This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Food, Shelter, & Love Program, but Mom Knows It All only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
I didn’t really give a lot of thought to where cats came from (not literally, but figuratively, meaning did they come from a shelter, breeder, etc) until I was an adult. A number of years ago my beloved Himalayan had died and I found myself missing having a furry feline. I knew I wanted another Himalayan. I’ve had a number of them and it is my favorite breed. I also knew I could not afford to go through a breeder. So I started looking at the cats available at different shelters. I was quite surprised to find hundreds, if not thousands, of cats and kittens needing a home so close to my house.
There were even some Himalayans, such as Pumpkin, the character you see above. I found him in a shelter in Philly, over an hour away.
It has always boggled my mind to think of so many animals needing a home. Shelters today are just as crowded. And, they’re about to get even more crowded. You see, March is the beginning of kitten season. Already crowded shelters will be even more crowded, overrun by kittens who need a home. This means that shelters need more of many things, especially more food, more volunteers and more education. Fortunately, there is an ongoing campaign to address these needs – the Hill’s® Science Diet® and Food, Shelter & Love™ Program.
To date the Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love program has provided over $240 million worth of food to nearly 1,000 shelters, which translates to over 6 million pets. That is a lot of food! Sadly, food isn’t enough to take care of all of these animals. A lot more help is needed. Adoption is always the key goal. If you’re thinking about getting a cat or kitten I urge you to strongly consider visiting the shelter. If you aren’t currently looking to get a cat, visit the shelter anyway and volunteer a little of your time.
Volunteers are crucial. You can make a difference just by becoming a volunteer. Volunteers provide human contact that these animals desperately need. They learn about each and every animal there. Armed with that knowledge they are qualified to help visitors to the shelter learn about that animal and it’s background, and determine if the pet would be a good fit in the visitor’s home. Volunteers help educate people about the adoption process, and proper care after the adoption has taken place such as tips for bringing a new kitten home. They are also a great source of information on how you can help in other ways besides or in addition to adoption. Shelters can always use monetary donations, pet toys and supplies.
Were it not for volunteers we would have never known that Noah and Pumpkin weren’t just a pair of cats that had come in together. They were inseparable, and miserable when apart. They were father and son. They were extraordinary. I am so glad I adopted them and I miss them to this day. FYI, that is how the avatar shown above that many of you know me online by came to be.
I hope that all of the kittens waiting in shelters for a forever home get one. In the meantime it’s important that they get the proper nutrition and feeding from food such as Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Healthy Development food. By purchasing Hill’s you are helping them be able to continue to make a difference in the lives of shelter pets, and helping those pets be as healthy as possible for their new families.
How will you help your local animal shelter this kitten season?
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We donate to our local shelter year round. Every so often, we’ll buy dog and cat food and drop it off. They have so many animals to take care of.
This is good to know, thank you for sharing! Purina is a good brand. Donating to shelters isn’t often though about but of course it makes sense they would need help. I do know that people who work or volunteer there often spend money helping out and adopt many pets because they can’t bear to see them put down.
Thanks so much for sharing. The last pet I had I got from a shelter and when I get another one, it will be from the shelter as well.
We donate to our local shelter, but we are a dog family, so we usually only donate dog supplies.
I love helping out the animal shelter. I donate when I can. I also love to visit with all the animals and give them some attention.
Kittin season always makes me so sad! It is the reason I ended up with a kitten last April.
It think it would be great to spend some time volunteering at the local shelter. My daughter would love to meet all the cats.
We donate to our local pet shelter too. I’ve even thought of volunteering to walk dogs. Would be good exercise too.
I try to donate to our local shelter all year. I donate blankets ,food and litter.
We try to donate to our local shelter as often as possible. With the winter months they need lots of blankets and towels.
It’s great to be a volunteer if one really loves taking care of pets. There’s so much to learn about these animals. Knowing more facts about them that’s not yet written will be interesting.
I give donations to our shelter. That’s my own way of “saving” these lovable pets…
I should look for a shelter nearby, I’m not even sure there is one! I would like to donate to it.
This is such a wonderful and thoughtful post! The animal shelter is close to our neighborhood. We definitely will look into helping out what we can 🙂
I regularly donate linens to the local shelter nearby.
I think donating to your local animal shelter is such a great thing to do. I never even knew there was a ‘kitten season’.
I didn’t know there was such a thing as “kitten season”, thanks for sharing. We’ve just recently moved and I’ve been wanting to look up our local shelter because I’d love to volunteer there.
I definitely love donating whenever I can. I’m a big fan of animals and I only wish I could donate more than I do.
What an important message to remind everyone! I have baby blankets that were not using anymore I will be donating.
For my son’s last birthday, instead of presents he asked for canned dog and cat food to donate to a local shelter. They can never have enough.
i got a recuse cat for my 18th birthday and I still have her to this day!! She is my bff!!!
There is a shelter right next to my husband’s work. You can hear the animals when you drive in. I have driven back there a few times to give the animals a little love. I always want to take them all home, but we don’t have any pets. 🙁
I need to start donating to help shelter pets more often. All our pets have been adopted!
I love helping shelters! I am a huge animal lover and I love going and helping out!
I have never donated to an animal shelter before, but it is a wonderful idea! By the way, beautiful cats.
My youngest daughter is a cat lover and we’ve had quite a few cats throughout the years. Sadly, most of them were thrown out and just wandered up to our country home. I bet they didn’t realize they were coming to the right place. Our favorite, Ms. Kitty (who was actually Mr. Kitty) lived a long, pampered life.
We have a love for rescue animals around here too. I love that you’re getting the word out. It’s sad how many of these shelters struggle for funding to provide even the basics.
I love our local humane society. We rescued our cat Jojo from there. He has been such a joy to have in our lives. I’m so glad that Hill’s science diet is doing this program.
My nephew wants a cat ( I should say kitten), but I can’t imagine one in our family. We’ve always been dog people. I feel so sorry for cats because they really seem to crowd the animal shelters, and when they are feral and running lose on their own, it’s also heartbreaking to see them when the cold weather hits in my neck of the woods.
Your cat is so adorable! We adopted our cat from the humane society and we’re so happy to be able to give her a forever home. 🙂
Wow! Beautiful kitty! My Gramma had one for 12 years and she was gorgeous. We donate old towels to the animal shelter- they’re always in need. We were fostering kittens, quite a few litters, but my toddlers would probably pester them to no end so we’ll have to wait a few years before that happens again.
Kitten season is always so sad. I always donate as much as I can when I can.