By Scott Roblin

APARC asking for food donations due to spring influx of kittens

Jun 4, 2019 | 9:59 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Kitten season is alive and well in Medicine Hat, with few knowing the struggles that come with it better than APARC.

Over just the past four weeks, staff at APARC have accepted 40 kittens into care through either its shelter or foster care families.

General manager Kaylyn Genio said that number is fairly consistent with previous years, however they usually don’t see such a spike in May.

“It’s starting out really high this year, it hasn’t been a gradual increase it’s been all at once,” said Genio. “So, we’re getting a whole bunch of cats all at one time, so we’re keeping busy trying to feed them and get them into new homes.”

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That’s prompted APARC to put out a call to the public for specialized kitten food to help feed the influx of cats they’ve been receiving.

Donations did come in to the shelter on Monday after APARC’s public plea over the weekend, however staff say that amount would only last a week at most.

Genio said the high demand for kitten food could last into the summer months, which makes getting ahead of the eight ball early even more important.

“There a huge need for us to get kitten food right now just because we have so many mouths to feed and it is kind of an ongoing thing,” she said. “So, kitten season isn’t going to slow down for us anytime soon.”

Adoptions for kittens and adult cats have been slightly lower than normal this spring for APARC, with kittens being available to be adopted once vaccinated and micro-chipped after eight weeks.

APARC is requesting both dry and wet food donations for their kittens.

While they have their preferences, Genio added they’re accepting all brands of both wet and dry food this spring.

“Performatrin is our number one food that we feed to kittens, but we are open to other brands as well,” she said. “Every little bit helps.”

Genio also reminds pet owners to spay and neuter their animals to limit the number of kittens born each spring.