Summer is Kitten Season—Here’s Why It Matters

Every summer, shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries across the country prepare for what’s known as “kitten season,” referring to a time when unspayed cats give birth in record numbers. It’s like clockwork, always following after the Spring season. Kitten season overwhelms rescues and sanctuaries with hundreds of litters of vulnerable, newborn kittens and very few places for them to go. In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where the warm climate supports nearly year-round reproduction, July marks one of the busiest and most critical months for animal welfare organizations.

At The Animal Rescue Alliance (TARA), we witness firsthand the numerous kittens that require assistance during this time. In this article, we’ll break down why summer is the best time to foster or adopt, how you can make a life-saving difference, and simple steps to get involved before the season ends.

Why Kitten Season Peaks in Summer

“Kitten season” is the result of a natural reproductive cycle that begins in spring and peaks during the warmest months, especially July. Cats are seasonal breeders, meaning their mating cycles are triggered by longer daylight hours and higher temperatures. This leads to a surge of births in late spring and throughout the summer, overwhelming shelters and rescues with a flood of tiny, fragile kittens.

Here’s why summer brings such a spike:

Longer days and warmer temperatures encourage breeding and increase survival rates for outdoor kittens.
One unspayed female cat can give birth to multiple litters per year, producing up to 12 kittens or more annually (2).
Feral and stray cat populations explode during summer months without widespread spaying and neutering.
Young kittens are highly vulnerable to heat, dehydration, parasites, and illness—many require bottle-feeding and intensive care.

With kitten season in full swing, rescues like TARA rely not only on donations, but more importance our fosters and adopters who help us keep kittens out of overcrowded shelters allow us to continue taking in and helping more cats and kittens.

Why Summer Is Ideal for New Pet Parents?

While kitten season presents urgent needs for rescues, it also offers the perfect opportunity for new pet parents to step in, and summer is the ideal time to take advantage of it. Whether you’re considering adoption or fostering, July presents a unique opportunity that makes the transition smoother for both kittens and their owners.

Families often have more free time—kids are out of school, vacation schedules are more flexible, and households tend to spend more time at home. This makes it easier to bond with a new kitten, introduce daily routines, and monitor health and behavior closely during those crucial early weeks.
The environment is more stable and less stressful for kittens, unlike the colder months that bring chilly temperatures, loud holiday gatherings, or frequent travel. Summer typically offers a calm, consistent routine. That stability can be crucial for young or shy kittens, who thrive on predictability and warmth during their transition into a new home.
If you’re adopting multiple kittens, summer gives you extra time and space to help them settle in together—something that’s often encouraged to support socialization, companionship, and smoother litterbox and play training.
If you have other pets at home, introducing them during summer can also be easier. Warmer weather allows for more open and gradual introductions in neutral spaces, and extended time at home means you can closely monitor their interactions and reinforce positive behavior from the start.

Fostering vs. Adopting: Which Is Right for You?

When deciding how to help during kitten season, both fostering and adopting offer life-saving options—and the best choice comes down to what fits your lifestyle and goals.

Fostering provides a temporary home to a kitten (or litter) until they are old enough, healthy enough, or socialized enough to be adopted. Adoption, on the other hand, is a long-term commitment to giving a kitten their forever home.

Here’s a quick side-by-side look:

Fostering

Short-term care, typically a few weeks

Flexible—you choose how often and when you foster

Saves lives by opening up space for more rescues

TARA covers medical and supply costs

Great for those with travel or time constraints

Adopting

Lifelong commitment

One-time, permanent decision

Saves one life directly

You become the full-time caregiver

Great for those ready to expand their family

Both options matter. Fostering allows rescues like TARA to keep vulnerable kittens out of overcrowded shelters, while adoption gives a deserving animal a second chance and a lifelong home.

SPAY LA & the Power of TNR: Addressing Kitten Overload

As part of its broader mission, TARA is actively developing Spay LA. This community-driven initiative is soon to launch with support from donations and upcoming legislation to expand access to spay and neuter services across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. This project aims to significantly reduce future kitten births by focusing on Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR), a key strategy in controlling stray and feral cat populations.

Why TNR Matters in Kitten Season

TNR breaks the cycle: By trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and returning community cats, TNR halts their ability to reproduce, leading to stabilized and, over time, shrinking populations, rather than a continual influx of kittens ¹.
One cat can lead to thousands: A commonly cited “cat pyramid” shows that just one unspayed female—and her offspring—can produce hundreds or thousands of kittens in just a few years. By intervening early, TNR prevents this exponential growth³.
Combining TNR with Spay LA amplifies impact: Spay LA’s voucher program lowers financial barriers to sterilization, enabling more community members and caretakers to engage with TNR and prevent kitten litter surges before they start.⁴

By providing caregivers with tools to manage community cat populations humanely, TARA is addressing the root causes of kitten season, rather than just treating its effects. This program complements fostering and adoption efforts by helping prevent future litters before they appear.

How You Can Get Involved Right Now

Foster or adopt a kitten in need—TARA provides the supplies, you provide the heart.
Volunteer your time at one of our adoption locations (PetSmart Simi Valley, Northridge, or Santa Clarita).
Donate directly to help with food, litter, vet care, and so much more!

Footnotes

ASPCA. “Kitten Season: What It Is and How You Can Help.” https://www.aspca.org/news/kitten-season-what-it-and-how-you-can-help ↩
Alley Cat Allies. “Feline Reproduction 101.” https://www.alleycat.org/resources/feline-reproduction/ ↩
North Shore Animal League America. “Cat Reproduction Pyramid.” SpayUSA Facts. https://www.animalleague.org/spayusa-facts/ ↩
The Animal Rescue Alliance – Spay LA. https://theanimalrescuealliance.org/spayla/ ↩