Madcharo has two "foster fail" cats of his own. They're considered failures as there’s less availability in foster homes for future kittens.
Ultimately, Manley’s goal in leading a foster rescue is to be a matchmaker between people and their pets.
“It’s a full-time, non-paying job,†Manley said.
At least in monetary amounts it doesn’t pay. For Manley, it’s all about “connecting people with their best friends.â€Â
Every couple of months, York gets a new group of furry friends to spend her free time with in her renovated kitten basement. York and her husband also have two adult cats upstairs but fostering allows them to keep a constant rotation of kittens in the house.
“It gives me purpose. I love animals and it’s my way of giving back and being able to enjoy more animals than we’ve ever had,†York said.
Plus, it’s free.
“You get to enjoy having an animal without having all the stress about paying for it, so why not? And you get the love and affection,†York said. “Nothing better than a pile of kittens in your lap.â€