On Saturday, July 26, LAPS is hosting a “Kitten Roundup,” encouraging anyone with unwanted kittens or pregnant cats to drop them off at the shelter, no questions asked.
On July 3, two litters of kittens were placed in a box which was taped up and left in the hot sun, beside a Langley City dumpster. Another batch of kittens was dumped at Aldergrove Park on Monday (July 14).
That day was one of the hottest of the year, and the kittens were left in a Rubbermaid bin.
“This time, they were left in a shaded area with a dish of water inside so it seems they were meant to be found quickly,” said Langley animal shelter manager Sean Baker. Six kittens were found by a member of the public who did the right thing and brought them to the Patti Dale Animal Shelter in Aldergrove.
“They are around six weeks old and are in good condition,” said Baker. A foster family has already taken them in until they are ready for adoption.
In the case of the two litters of kittens left in the box, one died and the others arrived to the shelter very hungry and sick.
“They are now doing well, wily and busy. They received a fair amount of TLC when they arrived,” Baker said. One has already been adopted.
But it is the sad reality that people are choosing to dump kittens instead of drop them off at the various shelters, which has prompted the Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) to host its first ever “Kitten Roundup” to encourage Langley residents to turn in unwanted kittens and receive free spay/neuter vouchers.
“Our goal is to make it super easy for people to do the right thing with unwanted kittens,” said Baker, LAPS executive director. “We also hope to raise awareness that the best way to prevent unwanted kittens is to spay and neuter your cats.”
“Nothing like this has been attempted before, so we don’t know what to expect,” said Baker. The shelter has lined up 10 foster homes, should it get busy.
“This wasn’t in our budget. We don’t have space for bunches of new kittens. But what’s the alternative?”
The shelter is already nearing its capacity for cats and kittens with around 75 kittens alone, so a successful Kitten Roundup will mean finding new foster homes and volunteers to help care for surplus kittens. It will also mean thousands of dollars in vet bills, spays and neuters, food and other supplies.
The Kitten Roundup will happen on Saturday, July 26, from 10 to 4 p.m. Kittens and pregnant cats can be dropped off at the Patti Dale Animal Shelter for free, with no questions asked.
If that’s not feasible, Langley residents can text a location to LAPS’ new Kitten Roundup Hotline at 604-332-4449 and LAPS will dispatch a team to collect the kittens and drop off spay/neuter vouchers.
Throughout the day, LAPS will be broadcasting kitten intake exams, talking about spay/neuter programs, and answering questions live on the web at http://tinykittens.com/roundup.
“It astounds me that kitten season grows every year, despite our efforts to get as many cats neutered and spayed,” said Baker.
To that end, LAPS will also be handing out vouchers for spay and neuters to the first 20 people who come to Patti Dale that day.
To help raise awareness, Dr. Renee Ferguson from Mountain View Veterinary Hospital will broadcast spay/neuter surgeries and answer questions live on the web on Thursday, July 24.
To help raise money for the kittens that come in, Cedar Rim Nursery is hosting a “Dog Dayz of Summer” barbecue on Aug. 8. Call the shelter for tickets at 604-857-5055.
