It’s happening meow: Animal centres gear up for kitten season

Kitten season is upon us, which means it’s the time of year when Ontario SPCA animal centres see an increase in the number of feline families, pregnant cats and litters of orphaned kittens come into their care.   

During this busy time at Ontario SPCA animal centres across the province, our staff and volunteers are focused on helping these tiny feline friends and their moms thrive. It can sometimes mean sleepless nights, round-the-clock bottle feeding, veterinary appointments and all the usual care that comes with keeping cats and kittens happy and healthy.    

Kitten season might begin in the spring, but it doesn’t typically peak until the late summer months.  

Foster families save lives    

When a pregnant cat comes into our care, we try to place her in a foster home wherever possible. This gives mom a quiet, comfortable space to have her babies. As her kittens grow, that one-on-one time with their foster family in a home environment helps socialize them and prepare them for the day when they will be adopted into their loving home.   

Fostering kittens is a big job, especially when it comes to caring for orphaned kittens who need constant care and feeding. Without a mother, they depend on their foster family for everything.    

To help set our foster families up for success, we send them home with all the supplies they will need to care for their feline family. Our animal centres are in regular contact with the foster families to help ensure things go smoothly. The kittens come back to our animal centres every two weeks to be weighed, and so we can administer any de-worming or vaccinations needed at that time.    

Learn more about becoming a foster volunteer    

Preventing kitten season   

Spaying and neutering animals is the key to reducing the number of homeless cats and kittens that come into our animal centres. To put it in perspective, one female cat is capable of producing as many as 120 kittens in her lifetime!    

You can help reduce pet overpopulation by speaking to your veterinarian about having your cat spayed or neutered. To learn more about the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society’s spay/neuter services, visit ontariospca.ca/spayneuter  

Already have your pets spayed or neutered? Thank you! Please consider “Spaying it forward” by making a donation to cover the cost of a spay or neuter surgery for an animal in our care.    

Pet Valu cat cabins   

Through its Companions for Change program, Pet Valu generously provides a $180,000* sponsorship  for the Ontario SPCA’s Cat Cabin Program which supplies cat cabins to the felines in our care.  

These cabins offer cats and kittens enrichment and a place where they can hide, which helps them to feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment. Available in two themed designs – Cabin in the Meow-tains and Miami Beach– each cabin has  a flat perch-like surface on top of the enclosed cabin area, so cats can sit off the floor which helps them feel secure. Kittens also enjoy playing in the cat cabins, particularly climbing and chasing each other through the two entrances 

When a cat is adopted from the Ontario SPCA, their same cat cabin can be brought home with them. Once home, adopters are encouraged to reassemble the cabin, as it has the cat’s scent on it and helps ease their transition into their new home by offering a familiar place to perch, sleep, and hide. This brings a familiar piece of furniture with them, making the transition to a new home easier. 

If you’ve been thinking of welcoming a furry friend into your family, visit our adoption page at ontariospca.ca/adopt to see cats and kittens available for adoption.  

*Pet Valu provides this amount over the full term of the agreement.