Finding Solutions: Foster seminar helping crowded shelters
AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - It’s kitten season, and while they’re cute, too many of them are ending up in our local shelters.
They need care and a forever home, that’s why our shelters are calling on you to help with the influx they’re seeing.
They’re finding solutions in raising awareness about their foster programs while calling on the community to help in any way possible.
“I’ve been doing this for eight years, surprisingly, and I never even thought this was a real job. It’s very difficult sometimes, but also very rewarding,” said Hillary Clark-Kulis, kitten foster coordinator at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.
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She says they’re at the start of kitten season.
“Right now they’re being born at the end of April, beginning of May, and they’re coming out, and that’s when people are finding them, so we are right at the very start of kitten season, and it has exploded here,” said Clark-Kulis.
According to Shelter Animals County, kitten intakes peak dramatically between April and June, with the highest percentage occurring in May.
Clark-Kunis says they have about 25 cats and kittens ready to be adopted, 50 with fosters the shelter helps coordinate, and over 120 in their citizen foster program.
“It’s finder fostering program, so if you found a litter of kittens and we don’t have room and available fosters at the shelter at the time, either they’re too small, or don’t have cages or surgery room we ask the citizens to take them back for a couple weeks,” said Clark-Kulis.
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In that time, the fosters are given supplies, taught how to care for the kittens, and provided vet care until the kittens are big enough to get spayed or neutered and then adopted.
“That’s been a successful program for us because there’s no way we could do it. We had over 300 last year out in our citizen foster program, and this year we are already up to 120, and we are not into June yet,” said Clark-Kulis.
Over at the SPCA Albrecht Center in Aiken, they currently have about 137 cats, 40 of which are kittens.
“I would say for the past two weeks our intake numbers have risen. 60 each week, which is more than what we are use to but it’s what we expect during kitten season,” said Jade Garrett, events and fundraising manager.
She says the solution is simple.
“Spay and neuter your own pets if they are community pets or cats. We have a TNR program, trap, neuter, release. We take them in and get them neutered or spayed and put them back in their community homes, but overall, that is the simple solution to overpopulation across the nation,” said Garrett.
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The SPCA Albert Center is hosting a kitten foster seminar Saturday May 31, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
It’s a free training and information session that will provide knowledge about what goes into raising kittens.
You’ll also be able to meet with a foster coordinator.
Both shelters are always in need of fosters and volunteers.
You can also donate supplies such as food and blankets to the shelters.
They also tell me they have a lot of puppies as well.
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