With cats and kittens flooding six city shelters, animal officials on Wednesday urged Angelenos to become feline fosters.
About 165 more cats need to find homes each month for the rest of this year for Los Angeles Animal Services to meet its target of saving 90% of pets entering its shelters this year, the agency said in a joint press release issued with rescue organization Best Friends Animal Society.
The cats have been turning up in droves since March, officials said. City shelters have taken in nearly 9,700 kittens alone this year, averaging to about 40 each day.
“This is the most intense kitten season we’ve ever seen,” L.A. Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette said in a statement. “Intake has been averaging 22% higher for kittens and 14% higher for cats this year, which translates to more than 3,000 additional kittens and cats coming to our centers than we saw in 2018.”
L.A. hopes to become the nation’s largest no-kill city. Last year, a record 89.7% of pets entering city shelters were saved — compared to just 57.7% when the No-Kill Los Angeles initiative first launched in 2012, according to Animal Services.
Cat and kitten adoptions at city shelters will be free for the rest of 2019. Adoptions at Best Friends rescues are $25 and under.
“If you’re in the market for a kitten or cat, please come down and adopt one, or two, from Best Friends or (Animal Services),” Jennifer Pimentel, executive director for Best Friends Animal Society in L.A., said in a statement. “It will make a huge impact on the cats and the shelter staff who care for them, too.”
For more information, visit www.laanimalservices.org or www.bestfriendsla.org.
