since when is there a kitten shortage?

tell me about it! i looked EVERYWERE yesterday for kitten for my niece.. no luck!! and i hate paying 80 bucks for cat!

Kittens are usually born in the Fall and Spring. Kittens under 12 weeks would be very difficult to find right now. Call the shelter and see if they have an adult cat that is use to being around dogs (I adopted an adult dog that they brought to my house first to see if it would get along with my cats, so it stands to reason they may do the reverse). Keep in mind, it may take a while for them to get use to each other, regardless of the age of the cat. You may also want to contact your vet and let him know you are looking for a kitten. One of the first places people contact when they need to find kittens homes is often their vet.

Kittens tend to be born in the spring through to the late part of summer.

Have you gone to the shelter? Just because it's not a little kitten doesn't mean that you can't get a 4 month old kitten. They adjust quite well to dogs up to about 6 months.

Why not get an adult cat?? I'm sure you can find one that is dog friendly and who has lived with or used to dogs. So many people want kittens that adult cats don't have a chance and are more likely to be euthanized. Adults cats will be less destructive and less of a handful. And kittens don't stay kittens for very long. Save a life by adopting an adult cat!!!

There is usually a hiatus in kitten births between Novmember and January or February. That is the usual time for cats to breed. There is a two month gestation period and another two months for weaning. So in April, unfortunately, there is a great surplus of kittens available for adoption.

I don't know why you particularly want a kitten and there are surely many young cats at shelters waiting for homes. You could start with one of those and get a kitten (or two) in the spring.

Thankfully, we are all running into the END of what was a VERY long and plentiful kitten season!!!!!!!! Our shelter took in over 200 kittens this season, and spay aborted about 300 more. It was an awful season. It has to end sometime. There are still some trickling in, so be patient...you will find one.

some papers refuse to carry free animal ads, to discourage people from getting cats and dogs for unsavory purposes. And around here, no shelter has FREE animals. You must pay something when you adopt the animal. It helps to cover the shelter's costs for upkeep.

good luck in your search

Some cats maybe already be comfortable with dogs. Ask around. Head up to an animal clinic sometimes people drop notes off, and have found signs.

People are now having others pay for cats to ensure they are going to a good home. You hate paying for a cat, well the vet care and foods not going to be for free. Plus a nut job that wants to just torture cats won't want to spend their money at it.

Hi,

Here's a cat shelter in Mesquite with quite a few kittens:

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/TX824.html

They foster the cats in homes---so there is no "shelter" to visit.

Best wishes.