Spring is synonymous with birth, a time of renewal and life.
When it comes to kittens and puppies, however, spring can be a bad season. Every year around this time, the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society is faced with a glut of baby cats and dogs, all without homes and many unwanted.
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The nonprofit organization is looking for volunteers to serve as foster parents to these animals, said spokeswoman Karen Layne. As a shelterless, no-kill pet rescue organization, the Humane Society relies on volunteers to foster the cats, dogs, kittens and puppies until they are placed in a permanent home.
The situation is most dire for kittens, Layne said, because there are many cats in the valley that are not spayed or neutered.
"Kittens overwhelm us. There's no way we can take all the kittens in that are being born right now and that's what makes me angry," Layne said, adding that not enough residents take advantage of the Humane Society's low-cost spay and neuter program. "I'm frustrated."
These kittens can grow into adults that produce more unwanted offspring, feeding the continual problem of stray and feral pets.
In 2004, more than 24,000 pets were euthanized in all of Clark County, Layne said.
Though the organization is no-kill, Layne doesn't like to think in those terms. They are so inundated with calls about unwanted, stray or feral cats and dogs that they must limit the number of animals they take in, she said.
Volunteers are always needed, especially those who can commit the time necessary to foster kittens and puppies, Layne said. Sometimes, if the mother is absent, the animals have to be fed by hand every couple of hours.
Other times, the animals just require a quiet space and some attention, to help socialize them to humans. "For the first three weeks, it takes a person's full attention," said volunteer Nicky Daamen.
The Humane Society provides all of the food, veterinary services and supplies needed by the foster families. To volunteer, or for more information, call 434-2009.
