By Hanna Plotnik

Spring has sprung and that means longer and lighter days. It also means kitten season is underway!

The world is full of tiny, big-eyed, fluffy newborn kittens, which sounds like a dream come true, and in some ways is as delightful as it sounds…but it is also when shelters become full of kittens and cats that are looking for their fur-ever home.

Generally, kitten season starts in early spring and can run through late fall, but with Phoenix’s warmer climate, kitten season is almost all year long.

The increase in the number of kittens born at once can be a struggle for animal rescues and shelters.

“Due to Arizona’s 10-month kitten season, we see nearly 1,300 kittens come through our foster department every year,” said Michael Morefield, director of marketing and communications for Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL).

For the last five years, Scottsdale Quarter helps AAWL manage the spike in homeless kittens by offering a vacant storefront to serve as a pop-up adoption shop. The first pop-up adoption shop of 2019 is Saturday, May 25, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

This paw-some pop-up will have about 20 to 25 kittens available at each event. This year, the adoption pop-up shop will be around the corner from Urban Outfitters.

“We are beyond grateful to partner-up with AAWL year after year and help our furry friends find their forever home. This will be the fifth annual kitten pop-up adoption shops and over the course of the years, about 400 kittens have been adopted into a new family,” said Alison Goodman, Marketing Director at the Scottsdale Quarter. “I am an animal lover myself and Scottsdale Quarter is a very animal-friendly shopping center.”

The kitten pop-up adoption shop will continue on various weekends through September 22. For kitten pop-up shop dates and times, visit scottsdalequarter.com or aawl.org. You can also call Scottsdale Quarter at (480) 270-8123 or AAWL at (602) 273-6852.

What to do if you find feral kittens:
• Is the mama cat around? If not, check back on the kittens in a few hours to see if she’s back. Mother cats might reject a newborn if we handle them before they’re old enough to separate from her.
• If you don’t see a mama cat for several hours and are worried about the kittens’ well-being, contact AAWL or a local shelter to see if they can take the feral kittens and find them a foster home while they become old enough to be adopted.
• If possible, bring in the parent cats to get spayed or neutered, so there are not more feral kittens born without a home.