HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center is overflowing with cats. So much so, that they're at 500% capacity. It's the peak of kitten season, which is something they see at the center every summer. Right now they have more than 270 cats and kittens needing to be adopted.
One thing they are seeing more and more is something they call "kitnapping."
That's when a well-meaning person sees a litter of kittens in their neighborhood and doesn't see the mom, so they grab the kittens and turn them over to the center. Their advice is to wait a little bit and really assess the situation.
Chelsea Waldeck is with the Hillsborough Pet Resource Center and says, "If the kittens look happy and healthy, if they don't look sick or injured or anything like that, mom is taking care of those kittens."
"She is most likely out hunting for food," Waldeck continued. "She's out scavenging or she needs a little bit of a break, we've all been there if you have kids, where you just need some quiet time. So we always want to give mom a chance to come back and care for her kittens."
She says to keep a close eye on the kittens from a distance. Also, if you're getting too close, it could scare the mother off. The goal is to have the mother take care of her kittens until they're at least 8 weeks old.
Waldek says you can take some flour and sprinkle it near the litter of kittens. Check back 24 hours later and see if there are paw prints in the flour. That means the mom is doing her job.
Meantime, they need people to adopt cats, foster kittens and even volunteer at the center. Donations are also a huge way you can help. Click or tap here for more information on what they need.