By: Peyton Holubeck
OMAHA, Neb. – The end of October brought Omaha more than just candy, it also brought this year’s last influx of kittens to the metro.
Kitten Season, which begins in April and lasts until October, is a period where cats are in heat and are giving birth to litters of kittens. This overwhelms shelters which are unable to take in so many animals at once, including our own Nebraska Humane Society. The Omaha metro has estimated the city has over 60,000 stray cats that need homes.
Cat owner Lauren Murphy said in her opinion, there’s no better time to adopt or foster a kitten.
“I think getting them younger, it’s a double-edged sword, because you want to adopt all ages of cats, but also getting them younger, you can make more decisions for them,” said Murphy.
Kitten, Muddy Buddy had some fun playing with a tote bag at the Nebraska Humane Society located in Omaha, NE. (Photo/Peyton Holubeck)
Adopting young kittens gives an owner the chance to make decisions that will set their cat up for a long happy life. Though for some people, long term adoption is not an option. The Nebraska Humane Society has a kitten fostering program, which anyone can get involved in.
The Nebraska Humane Society’s Vice President of Public Relations, Pam Wiese said the shelter takes care of everything.
“We’ll give you a big wire crate, the babies can go in the wire crate, in your, you know, spare room during the day when you’re at work or whatever. If they don’t need bottle feeding, you can work with them around a work schedule,” said Wiese.
A cat peers out the door, awaiting for its new forever home in the Nebraska Humane Society located in Omaha, NE. (Photo/Peyton Holubeck)
According to the Nebraska Humane Society, in 2023’s Kitten Season the shelter saw over a thousand kittens come through various procedures, fostering, or even adoptions.
“I think fostering is very rewarding for people too. And it’s fabulous, because you’re saving six little lives. And then they come in, get adopted, because who doesn’t love a kitten. And then they’re able to help the next crew who comes in,” said Wiese.
