RESCUE TAILS / Kitten Math

Contributed by FKSPCA Staff

Everyone loves kittens. Their tiny paws and toe beans that make biscuits in your lap, the way their ears gently move up and down when taking a bottle, their big round eyes offset by a tiny nose and whiskers. Kittens are full of life, they love to play and watching them learn how to “hunt” by chasing a ball, or a feather, or a toy is mesmerizing. It’s also been scientifically proven that petting a cat can boost your mood, and that the frequency of their purr is actually healing. So what’s the problem with kittens?

Most kittens are born from unwanted litters. Having kittens when you have unaltered animals is no “accident.” A female cat can reproduce up to five times a year, and they can start reproducing as early as 4 months old. FOUR MONTHS OLD. Therefore; waiting to get your cat spayed or neutered will almost always result in an unwanted pregnancy. With a gestation of only 65 days, most owners don’t even know their cat is pregnant, until they’re ready to give birth. After having kittens, and while nursing, it’s even possible for a female cat to go into heat and get pregnant again.

So, that brings me to kitten math. On average, a cat has three litters of kittens per year. Most litters have four – eight kittens per litter. Female cats can reproduce basically throughout their entire life meaning they can have kittens for 12-15 years. If that female cat had four kittens per litter, three times a year for her lifetime, that means one female cat would have 180 kittens in a lifetime. Those kittens also start reproducing as early as 4 months old and start having litters of their own. The numbers are staggering.

This kitten season alone, our Key West and Marathon Campuses have taken in 300 kittens. As I said from the beginning, everyone loves kittens, but each year we take in more kittens than we can adopt out. So those kittens become cats, and some of those kittens that have become cats are still at our shelters years later, waiting to be adopted. So just because they’re kittens, and they’re cute, it doesn’t mean they’ll find homes.

To help prevent pet overpopulation we now offer low cost spay/neuter for the public and free TVNR (trap, vaccinate, neuter, return) for feral cats. Learn more about our spay/neuter program by visiting us at https://fkspca.org/what-we-do/clinic-services/ or email [email protected] to book your appointment today.

Thanks!

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