Kitten Season May Sound Cute, but Spring’s Influx of Tiny Felines Makes Things More Than a Little Hairy in the Animal Welfare Industry

With 20 Million Kittens Born Each Spring, PetSmart® and PetSmart
Charities® Invite North Americans to Adopt a Furry Feline During
National Adoption Weekend, May 5-7

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Say the words “kitten season” and most people imagine a daisy field
filled with fluffy kittens romping around. But Steven Kaufman, a
certified animal welfare administrator and center of excellence manager
for adoptions at PetSmart Charities, notes that cute as kittens are,
spring’s kitten season can be one of the most challenging times of the
year for animal welfare organizations.


“It’s estimated that 20 million kittens will be born this spring. To put
that in perspective, that’s twice as many kittens as there are people
living in New York City,” said Kaufman. “As a result, the waiting rooms
of veterinary clinics, animal welfare agencies, rescues and shelters are
overrun with people holding boxes of unplanned litters of homeless
kittens. It’s challenging to find the resources, volunteers and finances
to provide food, shelter, vaccinations and veterinary care to so many
kittens during such a short amount of time, not to mention finding them
the forever homes they deserve.”

To better understand perceptions of pet homelessness, a recent online
survey of 2,000 pet owners in the U.S. and Canada was commissioned by
PetSmart Charities and conducted by Wakefield Research. The survey
revealed that the vast majority of people significantly underestimate
the number of pets entering shelters. Eighty-four percent of Americans
and 87 percent Canadians surveyed believe less than 1 million homeless
pets enter shelters each year, but the actual annual number is closer to
6.5 million.

That’s why PetSmart and PetSmart Charities want to find homes for as
many kittens, cats, dogs and wonderful pets as possible by encouraging
North Americans to visit May National Adoption Weekend events held at
more than 1,500 PetSmart stores across North America over May 5-7. With
the help of thousands of animal welfare organizations across the
continent, the leading pet retailer and its independent non-profit hope
to find forever homes for more than 24,000 pets over the weekend. Nearly
half of the adoptable pets are expected to be cats and kittens.

“At PetSmart Charities, we’re committed to finding forever homes for all
pets, but at this time of year, the need for finding adoptive families
for kittens and cats increases exponentially,” says David Haworth, DVM,
Ph.D., and president of PetSmart Charities. “While kittens tend to find
homes very quickly, adult female cats, especially those that are about
to or have just had a litter, are often abandoned and they’re in need of
forever homes, too.”

To help find homes for as many kittens and cats as possible, Kaufman and
Haworth are sharing four little-known facts about felines.

Cat Fact #1: One Cat Can Have Up to 100 Kittens in Their
Lifetime

Cats can become pregnant at just five months of age and they can have up
to three litters per year. With each litter ranging between one and
eight kittens, that means one cat could potentially have more than 100
kittens during their lifetime. That’s why it’s so important to spay or
neuter pets. Most pets adopted at PetSmart Charities National Adoption
Weekends are already spayed/neutered, veterinarian-checked and
vaccinated against illness.

Cat Fact #2: Cats are Great Communicators

Cats make more than 100 different sounds, and they only meow to
communicate with humans. To communicate with another feline, cats will
most often purr, hiss or spit. Cats are such great human-to-pet
communicators that they’ve been known to change their meow to help pet
parents understand their needs. Some experts have theorized this
explains why the sound of a cat’s meow when they are asking for food
sounds very similar to a crying baby.

Cat Fact #3: The Cat-Healing Benefits of Purring

Most people think cats purr because they are happy, and that may be
true, but cats also purr when they are nervous and sick, too.
Veterinarians like Dr. Haworth believe cats use purring as a
self-soothing method that may even help them heal. The frequency of the
vibrations caused when a cat purrs is the same frequency that promotes
increased bone density and muscle restoration.

Cat Fact #4: Cats Can Be a Righty or a Lefty

It’s not just humans who are right-handed or left-handed, cats have a
preferred paw, too. Most female cats prefer using their right paw, while
male cats are more likely to be lefties. So if you’re looking to adopt a
pet that shares your dominant dexterity, visit PetSmart Charities
National Adoption Weekend.

Not a Cat Person? In addition to cats and kittens, rest assured
you’ll find puppies and dogs, rabbits, reptiles, guinea pigs and more at
PetSmart and PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend. If you’re
searching for a particular kind of pet, call the PetSmart store nearest
you to find out what variety of pets the local store’s adoption partner
expects to have on-site.

Not looking for a pet? You can still help animal welfare
organizations cope with kitten season by participating in PetSmart’s Pet
Supply Drive, May 1-28, where shoppers can purchase/donate much-needed
items at all stores across North America. PetSmart will deliver all
donated items to local animal welfare groups to help them care for
homeless pets. And when shoppers purchase any bag of dog or cat food,
PetSmart will donate a meal to a pet in need through its Buy a Bag, Give
a Meal™ program. From Mar. 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will give a meal
to a pet in need for any and every bag of dog or cat food purchased in
its more than 1,500 stores and online at PetSmart.com and PetSmart.ca.
PetSmart expects to donate more than 60 million meals** through this
initiative – the biggest philanthropic campaign in its 30-year history.

PetSmart Charities’ May National Adoption Weekend:

Date:

  May 5 – 7, 2017

Time:

Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Location:

Nearly all 1,500-plus PetSmart stores across North America.

Visit www.petsmart.com
or www.petsmart.ca
to find the store nearest you.

A Free Gift for Those Who Adopt:

Regardless of the type of four-legged friend you or your family choose
to adopt or where you adopt, PetSmart offers a free Adoption Kit* that
provides important content on how to integrate a new pet into the family
and adds true value – more than $475 (U.S.) in free items and discounts
on pet essentials and services. Included are coupons for a free bag of
dog or cat food from Simply Nourish™, Authority® or Good Natured™, a
free veterinarian visit, a complimentary private training session with
an accredited trainer, a free Doggie Day Camp session and a free
overnight boarding stay, as well as half off on a grooming service. Also
included are savings on all the essentials for a new pet, including
beds, crates, gates, brushes, feeding bowls, collars, leashes, toys and
treats, as well as solutions like pet calming products and stain and
odor remedies for any mishaps that may occur.

*Adoption papers required.

About PetSmart®

PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and
solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and
we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection,
PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their
pets so they, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision
impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our
associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ
approximately 55,000 associates, operate more than 1,500 pet stores in
the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200
in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart
provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as
well as pet-focused services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet
boarding, PetSmart® Doggie Day Camp® and pet adoption. PetSmart,
together with non-profits PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of
Canada, invite more than 3,000 animal welfare organizations to bring
adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of
finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other
signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 7.3 million
adoptions – more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. The
company’s portfolio of digital resources for pet parents includes
PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, OnlyNaturalPet.com, Pet360.com,
petMD.com, Pawculture.com, AllPaws, an online pet adoption platform that
helps potential pet parents find the perfect pet to adopt based on their
home, family and lifestyle, as well as BlogPaws, the world’s first pet
blogger and influencer network. Through these digital platforms,
PetSmart offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care
information in the U.S. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, PetSmart
launched its Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™ program in March 2017. For every
bag of cat or dog food purchased Mar. 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will
donate a meal to pets in need and expects to donate more than 60 million
meals in 2017**.

Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
Find
PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmart
See
PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart

**Ends 12/31/17. 5 oz. dog food, 1.5 oz. cat food donated to PetSmart
Charities to feed dogs and cats in need. See details at
petsmart.com/giveameal. The actual number of meals donated is based on
dog and cat food bags sold. The meal donation estimate is based on
historic sales for similar time periods. No guaranteed amount. Rescue
Bank and Feeding America will help distribute a large portion of the pet
food donation in the U.S.

About PetSmart Charities®

PetSmart
Charities, Inc.
is a nonprofit animal welfare organization with a
mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting
programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In
addition to finding homes for almost 500,000 shelter pets each year
through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the
U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities provides funding to non-profits
aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support:
Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the
Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster
Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in
need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the pin pads at checkout
registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities
efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar donated and has become the
leading funder of animal welfare in North America, donating about $300
million to date. PetSmart Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has
received the Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator, an independent
organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and
transparency of nonprofits, for the past 14 years in a row — placing it
among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To
learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org

Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find
PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities
See
PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc

About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada

PetSmart
Charities of Canada
is a registered Canadian charity with a mission
to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and
thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In addition to
finding homes for more than 25,000 shelter pets each year through its
in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores, PetSmart Charities of
Canada provides funding to registered charities aligned with its mission
through four key areas of grant support: Preventing Pet Homelessness;
Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and
Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of
generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart
Charities of Canada using the pin pads at checkout registers inside
PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 89 cents
of every dollar donated and has become a leading funder of animal
welfare in Canada, donating nearly $12 million to date. PetSmart
Charities of Canada is a member of Imagine Canada, and a registered
Canadian charity independent from PetSmart, Inc. To learn more, visit www.petsmartcharities.ca

Contacts

Golin for PetSmart
Danielle Bickelmann, 469-680-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com
or
PetSmart
Media Line
623-587-2177

Recibe gratis las noticias más importantes y más leídas diariamente en tu email

Este sitio está protegido por reCAPTCHA y Google Política de privacidad y Se aplican las Condiciones de servicio.

¡Muchas gracias!

Más sobre este tema
Contenido Patrocinado
Enlaces patrocinados por Outbrain