Covid, Climate, and Cats (duh!): Why we’re supporting Kitten Rescue

One of the few bright spots of 2020 were stories that documented the rise of pet adoptions during the pandemic. With self-isolation at the onset of Covid in March 2020, interest in fostering and adopting animals increased significantly, with some rescues reporting waitlists hundreds of people deep. Pets were also a source of joy, stability, and well-being during this time. According to research conducted by National Geographic, 9 in 10 pet owners say that their animals helped them “cope emotionally with the pandemic” and that they couldn’t “imagine being without my animal at this time”.    

Source: Shelter Animals Count

March ultimately represented peak demand for cats in the US, and while adoptions did increase in 2020 over 2019, the story is, sadly, not a happy one. While more cats and kittens were adopted in 2020 than in previous years, fewer were rescued from the street in the first place.   

Source: Shelter Animals Count

While you’ve certainly heard of the 4 seasons, you may not know that March marks the beginning of “kitten season,” aka the time of year that street cats put on some Marvin Gaye and start getting it on. Kitten season typically lasts from March to September, but in LA, the season often goes on longer thanks to our sunny weather. In previous years, over 50k cats were born during kitten season in LA alone. Because fewer cats were rescued in 2020, this means that 2021’s kitten season promises to be even bigger, which as adorable as that sounds, is actually something that impacts the climate negatively. 

Source: ASPCA

It turns out Garfield and his lazy lasagna habit were a lie: Cats are terrific little predators who can have an out-sized impact on their environment due to the concentrated area in which they hunt. While a controlled population of cats can be effective mousers in a neighborhood overrun with rats, a 2013 study by Nature estimated that outdoor cats are the #1 wildlife killer of birds, as well other small animals that would otherwise contribute to the health of our ecosystem. 

Source: Nature

That’s where Kitten Rescue comes in. The organization has rescued over 21,000 cats since their start in 1997, and between their nursery, foster, and sanctuary programs, have placed these kittens, adults, and special needs cats in homes and “working cat” programs throughout Los Angeles County. While Covid has made their mission more challenging, their community of volunteers have been active throughout the pandemic rescuing cats and helping pet owners who’ve needed an extra hand during this time.

Source: Kitten Rescue

This is a personal story, too. I fostered for Kitten Rescue in late 2019 and totally “failed” at it. Of my 3 kittens, 2 of them found homes and 1 of them found us. Bernie, our “foster fail,” was rescued from the streets with his brothers when they were just 2 days old. Like the respondents in that National Geographic survey, I couldn’t imagine getting through the pandemic without him. So for Bernie, the cats of Los Angeles, and the birds, we’re supporting Kitten Rescue as our inaugural non-profit beneficiary this spring.

To learn more about Kitten Rescue and its mission, foster or adopt a cat, or support them yourself, please visit kittenrescue.org.