Where have all the kittens gone?

[ardcarp]

Our family has always had a cat...which we've brought up from a (freely given) kitten. Last year our beloved mog died of old age....in fact she died in my g-daughter's arms during a necessary euthanasia visit to the vet. Tears all round.

After a brief period of mourning, the pressure is now on to find another kitten with a friendly temperament. But oh dear. In the past, people found it hard to find homes for kittens so they were given away. Unless of course they were of some exotic breed and pedigree. But now?

Not a free kitten anywhere.

Has anyone else found this?

[oddoneout]

Our family has always had a cat...which we've brought up from a (freely given) kitten. Last year our beloved mog died of old age....in fact she died in my g-daughter's arms during a necessary euthanasia visit to the vet. Tears all round.

After a brief period of mourning, the pressure is now on to find another kitten with a friendly temperament. But oh dear. In the past, people found it hard to find homes for kittens so they were given away. Unless of course they were of some exotic breed and pedigree. But now?

Not a free kitten anywhere.

Has anyone else found this?

Covid is the short answer I think. Lockdown create a huge demand for cats and dogs, so no need to give away - my neighbour showed me a picture of a puppy his brother had just bought. At £600 I assumed it was at least a pedigree cross of some sort but no,it's a mongrel. The local cat rescue has still been getting lots of kittens to deal with though.

[gradus]

Our family has always had a cat...which we've brought up from a (freely given) kitten. Last year our beloved mog died of old age....in fact she died in my g-daughter's arms during a necessary euthanasia visit to the vet. Tears all round.

After a brief period of mourning, the pressure is now on to find another kitten with a friendly temperament. But oh dear. In the past, people found it hard to find homes for kittens so they were given away. Unless of course they were of some exotic breed and pedigree. But now?

Not a free kitten anywhere.

Has anyone else found this?

Have you tried the Cats Protection League Ardie? Around here they seem to be homing cats for adoption and the local paper even has a column each Saturday with an appealing feline staring at the camera, last week it was Cuthbert a handsome tabby and white male.

[teamsaint]

Have you tried the Cats Protection League Ardie? Around here they seem to be homing cats for adoption and the local paper even has a column each Saturday with an appealing feline staring at the camera, last week it was Cuthbert a handsome tabby and white male.

Get ready for daft questions if you go to the Cats prevention league though .
" Do you live near a road" was one starter for ten we got asked......

Anyway, they are lovely people, and we got our two black DSH refugees from Ferndown from them.

[kernelbogey]

There's been more of a trend to get cats (of both sexes) neutered in recent years, so there may simply be fewer 'unwanted' kittens around. The two I inherited 17 years ago who were born in my daughter's London flat garden were the outcome of a reckless teen liaison by their mother with a thuggish East End tom. I have one of these still as my companion though her brother died aged 11.

[Alison]

I believe there is a seasonal aspect to kitten availability with this time of the year being the worst.

[crb11]

I believe there is a seasonal aspect to kitten availability with this time of the year being the worst.

Yes - most kittens are born in the warmer months, so the best time to try and adopt one is from late spring into autumn (given they can't be separated from their mother too young ideally). As someone else has said, a lot more people want pets for company in lockdown. Blue Cross (another good option if you have a centre near you) are only listing 48 cats available nationally at the minute - I've seen the number well over 100 in the past.

Hoping ardcarp can find a new furry friend soon.

[jayne lee wilson]

Does it have to be a kitten? Are you exclusively smitten?

Many RSCPA and other Rescue Centres are no longer taking new animals in under lockdown 3, so there may be a shortage there. As an official crazy catwoman myself, I would suggest adopting a mature or older Cat instead; they are often left for months or years in rescue centres, especially the black or black and white ones. The youngest I ever adopted from centres was about 2 years old; she'd been in there nearly a year, turning away from human contact, outfaced by other felines.
Strays from outside, sometimes a bit older. They can lose their homes suddenly (people move or die or the family group changes and rejects) and really need human help after that.... and they always understand that you are reaching out....

Gain their trust and the reward of love and friendship is wonderful...

[Leinster Lass]

Fewer kittens = more birds!

[ardcarp]

Yes, the bird thing has always worried us a bit, as we are very much into wild birds as well. However, our 'garden' is something of a wilderness with plenty of safe places for birds. As for the Cats' Prorection League and other charities wanting to re-home cats, we rather selfishly want the joy of enjoying kittenhood again, and don't really want a ready-made animal. But thanks for the tips. The search goes on.

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes, the bird thing has always worried us a bit, as we are very much into wild birds as well. However, our 'garden' is something of a wilderness with plenty of safe places for birds. As for the Cats' Prorection League and other charities wanting to re-home cats, we rather selfishly want the joy of enjoying kittenhood again, and don't really want a ready-made animal. But thanks for the tips. The search goes on.

You are good people - you clearly believe in, and act in accordance, with peaceful co-existence between species, while helping protect biodiversity.

[Leinster Lass]

We invited somebody from the Cat and Dog Protection Association of Ireland to tell us about its aims and activities. He began by asking who didn't like cats. When I raised my hand, he said 'Ah, then you are my enemy', which I thought was pretty childish. He went on to say 'Let's face it, a cat is basically a killing machine', which was at least honest. I was sorely tempted to consider forming a Cats Persecution League.

[oddoneout]

Yes, the bird thing has always worried us a bit, as we are very much into wild birds as well. However, our 'garden' is something of a wilderness with plenty of safe places for birds. As for the Cats' Prorection League and other charities wanting to re-home cats, we rather selfishly want the joy of enjoying kittenhood again, and don't really want a ready-made animal. But thanks for the tips. The search goes on.

Perhaps get in touch with shelters/charities nearby to register your interest? Vets' noticeboards here used to post animals for rehoming occasionally, which might now be on their facebook pages. The Covid situation has skewed things rather both by creating demand and also by altering adoption/rehoming procedures, but I know that one of the local charities here is concerned that there are a lot of 'lockdown cats' which haven't been neutered and will in due course have the inevitable outcome. If the demand for kittens doesn't continue then rescue centres will be dealing with the fallout once more.

[jayne lee wilson]

We invited somebody from the Cat and Dog Protection Association of Ireland to tell us about its aims and activities. He began by asking who didn't like cats. When I raised my hand, he said 'Ah, then you are my enemy', which I thought was pretty childish. He went on to say 'Let's face it, a cat is basically a killing machine', which was at least honest. I was sorely tempted to consider forming a Cats Persecution League.

Probably an untypical extreme example. My own local rescue has a dedicated Cattery and they are all besotted with felines and understand them very well.

You could far more easily describe humans as killing machines, with our terrible history towards animals and each other. Most carnivorous animals hunt and kill for food, and you can't really turn that instinct off. But as with - Foxes, Cheetahs or Lions, there is far more to them.
A well cared for domestic Cat may do considerably less of this. In my own long experience, they may take a few vulnerable birds (keep any feeders well out in the open, away from predator cover) but usually go for rodents, and often don't kill them; the mice play dead very cleverly, the Cat (who needs the chase and catch more than the literal kill) gets bored and goes away, leaving Jayne to grab the mouse (or vole, or shrew), often after a few days living behind the TV or the HiFi or under the stairs (munching in the Owl Hours from the Cat's biscuits) and return it to the wild. Or you can leave the door open to the bitter wind and watch as the Mouse finds it own way back...

Rats brought in are much rarer and somewhat more demanding , but I've only found dead ones inside... and I still felt sorry for an injured Rat which escaped the Cat's clutches, limping away into the deep shrubberies.......

Never disturb a Cat upon its prey; you will probably only increase its suffering...

[bluestateprommer]

In the past, people found it hard to find homes for kittens so they were given away. Unless of course they were of some exotic breed and pedigree. But now? Not a free kitten anywhere. Has anyone else found this?

Obviously it's not quite a direct comparison to give a point of view from this side of the pond, but my impression is that plenty of kittens are still around for adopting. One point that Mini Cat Town, a shelter in San Jose, CA, mentions (on Instagram here) is as follows:

'Adoptions are going to be slower through the holidays, as we are being mindful about kittens being given as “gifts”. There has been a lot of pressure from the public to adopt for the holidays, but we all know that shelters fill up in January because these “gifts” turn into 15 years worth of commitment in terms of responsibility for vet bills, food, toys, and care, that recipients are often not ready for.'

If that logic applies for you folks as well, then you might only have to wait a few weeks for your local shelter suddenly to have an influx of kittens.

I also take Alison's point about the seasonal aspect of kitten availability. Kitten season will be later in the year, when cats get in the mood and the ladies suddenly have meow buns in their ovens. With COVID-19, if anything, the kitten population problem will probably be exacerbated, because it will be more difficult for TNR groups to get out in public to do TNR, for one. I would also second jlw's point about adult and senior cats being much more in need of adoption and new homes, although you are quite up front in wanting a kitten at the outset.

One sub-population of kittens, however, that is probably much more in need of homes than most is probably FIV-positive kittens. FIV-positive status has a stigma that adversely affects the likelihood of their adoption, even though by scattered accounts, FIV-positive cats can live perfectly happy lives, admittedly in homes with people who have a clue about how to take care of FIV-positive cats. As long as the cats don't inflict deep bite wounds on each other (the main way of transmission, besides mother cats passing it down to their kittens), FIV-positive cats can do very well. Admittedly, I don't speak from any direct experience on that account, as my 3 cats (2 past, 1 current) were adults when I took them on, first 2 seniors, and now a much younger cat (but not a kitten).

So I suspect that there are options for kitten adoption now. But you might have to wait a bit, or think outside the box if you want to go for an FIV-positive kitten. Also, my general understanding is that it's best to adopt kittens in pairs, so that each one has a kitty friend to play with (but you probably knew that already).

PS: Bonus video for fun :)