KITTEN season has begun and despite conjuring up images of cute, cuddly balls of fur, it is actually a massive strain on shelters and animal rescues like the Durban & Coast SPCA.

Speaking to Northglen News last week, Tanya Fleischer, marketing manager of the association said already they were taking strain with an influx of kittens.

With the arrival of the warmer months, female cats who are unspayed go into heat. If impregnated the female cat gives birth to a litter of kittens only 60 days later.

VIDEO: WATCH: Don’t blink you might miss it

According to Fleischer, resources are already hard to come by, such as food and space.

“To give an indication to residents we had more than 2 000 cats and kittens brought into us in the same three month period (October/November/December) last year and we are expecting an influx of kittens and cat again. Already we’ve had several kittens being rescued by our inspectorate and being housed in our feline shelter.

“We are urging residents, if they can, to donate soft kitten food and kitten litter which we are short of at the moment. The Durban North community have been great in supporting our association but we are asking again as the need is great at the moment for kitten season. I also urge pet owners to spay or neuter their cats,” she said. “We are also looking for people to adopt kittens and cats from our Springfield Park home.”

For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram