Blue Ridge Humane Society's annual Kitten Shower planned for March

HENDERSONVILLE - With spring just around the corner and with hundreds of baby kittens expected to be born in the area, Blue Ridge Humane Society, which has been serving the community for 73 years, is gearing up for kitten season and its always-popular annual Kitten Shower.

This year's event will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 25 at Guidon Brewing Company, located at 415 Eighth Avenue East in Hendersonville. There will be games, snacks, and also Blue Ridge Humane Society's staff and volunteers, along with current fosters, will be on hand to provide information about its Foster Program.

There won't be any kittens on site at the event that are available for adoption yet, but Blue Ridge Humane Society does have cats available at its Adoption Center located at 88 Centipede Lane in Hendersonville. Cats available now can be viewed by going to https://www.blueridgehumane.org/adopt/adoptable-cats/. Adoption fees for cats are typically $25, but if a cat has been waiting for a home more than two weeks, it is discounted to $5.

Kitten Shower attendees are encouraged to bring donations of much-needed kitten items, including kitten formula and food, kitten warmers, bottles and supplements that give foster kittens the needed boost to grow into healthy adult cats, the Blue Ridge Humane Society said in a news release.

As the weather warms up, mating season begins for animals. Soon, kittens start to appear in local animalshelters, rescued by well-meaning animal lovers, the release said.

"We are coming on that time of year when animal lovers begin finding kittens outside,” said Angela Prodrick, Blue Ridge Humane Society's executive director, in the release. “It is important to remember that the amount of community or feral cats in our county far outnumbers the number of people living in our community. If all the kittens were brought to a local shelter, the shelter would quickly become overwhelmed.”

The full kitten supply list is available on the Blue Ridge Humane Society website at https://www.blueridgehumane.org/donate/wish-list/. There are also options available for items to be purchased online and shipped directly to Blue Ridge Humane Society.

Blue Ridge Humane Society offers these tips for anyone who finds kittens outside to help save their lives:

• Instead of immediately springing into action once kittens are found, wait and watch. If the kittens aren’t visibly sick or injured, move away from the nest and wait to see if the mother returns. If the mother returns, provide her food and shelter while she raises the kittens.
• If the mom isn’t returning, or if it appears that she is not coming back, then remove the kittens. This is crucial to the kittens’ survival. The best place for kittens to grow is with a dedicated foster. Blue Ridge Humane Society provides kitten kits to help kitten rescuers turn into kitten fosters.
• Once kittens are about 6-8 weeks old, a finder can look to get them spayed or neutered and adopted into new homes. Anyone who finds kittens that need care or anyone who needs supplies or advice can contact the Blue Ridge Humane Society's Foster and Community Outreach Team at community@blueridgehumane.org or 828-393-5832.

Animal lovers can also view additional resources about what to do when kittens are found at https://www.blueridgehumane.org/resources/lost-found/kittens/. Blue Ridge Humane offers kitten care support for volunteers, as well as comprehensive training and support for fosters in its Foster Program. To learn more about fostering, visit https://www.blueridgehumane.org/get-involved/foster/ or contact Michaela Okuda, Foster Program Coordinator at foster@blueridgehumane.org.

The Blue Ridge Humane Society is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization that began in 1950. It is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and neighboring communities. Blue Ridge Humane Society cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program, which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.

Anyone wishing to make a donation or learning how to volunteer can do so by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or by calling 828-692-2639.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.