feature
ROICE-HURST HUMANE SOCIETY
IT’S KITTEN SEASON Words + Photos by Jenna Kretschman
W
64
ith the warmer weather and longer days
socialized to be placed up for adoption. These
of springtime comes kitten season —
kittens are placed into the care of loving foster
the time between March and November when
homes for a month or two until they become
thousands of kittens are born on the streets, in
larger, healthier and friendlier, so they can find
bushes and under porches all over the Grand
their forever families.
Valley. Roice-Hurst Humane Society and their
network of foster families are gearing up for this
Hurst Humane Society, began fostering kittens
year’s barrage of tiny felines.
many years ago when she discovered litters of
This time of year, unsterilized community
orphaned newborn kittens while trapping and
cats, which are stray or feral cats that live in
neutering community cats. Every few hours for
outdoor colonies and have not been spayed or
the first several weeks of life, orphaned newborn
neutered, begin their breeding season. One
kittens must be bottle-fed, stimulated to urinate
female cat can have up to three litters of kittens
and defecate, kept warm and clean and closely
per year, each with an average of five kittens per
monitored. Since her first litter of foster kittens,
litter, and those kittens can begin reproducing
Tuffin has opened her heart and home to 227
when they reach about 4 months of age. At that
foster animals, specializing in bottle-fed kittens
rate, community cat populations can skyrocket
and special-needs cases.
without intervention.
According to the Humane Society of the
fostering abandoned animals, and I just felt that
United States, up to 80 percent of all kittens born
it was something that I could offer up and be
each year are born outdoors to community cats.
able to help the little critters,” Tuffin says.
Kittens born outdoors face grim threats of disease,
harsh conditions and orphaning. Sadly, they often
kittens was Emmie, a blind kitten with a fluffy,
don’t survive without the help of humans.
dilute, tortoiseshell coat. In June of 2019,
But, when it rains cats and kittens, dozens
Emmie was found outdoors and brought into
of local foster families are waiting to catch them.
Roice-Hurst Humane Society at 4 weeks old
Kittens found outside are brought in droves
with a scrawny frame, intestinal parasites and
to animal shelters, like Roice-Hurst Humane
a gruesome upper respiratory infection that
Society, and many are too young, sick or under-
damaged her eyeballs beyond repair.
Sue Tuffin, a foster volunteer at Roice-
“I knew there was a tremendous need for
One of Tuffin’s most memorable foster
