By Elizabeth Italia, Cat Behaviorist and Stray Cat Blues Foster
This is an abbreviated version of an article originally published on Tails & Tips. Read the full article here.

When the average person hears the words “kitten season,” they probably think, “What a great time!” And while the thought of tons of kittens initially sounds lovely, those who work in animal rescue and all of us at Stray Cat Blues know our resources will be stretched thin for months. We’ll struggle to address all the help requests for kittens found outside (and sometimes their mamas).

First, we’d like to explain what kitten season is and why it happens and then share a few ideas for how you can help.

What Is Kitten Season?

Running March-October, kitten season is simply when there is a spike in kittens. Longer days (12+ hours of light) and warmer temperatures triggers cats to go into heat. The reason for this from an evolutionary perspective is that kittens have a better chance of survival in warmer months.

Although less common, cats can reproduce at any time of the year, because of:

Artificial lighting. Cats can get 12-14 hours of artificial light daily indoors and even outdoors with street lights.
Genetics. Some cats are genetically less sensitive to seasonal changes.
Certain breeds. Siamese are just one example of cats that are more likely to cycle year-round.
Warmer climates. Since winters are more mild, cats can go into heat.
Young cats. Because they are often born in warmer months themselves, they’ll reach sexual maturity in late fall or winter and experience their first heat cycle.

Reasons There Are So Many Kittens

There are many reasons why the number of kittens is so high:

Induced Ovulation - In cats, mating actually induces ovulation. Therefore, an egg is only released if sperm is present. In humans, an egg is released on average every 28 days whether sperm is present or not.
Frequent Cycles - Cats go into heat for 4-10 days at a time every 2-3 weeks. In a year, a healthy cat can have 8-12 cycles.
Multiple Mates – On average, cats release 3-7 eggs during a cycle and can have multiple fathers in one litter.
Large Litters – The average litter size is 4-6 kittens.
Nursing Moms Get Pregnant – It’s most common for queens to go into heat at 6-8 weeks after giving birth; however, some queens go into heat as early as 2-3 weeks after.
Early Sexual Maturity – Cats can go into heat as early as four months old.
Year-Round Breeding Indoors – Cats exposed to indoor artificial light can be in heat all year.
Lack of Spaying/Neutering Access or Awareness – Many people don’t realize how good cats are at having kittens. They also don’t realize there are many programs in place to help get cats fixed. The most popular program is TNR, trap, neuter, return where a cat is trapped, fixed, ear tipped, and returned to their outdoor home.

How To Help Stray Cat Blues

Especially in the middle of kitten season, we need your help. There are several ways you can help us accomplish our goal of saving as many lives this kitten season as possible.

Adopt

Looking to add to your family? Know someone who wants to? Recommend Stray Cat Blues. We have lots of kittens and adult cats who need homes, and when one is adopted, it frees up space for us to save another cat. View our page on adopting here.

Spay & Neuter

All indoor and outdoor cats should be spayed or neutered the earliest your vet allows. If finances are a concern, check out our resources page.

TNR: Trap, Neuter, Return

Do you have cats outside and don’t know what to do? Contact Stray Cat Blues to learn about our TNR program, which helps to reduce the cat overpopulation crisis in our area. We have a dedicated team of trappers who might be able to help.

Donate Supplies

Stray Cat Blues always needs supplies like food, litter, towels, beds, heat discs, formula, bottles, and much more. You can also order off of our Amazon Wishlist or Chewy Wish list. Here’s how you can donate supplies to us.

Donate

Taking care of kittens is expensive between booster vaccines, dewormer treatments, a microchip, and a spay/neuter surgery. Plus, sick kittens need vet visits, diagnostic tests, and medications. And that doesn’t even cover basic needs: litter box, litter, bowls, puppy pads, food, etc. Please consider donating to Stray Cat Blues.

Volunteer

We have a variety of volunteer opportunities:

Whiskers Way Station – Houses up to 20 cats who need help with socialization before being adopted.
Barn Cat Program – Not every cat belongs in a home. Help us place cats who handle rodent control in exchange for food, water, and shelter.
Trappers – We mentioned TNR earlier – want to do it? There’s no set schedule, which can make it ideal for people who need more flexibility.

Explore all the ways you can volunteer with Stray Cat Blues here.

Foster During Kitten Season

When you foster, you’ll give a kitten a temporary home until they’re ready for adoption. It’s one of the most selfless things you can do to help a cat. Kittens and cats of all ages need foster care and we’ll provide vet care and medical supplies. Only want to do bottle babies? Prefer older kittens? Want a mom with babies? Just want to foster a couple of times a year? We have tons of options. Take a look at our page Is Fostering Right for Me?.

Educate Others

Now that you know a little about kitten season, you can take the opportunity to help others learn too. If you know someone who needs help, point them in the right direction. Have a family with an unspayed cat? Suggest a low-cost clinic. Have a friend feeding a stray? Recommend TNR. Share what you’ve learned.

Let’s Work Together

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’d like to help us through this kitten season (or the next). We care deeply about our community and know we can save more lives when we work together.