Did you know? Cats are seasonal breeders. This means that during the winter months, cats generally aren’t reproducing, but come spring, cats begin to seek a mate and that means a huge uptick in litters of kittens needing our help. While we love caring for these sweet babies, shelter resources are stretched thin during Kitten Season. We will see thousands of kittens needing our help before the season is over this year.

Kitten season is in full swing at Young-Williams Animal Center. Our intake department is filled with the sounds of days-old kittens, and just as fast as we can send them to foster, others are coming back for graduation. 

You can help provide the supplies and life-saving care that gives these tiniest residents a fighting chance. We are happy to join Boehringer Ingelheim in its unwavering commitment to show compassion and love to every animal. As a proud partner, they provide donations of NexGard^® (afoxolaner), HEARTGARD^® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel) and FRONTLINE^® Brand Products to care for these incredible shelter animals.

But their generosity doesn’t stop there! Because they know how important it is to be able to act on a moments notice, and that funding makes quick action possible, they are challenging you to raise $2,500 to support this important work. Boehringer Ingelheim will provide a match for an additional $2,500 for our smallest residents. Help us reach our goal of $2,500 to secure an additional $2,500 from our friends at Boehringer Ingelheim.

In addition to donating, you can save the lives of these kittens in a variety of ways.

• Foster! Become a foster and care for a litter of kittens in your home. By providing a temporary home, fosters open up kennel space at the shelter to help more kittens. It’s FREE to foster, all you need to provide is your time and love.
• Volunteer! Come help out at the shelter. We have shifts tailored specifically to help our Foster Department and the kittens currently residing at the shelter. Help care for kittens, gather supplies and assist with appointments for existing fosters.
• Donate! Consider making a financial donation using the form below or bring an item off of our Kitten Shower Wish List! You can ship directly to the shelter with Amazon Smile or see our most needed items and purchase them from a local store.
• Advocate! Help your community learn more about our spay/neuter resources. Tell others what to do when they find stray kittens. Follow our social media channels and share our information with your connections. Sharing our information makes a difference!

The answer might surprise you! In short, don’t disturb them unless they are in distress or in immediate danger. If they look well-fed, groomed and cared for, it’s likely that mamma is nearby and their best chance at survival is staying with their mother. Young kittens separated from their mother may not survive.

If you are able to catch the mother cat, bring the whole family in to Young-Williams so the kittens can stay with their mother and we can make sure everyone is spayed or neutered. Read more here.