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Shelters prepare for influx of kittens Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Kathy Pilolla, director of communications and development for the Southern Oregon Humane Society, holds 3-week-old kittens that will be adopted when they are old enough to be spayed or neutered. Shelters are beginning to see the seasonal increase in unwanted kittens dumped at their doors. Abandoned kitties are the result of people's failure to have their cats spayed or neutered; nearly 2,000 were put to death last year By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune In just a few short weeks, hundreds of unwanted stray and feral kittens will be dumped off at Rogue Valley animal shelters. And although these abandoned kittens will possess every color combination and personality imaginable, they will all share a common factor. According to Colleen Macuk, most of them will die before "kitten season" in Southern Oregon draws to a close sometime in the fall. County offers coupons to help with cost of sterilization Can't afford to get your cat spayed or neutered? Jackson County Animal Control offers $20 coupons that can be redeemed by any of two dozen veterinarians. The coupons can be applied toward the cost of the sterilization, which ranges from $50 to $200 locally. SNYP can also provide vouchers to low-income residents who qualify and offer discounts to residents wishing to spay or neuter feral cats. Want to help? Animal control, Southern Oregon Humane Society and SNYP need donations to keep the discount program alive. The organizations are also seeking volunteers to help with the influx of kittens, or provide foster homes to young kittens until they reach an adoptable age of 4 to 6 weeks. For more information, contact: � Southern Oregon Humane Society, 2910 Table Rock Road, Medford, 779-3215. � Jackson County Animal Care and Control Center, 5595 S. Pacific Highway, Phoenix, 774-6654. � Spay/Neuter Your Pet at 858-3325. "We just get overwhelmed," said Macuk, director of Jackson County Animal Control. "It just gets to the point where we have more kittens coming in than we have resources." In 2001, Macuk said animal control took in 3,211 cats and euthanized 1,988. When kitten season hits Southern Oregon and adult cats become pregnant - usually in May or June - monthly intake numbers spike from an average of 150 cats in April to nearly 400 in July. "Most of what we get are strays and feral kittens," Macuk said. Officials at the Southern Oregon Humane Society fear an increase over last year's number of unwanted litters. The no-kill, nonprofit shelter in Medford quickly fills to capacity each spring, and volunteers turn away up to 40 kittens daily. "We've already had kittens dumped here," said Development Director Kathy Pilolla, adding that when the shelter is full, those felines are taken to animal control. "When we're full, we're full. We have to make other arrangements." To combat the furry flood of unwanted felines, shelter officials are imploring animal owners to spay or neuter their pets. "Unaltered pets roam," Macuk said. "Most of (the unwanted kittens) are a result of irresponsible pet ownership." Sally Mackler is the director of SNYP, whose acronym stands for Spay/Neuter Your Pets. The nonprofit, volunteer organization provides referrals for low-cost alterations and sells discount certificates to pet owners up to three times each year. Mackler said the organization also traps, alters and re-releases feral cats in Southern Oregon. "It's horrific. It's like a tidal wave. Once it breaks, it's just overwhelming," Mackler said of kitten season. "It's a sad thing, especially since it's so avoidable." Macuk said it's the youngest kittens that are euthanized during the season. Residents often bring in a litter of feral kittens just 2 or 3 days old, thinking they have been abandoned. Volunteers willing to feed the kittens every two or three hours are scarce, Macuk said, and most of those kittens are quickly euthanized. Feral mother cats often leave their litters alone and spend most of their time hunting, Macuk said. She urges concerned residents to make sure litters are truly abandoned before bringing them in. "Try and wait until they are older," Macuk advises. "Or bring them in with mom, if that's possible." Mackler said educating people about unwanted litters includes disproving popular myths. It's not considered "healthy or beneficial" for an animal to have a litter before having it altered, she said. Spaying or neutering an animal does not shorten its life, but rather extends it, Mackler added. Mackler also said she often deals with families who allow a cat to get pregnant in order for their children to witness the "miracle of life." Most of these people tell Mackler they'll just adopt those cats out later. "I always want to ask them about the miracle of death instead of the miracle of life," she said. "Every home they do find for those kittens is a home that's taken away from a kitten in the shelter." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.