KITten season handbook

“Kitten season” refers to the time of year when cats give birth in the highest numbers. According to the Human Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV), historically, this was between April through October. However, warmer temperatures contribute to longer breeding periods, and HSSV sees bottle babies arriving in February and continuing through the fall.

The influx of kittens during this time brings rescues, shelters, and volunteers together to take care of those in need, get them spayed and neutered, and help find them homes.

There are so many ways you can help mama cats and their kittens — not just during kitten season, but all year long!

1. Volunteer: Your local shelter likely needs more people to socialize kittens, possibly transport them to and from appointments, and more.
2. Foster: There are undoubtedly shelters and rescues in your area that are looking for foster homes to provide safe places for mothers to raise their kittens, or for those willing to help care for bottle babies, a round-the-clock job!
3. Get involved in trap-neuter-release in your neighborhood to help reduce the influx of kittens every year. Keep reading to learn more about trap-neuter-release, or TNR.
4. Donate to programs like PAH’s Spay and Neuter Fund. This effort provides critical funding to cover sterilization procedures for both unhoused animals and those from low-income households.

Trap, Neuter, Release (or Return) is also known as TNR. This is a humane and effective approach to help curb the number of free-roaming cats, sometimes known as “community cats” found in many neighborhoods throughout California and the rest of the US. This approach refers to the process of humanely trapping an unaltered cat, getting the cat sterilized or “fixed” by a veterinarian, and then releasing or returning that cat where they live. Spaying and neutering community cats helps to humanely curb the free-roaming cat population by preventing unwanted litters of kittens.

This article from Alley Cat describes more about TNR. If you live in Santa Clara County and would like to help the community cats in your area, please _______.

If you don’t live in Santa Clara County, a good place to start is a Google search for community cats in (your neighborhood).

Don’t kitten nap!

Generally, mother cats are the best caretakers for their kittens. If you find kittens, please see ASPCA’s guide: I Found Kittens, What Do I Do? to determine the best course of actions to help the kittens and their mother.