March through October
Kitten Season is here.
Every spring and summer, thousands of kittens flood Houston-area shelters. Some make it. Many don't. Here's what it means — and how you can help.
What is kitten season?
Cats are seasonal breeders. When daylight and temperatures rise, unspayed female cats go into heat and — a very fast eight to nine weeks later — litters start arriving. In warm climates like Houston, that "season" runs roughly March through October, with two or three overlapping waves of kittens per year.
Shelters and rescues that handle a few kittens a week in January suddenly get dozens a day. Bottle babies — kittens under four weeks old — are the ones most at risk, because they need round-the-clock care that municipal shelters can't provide.
How you can help this season
Found a kitten in your yard?
Don't kit-nap. Most of the "abandoned" kittens people bring in during kitten season have a mom nearby who's out hunting. Our step-by-step guide walks you through how to tell the difference and what to do next.
So You Found a Kitten →The long-term fix: TNR
The only way to end kitten season is to stop the cycle at the source. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs spay and neuter community cats so they can live out their lives without producing more litters. Our resources hub has guides on TNR and links to Houston-area partners who provide low-cost or free spay/neuter for community cats.