HELENA — If you are looking to adopt a cat, the Lewis and Clark Humane Society is probably the place to go—they have plenty of cats and kittens looking for homes. In fact, they’ve seen an increase in cats and kittens coming through their doors this year.
Caring for all of those cats and kittens is not always easy.
“We are swimming in kittens,” LCHS cat program coordinator Kate Axline-Pittman said.
How many cats? Right now, there are about 150 cats and kittens in LCHS care, and a total of 500 have come in since January 2021.
This year is proving different from years past when it comes to cats and kittens.
“There hasn’t been such a big influx in such a short amount of time,” Axline-Pittman said. “There was one day last week we got in 20 cats in 1 day.”
Axline Pittman said she thinks more cats are coming in because people are out and about more this year and finding them.
“A lot of these cats are strays that are coming in,” she said.
But, there is a problem—the Lewis and Clark Humane Society can only house about 40 cats, and right now, they’re full.
Foster families help fill the gap, housing cats LCHS cannot.
“Foster homes have been a lifeline for us, and a savior,” Axline-Pittman said.
Fostering means taking in a cat or a kitten—or a few of them—until they find their forever home.
People interested in fostering are given a list, and they can choose which cat or kitten they want to house. They can also choose how long they can give the cat a home—until it finds an adopter, or a shorter amount of time if they need.
“I call it babysitting for cats,” Axline-Pittman said. “You just take care of them.”
LCHS provides medical care, food and supplies, and foster families provide love, and maybe a little publicity for their feline foster.
“Share them on social media so they can find homes,” Axline-Pittman said.
Sometimes foster homes even turn into forever homes.
For information on fostering or adopting a cat, call the Lewis and Clark Humane Society at 406-442-1660, or email Axline-Pittman at kaxline@lchsmontana.org.
