How to Prevent the Birth of Unwanted Kittens Forever

By: Stacy LeBaron, USA Board Member and Head Cat, Community Cats Podcast

This blog was written on the first day of Spring. For many, Spring means longer days and warmer weather. For those of us in animal welfare, Spring (and Summer) means just one thing – more kittens! But it doesn’t have to be that way.

At United Spay Alliance we believe that by putting an emphasis on prevention, we can help reduce the seasonal influx of unwanted kittens in your community. That’s why we promote Feline Fix by Five, a campaign aimed at getting more veterinarians to talk to their clients about the best time to spay/neuter their kittens – before five months! Kittens can get pregnant as early as four months of age, resulting in even more litters of kittens flooding our shelters and rescues each year. By ensuring the kittens are spayed or neutered before they reach five months of age, we can prevent those litters from ever being born, and ultimately end “kitten season” forever.

And while we continue to educate and advocate for kittens to by spayed and neutered before more litters are born, there are steps we can take right now to put a dent in kitten season this year:

Ensure you have TNR intake protocols in place. Don’t waste time and effort chasing down leads that turn up empty. Consider using an online form to help you stay organized. T-Town TNR has a great example on their website, or refer to the template we’ve put together here.
Identify the “problem areas.” You probably already know where most of the kittens in your community are coming from. If not, then you’ll want to review your data or speak with local animal control officers to gain a better understanding of where the most cats and kittens are coming from. The communities with the highest kitten intake will be your area of focus.
Pick your target communities. Identify the top three areas that you are going to focus your attention on.
Begin your outreach. “Front load” spay/neuter efforts in those target communities right away. This includes TNR for cats who live outside and spay/neuter for owned cats. Outreach idea! Whether it’s for a week, a month, or an entire season, implement a campaign for $5 neuter surgeries. Do as many neuters as you can for the community, and it will make a difference down the road!
Check your equipment. Review your inventory and make sure you have everything you need for the season. Use the code DCNC24 to get 10% off orders from Tomahawk Live Trap, thanks to our friends at Neighborhood Cats and the Community Cats Podcast
Refresh your wishlists. If you haven’t already, create a wishlist with companies like Amazon, Chewy, Doobert, or Cuddly, and share those lists with your supporters. Review those lists and refresh monthly. This is the perfect time of the year for “kitten showers!” After all, kitten formula is expensive. Don’t forget to expand your wishlists to have TNR equipment and supplies!
Confirm veterinary appointments. Check in with your spay/neuter provider(s) to confirm your appointment schedule, and ensure you have the appointment flow that is needed. Bonus! See if your vet has an account with Waggle. If not, encourage them to set one up. Then, you can do a matching campaign with the Community Cat Fund to offset the cost of spay/neuter!
Show your appreciation. April is Vet Tech Appreciation Month, and Volunteer Appreciation Month! This is a great time to bake some brownies or cookies to share with the team at your spay/neuter provider; a delicious way to say thank you for all they do now – and in the future!
Brainstorm future fundraisers. Unfortunately, fundraising doesn’t stop in the spring and summer. Think strategically about your fundraising efforts. Everyone wants to do a yard sale, but it can be very time consuming if you aren’t clear about what you can do if you are involved with the day to day operations of your program. You may want to consider an “organizational” commitment to only manage fundraisers that will be over $1000 and then allow your community to take the lead on smaller projects. Some tips are in #10
Empower your community. None of us can do this work alone. We have to engage our communities to get more people involved – and that includes fundraising for spay/neuter efforts. This blog offers some excellent advice for folks who feel like they’re stuck doing it all themselves.