“Since January 1st we have ‘intaked’ 446 kittens.”
The Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society has had an explosive kitten season this year with nearly 200 kittens in its current care, both at the shelter and in foster homes, according to Communications & Development Coordinator Caitlin Donnelly and Assistant Manager Jasmine Jutras.
Donnelly and Jutras each have 10 or more years in the animal welfare world and neither has experienced this number of kittens in a single season ever before. Based on current trends, the shelter could see 1,000 kittens this year.
“Our foster program has grown by 100 percent,” said Donnelly.
Even though the GMHS foster program has grown exponentially with 52 active foster homes, the shelter needs more foster “pawrents” to help care for the kittens and mothers who are continuously coming into the shelter.
Kitten season typically begins in April or May and lasts until September. This year, however, the shelter brought in its first pregnant mother of the year in ...