An influx of newborn kittens has led the Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter to create a kitten foster program.
Shelter Director Jennifer Hutchinson-Tracy said cats are seasonal breeders, leading to the influx this time of year.
“We get a little break in the winter months, but in the late spring and early summer, that’s when we see start seeing a surge in kittens,” Hutchinson-Tracy said. “If you want to temporarily provide a home if you can’t adopt, you can temporarily provide one. We don’t adopt them out until they’re at least eight weeks and two pounds so they can be spayed and neutered.”
Hutchinson-Tracy said the program allows the kittens to grow and develop in a more suitable environment.
“It gets pretty crowded here and it’s not the best environment for the little ones,” Hutchinson-Tracy said. “Their immune systems have a hard time coping with the shelter environment, so if we can get them into a home and stay healthier, they’ll get to their adoption weight faster and we can move them on to a permanent home.”
Hutchinson-Tracy said residents interesting in fostering a kitten can stop by the shelter on Gainesboro Grade or PetSmart off Interstate Drive in Cookeville.
