ALLENTOWN, Pa. — If the celestial occasion on April 15 was a little bit of a letdown for anybody within the Lehigh Valley, put together for pure pleasure from a complete Eclipse of the center.
You might have observed the grass is a bit of greener, allergic reactions are rampant, and temperatures have climbed only a bit.
And after all, that may solely imply one factor: it’s kitten season — the magical time of 12 months when cat mating hits a peak, resulting in swarms of kitties and loads of issues at rescues.
While adopting a tiny cat is a superb concept, in case you’re searching for a bit of pal, you might need to think about different choices, together with older cats who additionally want some love and a focus.
One such feline is 5-year-old orange boy Eclipse, who was welcomed into his fur-ever home simply final week.
Overabundance of kittens, arduous instances
Lehigh Valley Humane Society Chief Development Officer Jackie Folsom mentioned that in 2023, her organization received greater than 1,000 requests to give up pets for numerous causes, together with “people who were coming in who were likely pretending to have found a cat that really was their cat.”
“I feel an enormous purpose that so many individuals had been fighting pet possession in 2023 was as a result of persons are actually struggling financially,” Folsom mentioned.
“Lots of people have been struggling to search out inexpensive housing, and have been fighting eviction, and never each place permits pets, or perhaps they’ve greater than the allowed variety of pets, which is normally one thing like two in case you’re renting.
Brian Myszkowski
/
LehighValleyInformation.com
“So it was a huge boom in our intake.”
Over all, Folsom said, the humane society had nearly 3,400 animals come in 2023. That’s an increase of 900 animals over — about 600 more cats and 300 more dogs.
Folsom speculated that may have been the situation Eclipse faced, as he was brought in with two females named Gatsby and Eva, all of whom were clean and appeared to have been cared for.
Adding to the problem is the “tremendous outdoor cat population” throughout the nation, Folsom mentioned. That can embody absolutely feral felines together with indoor/outside pets that haven’t been spayed or neutered.
‘I need a black cat’
As of mid-April, issues this 12 months haven’t been all too busy on the Lehigh Valley Humane Society, however the crew is anticipating loads of cats and kittens shortly.
“We’ve had a few mothers and infants are available in, and so they’ve all gone into foster. We at all times need to get kittens out as early as we will, as a result of kittens have actually weak immune methods being that they’re infants and shelters are environments the place cats can very simply get sick.”
Lehigh Valley Humane Society Chief Development Officer Jackie Folsom
“We’ve had a couple of moms and babies come in, and they’ve all gone into foster,” Folsome said. “We always want to get kittens out as early as we can, because kittens have really weak immune systems being that they’re babies and shelters are environments where cats can very easily get sick.
“Cats are easily stressed, and when their stress is high, their immunity is low. So we want to get them out into foster homes where they can be healthy, and not get sick at all.”
Kittens with a mama cat are simpler to foster, Folsom mentioned, as they solely require meals, water and litter, whereas orphaned and neonatal kittens require way more intensive care.
Adopting out these infants out isn’t too troublesome a process, as they’re significantly cute and infrequently sufficient, Folsom mentioned.
“It is almost like a proper of passage for young {couples} who perhaps are getting their first place,” she mentioned. “They at all times appear to need to get a kitten collectively.
“So numerous instances folks do are available in right here with a preconceived notion of what they need. They say, ‘I want a black cat’ or ‘I want a cat that’s really good with other cats,’ or ‘I need a cat of a selected age.”
Brian Myszkowski
/
LehighValleyInformation.com
“But in the event that they’re open, we’ll both counsel perhaps a favourite or a long-term resident or one which we simply know would swimsuit what they’re searching for.
“And, , in case you’re searching for cats who’re significantly playful, they do not should be a child. They might be a 1- or 2-year-old cat. And numerous our cats are very young and nonetheless playful.”
Lehigh Valley Humane Society can accommodate 150 to 200 cats, with the potential for much more kittens, as they’re smaller and have to be saved along with their litter till they arrive of age for adoption.
On event, the ability has to make use of pop-up cages or crates to suit just a few extra furry buddies in a protected area.
Promoting adoptions, saving lives
To promote adoptions, the Humane Society retains observe of social media developments and hops on board to function some furry buddies.
“It was just a great idea because of what we had going on to name the cat Eclipse,” Folsom mentioned. She mentioned the little man received loads of on-line consideration because of his title throughout the recent photo voltaic eclipse.
“I like doing stuff like that, and that positively helped him get adopted.”
Lehigh Valley Humane Society Chief Development Officer Jackie Folsom
“I remember around Valentine’s Day when people were absolutely freaking out about the Valentine’s edition Stanley Cup that was coming out, and people were fist-fighting over it, we got a dog and we named him Stanley,” she said.
“And then we use that in marketing. I love doing stuff like that, and that definitely helped him get adopted.”
Cat rooms, which permit guests on the humane society to go to with a potential pet, could be very useful in matching a pet to an proprietor.
That’s significantly true in relation to extra outgoing felines who “sell themselves,” Folsom mentioned. But she inspired folks to offer among the extra shy and apprehensive ones an opportunity.
Brian Myszkowski
/
LehighValleyInformation.com
Soon, Folsom mentioned, the humane society will work on accumulating provides for the upcoming kittens by beginning a child registry and holding adoption occasions.
“So basically, just like a wish list, but we’re calling it a baby registry,” Folsom said. “It’ll be for things like kitten formula and blankets, heating pads, those sort of things.”
For those that want to assist out however can’t soak up a foster or undertake, Folsom recommends donating money or provides, or volunteering.
Details about all these endeavors could be discovered on the Humane Society web site.
‘Not straightforward to rehome a pet’
If you have already got a pet cat, make sure that to have them spayed or neutered, particularly if they have a tendency to get outdoors, Folsom mentioned.
And in case you dwell in an space with what seems to be a cat colony or numerous ferals, look into lure/neuter/launch applications in your space.
According to Folsom, pet dumping has turn out to be such a difficulty due to numerous components. Many rescues have launched applications offering free or reduced-cost care, together with meals and different provides.
“Be real looking and trustworthy with your self about your way of life and whether or not it is a good suggestion to convey that pet into the home within the first place.”
Lehigh Valley Humane Society Chief Development Officer Jackie Folsom
“We’re here to provide those affordable, accessible services to people to help them keep their pet in their home,” Folsom mentioned.
“We just want to be a temporary-step sanctuary for animals on their way to their forever home. This is not an ideal environment for any animal, it can be very stressful. It’s not the ideal for any animal, obviously, to be in a shelter.”
For those that can not look after a pet, Folsom recommends visiting web sites resembling Adopt a Pet or Pet Finder to rehome the animal in a protected, safe surroundings.
But earlier than even contemplating swinging by a shelter — keep away from breeders, as there are quite a few issues with the follow, she mentioned — take into consideration your potential future together with your potential furry buddy.
“Be real looking and trustworthy with your self about your way of life and whether or not it is a good suggestion to convey that pet into the home within the first place,” Folsom mentioned.
“Because it is most likely not going to be straightforward to rehome that pet simply due to the surroundings that animal welfare is in proper now.”
And in case you’re able to take that step, think about older kitties resembling Eclipse. You simply would possibly gentle up their little lives.
