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YSK: When "kitten season" starts and boatloads of cute kittens start showing up, it does not tell the whole story.
Why YSK: It only shows the positive side, which is a small fraction of the truth.
\[Trigger warning for mentions of animal death.\]
Kitten season is the hardest time of the year for shelters, fosterers, and volunteers.
I've seen endless posts of cute new kittens, with full bellies and little pokey tails and eyes just starting to open. I do love the posts - I love all of those new kitties, even if I've only seen a single photo.
But that is just one facet of kitten season.
For every healthy kitten, there's likely one who did not make it. Maybe two, three, or more. They were too sick, too frail, too malnourished, too neglected, too inundated with parasites, too exposed to unfavorable weather, or - the worst - subject to human cruelty. EDIT - As pointed out - this is also true - it means more and more adult cats are ignored and forgotten regarding adoption.
There are hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of kittens born every year. Despite as hard as we work as volunteers, we cannot save them all. We cannot get them all adopted.
Kitten season is a cute, fun time. In the background, it often means tremendous heartbreak.
Please spay and neuter your cats. Without those things, kittens will suffer and die, year after year, while people coo over a few pictures of a kitten that actually \*made\* it. And if you want more info on how to help, feel free to message me. I have over 15 years of experience as a volunteer and specialize in hospice fostering.
& #x200B ;
\[Post has been resubmitted as an edit caused it to violate Rule 6. It did, however, contain a lot of very useful information. Happy to share if anyone wants info.\]
Why YSK: It only shows the positive side, which is a small fraction of the truth.
\[Trigger warning for mentions of animal death.\]
Kitten season is the hardest time of the year for shelters, fosterers, and volunteers.
I've seen endless posts of cute new kittens, with full bellies and little pokey tails and eyes just starting to open. I do love the posts - I love all of those new kitties, even if I've only seen a single photo.
But that is just one facet of kitten season.
For every healthy kitten, there's likely one who did not make it. Maybe two, three, or more. They were too sick, too frail, too malnourished, too neglected, too inundated with parasites, too exposed to unfavorable weather, or - the worst - subject to human cruelty. EDIT - As pointed out - this is also true - it means more and more adult cats are ignored and forgotten regarding adoption.
There are hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of kittens born every year. Despite as hard as we work as volunteers, we cannot save them all. We cannot get them all adopted.
Kitten season is a cute, fun time. In the background, it often means tremendous heartbreak.
Please spay and neuter your cats. Without those things, kittens will suffer and die, year after year, while people coo over a few pictures of a kitten that actually \*made\* it. And if you want more info on how to help, feel free to message me. I have over 15 years of experience as a volunteer and specialize in hospice fostering.
& #x200B ;
\[Post has been resubmitted as an edit caused it to violate Rule 6. It did, however, contain a lot of very useful information. Happy to share if anyone wants info.\]
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