Jacksonville Humane Society is seeking community support with the influx of kittens

The Human Society in Jacksonville is used to being inundated with kittens from spring to fall, when warmer weather brings more cat births.

But kitten season 2024 has gotten out of hand.

So far this year, the private, non-profit animal shelter has taken in approximately 1,000 more kittens than in 2023. Currently, approximately 80 kittens are in need of foster homes.

So the Human society seeks public support: spay or neuter pets and stray neighborhood cats, become foster parents for community kittens and help financially.

“This has been a busier than normal year for kittens in Jacksonville and business isn’t slowing down yet,” said CEO Denise Deisler. “We depend on the compassion of our community to help save the lives of these little cats and we need your help now to collaboratewe can save these precious lives.”

The association has 568 kittens this week, 373 of which are in foster care and 185 on site. Why society has seen so many is uncertain.

“There are many factors that could contribute to this, such as the influx of other organizations, community awareness or the lack of targeted trap/neuter/return,” Deisler said. “We are collecting data and taking all of these things into account to better understand and identify opportunities to address the source.”

How can people help during the kitten crisis in Jacksonville?

Sterilizes and castrates: Cats from 4 months old can reproducebut it usually starts at 5 to 6 months of age, according to PetMD, and they can have several litters per year. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that all cats be spayed or neutered no later than 5 months of age.

Free and low-cost surgeries are available through the Spay Jax program at First Coast No More Homeless Pets: (904) 425-0005 or fcnmhp.org/help-pet-owners/spay-neuter-programs/spayjax. For other locations, go to shorturl.at/HbSyP.

The Humane Society is also asking the public to have free-roaming community cats in their neighborhood spayed or neutered through Trap Neuter Return, or TNR. This method involves using a humane trap to secure an unsocialized cat, taking it to a clinic for care, and returning it to where the cat was found.

For free help with TNR, visit Duval Catfixa city-funded program that covers up to six free spay and neuter surgeries per month per household for community or feral cats. For more information, visit jaxhumane.org/pet-help/community-cats.

Become a volunteer foster parent: Temporary foster homes bring in kittens and raise them until 8 weeks of age, at which time they are returned to the association for spaying or neutering and placed for adoption. The association provides medical care, food and other necessities. For more information, visit jaxhumane.org/get-involved/foster.

Make a monetary donation to the association: To donate, visit jacksonvillehumanesociety-bloom.kindful.com. Until December 3, all donations will be tripled by other donors.

Best Friends Animal Society, a Utah-based animal welfare organization that monitors the work of shelters across the country, praised the association’s response.

“What Jacksonville Humane Society is doing right now is what we would encourage any shelter or rescue group to do in this situation,” said Carolyn Fitzgerald, senior strategist for Best Friends. “They need to ask their community for help because the only way to solve a higher influx is if everyone in the community works together. The Jacksonville community has a long history of coming together to support people and their pets. I am confident that the community will once again unite to help the kittens in need.”

bcravey@jacksonville,.com, (904) 359-4109