According to the calendar, June is Adopt a Cat Month.

Dr. Jane Brunt, executive director of the Catalyst Council states in their latest newsletter, “Having a dedicated month encouraging the adoption of cats is a really great way to help remind people that their local shelters and rescues have lots of friendly, loving cats from which to choose. From cute and active kittens to mellow and mature seniors, there are all different kinds of cats at your local shelter. The great thing about going to a shelter or a rescue group is that the staff has likely become acquainted with the cats staying there and can guide you to one whose personality will fit in with your family.”

How appropriate as we have plenty of kittens to choose from right now and our foster caretakers indeed know their charges’ personalities well. Not only that, but we have the lowest adoption fee in the county at $65 for a single and $110 for a pair. So if you have room in your heart and home, please go to our website, download and fill out the Adoption Application, click the “submit” button on the signature line and the process will begin.

Speaking of available kittens, it’s funny how nature works. I have come to notice that every kitten season seems to have a theme. One year it was all about eye infections. A couple of years back it was a plethora of orange and black litters. Then there was the year of constant diarrhea! That one was NOT fun. This year we have large healthy litters of five and six, mostly tabbies and black. We even have a higher than usual number of medium- and long-haired babies at the moment. One litter of five was all black and all long-haired! There are a few other colors and patterns thrown in, but so far the tabbies and black ones are ahead in numbers.

This year, also, we have had most of our litters come in with nursing moms. This is great for the kittens as it gives them the best possible start to a healthy life. Manufactured cat food just does not take the place of Mother’s milk and her tender attentions are psychologically better for her babies. She even does all the work of litter-training, so in the long run it lessens the work of the caregiver.

Our feral moms are returned to their home territories after their motherly duties are over, but the friendly ones are put up for adoption along with their kittens. Sometimes we even find a forever home for a mother and kitten together. This is my favorite outcome.

All of our kittens are fostered in private homes so we do not have a central location where you can come and “shop.” We can and do adopt out directly from foster homes, but by appointment only. We also have an adoption cage at the San Roque Pet Hospital in Santa Barbara.

If you are in the market for an incredibly cute and friendly kitten or two, drop me a line through the General Info contact link on our website. Tell me if you have any particular desires in regards to coloring, hair length and gender and I’ll send you a list of choices along with any available photos.