Adopt a kitten is in season

By Carol Saffer

Spring, the season of re-birth awakening after Winter, used to be the clearly defined time of the year known as kitten season.
While kittens are now born throughout the year, Bacchus Marsh Veterinary Centre (BMVC) owner Dr Sandy Roberts still sees a seasonal influx of litters this time of year being handed into Moorabool Shire Council.
BMVC veterinarian Brittany Sykes, who assists Dr Roberts with kitten season adoptions, says during the ten years the program has been running they have adopted out about 2000 kittens and cats.
According to Ms Sykes abandoned or stray litters or individual kittens are handed into the council where they are assessed and held until claimed or re-housed with people wanting a kitten.
Those not claimed are passed onto BMVC for the adoption program.
While Dr Roberts is the master mind behind the program, Ms Sykes assists and manages kitten season adoptions saying, “I am particularly passionate about it as I have a fondness for cats.”
Ms Sykes says BMVC work closely with Moorabool Shire, doing the veterinary work to have the kittens de-sexed, vaccinated, wormed and micro-chipped and health checked before being put up for adoption.
Ms Sykes says “we house as many as we can for people to come and meet.”
She says the centre gets families wanting a kitten for their kids, older people who want a companion or anyone who just wants to give a home and love to a kitten.
“One of the nicest parts of my job is being able to save the kittens and get them out into a happy home where they are loved,” says Ms Sykes.
“We don’t give up on them. We pretty much re-home all the kittens and cats brought into us from council.”
Moorabool Council’s Community Safety department said before any feline goes through the kitten rehoming program (and despite the name, cats of all ages go through the program for adoption) they are held as a stray animal for a minimum of eight days in case their owner comes forward to reclaim them.
“Once the kitten has completed its eight days as a stray and is old enough and healthy enough, they go to the vets for a vet work completed check. This includes de-sexing, microchipping, a vaccination, health check and worm and flea treatment.
Council said If any medical issues are noticed at the time, the Community Safety team and the local vets liaise with each other to decide the best path of treatment.
“Often kittens come in underage or underweight and are not able to be de-sexed following their eight-day holding period. If this is the case the kittens will be held at the pound and monitored whilst being cared for until they are old enough to have their vet work done.”
The costs of the kitten season adoption process and program is covered by BMVC.
Ms Sykes says there is not a simple way of encouraging cat owners to have their animals de-sexed.
While sometimes it is a personal preference of the owner not to de-sex their cat, domestic and feral cats have an impact on the natural animal life (birds and small mammal) within the shire.
BMVC charges $190 to have a cat spayed. If financial hardship precludes de-sexing there are programs that can assist says Ms Sykes. Humane Society vouchers cover some of the cost.
If you would like to be added to the cat/kitten adoption waiting list, please contact the clinic on 5367 4000 or email [email protected].