Woodlands Animal Sanctuary are officially one month into Kitten Season. But they actually got their first pregnant cat back in February! That’s a full two months earlier than usual & their kitten count at the end of April is 31! This is an absolutely crazy number for the end of April and by far the highest they have ever known in 20 years! These 31 cats are between 8 litters and thankfully, they still only have the two hand rears; Fred & Wilma, who have now temporarily moved out, to live with a fosterer, until they are old enough to come back into one of the charity’s pens, until they can be rehomed.

At a cost of roughly £830.50 per mum cat the charity welcomes through their door, they are already looking at a cost of £6644 for Kitten Season. This is of course, whilst still caring for the other 50 odd animals they have on site from hens and ducks through to ponies and a donkey. They are contacted daily about cats needing a new home, whether that be an adult cat, a pregnant queen, a mum with kittens, or orphaned babies. Woodlands are incredibly strict that they will only ever take animals that they have the space and capacity for. This does mean that there are times they may have to turn needy animals away. The easiest way this can be avoided, is for the cats who are ready to be rehomed find their purrfect home as soon as possible. This means space becomes available for another needy soul. If you are thinking of welcoming a rescue cat into your home, Woodlands beg you to consider the less popular coloured ones, the older ones, the quieter ones. Each cat has its own story, each one has overcome hardships to still be here today, & to be given a second chance of a happy ever after is life changing for them. But not only that, it allows the next unwanted, abandoned soul to step into a safe, loving environment.

What part will you play in Woodlands Kitten Season 2024?

If you have a cat, and they haven’t been neutered, Woodlands would really like you to take this as your prompt to get them done. One pregnant cat, starting off with one litter, can turn into 32 cats within just two years, leading to over 2 million in 10 years! This increase in the cat population is not sustainable and causes suffering for the cats and the people living in their community.

Find out about the cats they have available for rehoming, or how you can donate towards the cost of Kitten Season on their website: www.woodlandsanimalsanctuary.org.uk/