Kitten season — two words that make even the most fervent animal lovers take pause. From early spring to late fall, animal shelters across the nation are inundated with pregnant cats and litters of kittens.

On average, nearly 58 percent of our overall yearly intakes are felines. In the last month alone, the Animal Rescue League has taken in over 70 kittens. These kittens range in age from two weeks to two months, and almost all of them need hands on, around the clock care.

Bottle babies, abandoned kittens, litters born to feral mothers and pregnant house pets are pouring in the doors. With limited funding and resources, the ARL is working overtime to provide a safe haven for these animals.

Having only been in the director’s seat for less than six months, I have been cultivating relationships within the community in an attempt to bring more resources to our local pet families and slow down the overwhelming numbers of cats and kittens being brought into the ARL. One of the biggest relationships that we have is with Marshalltown Strong TNR.

There is no shortage of feral and community cats in Marshalltown. The TNR group strives to trap, fix and return feral cats to established colonies where they are fed and taken care of regularly. Doing this vastly decreases the amount of kittens born outside and keeps feral cats out of the Animal Rescue League.

By keeping feral cats out of the ARL, it means we can take in more friendly indoor animals, get them adopted out faster, then turn around and take in more animals. The TNR program helps us to save more lives.

Another partnership we are fostering is with our local veterinarians. We are working together to bring low cost spay/neuter options and low cost vaccinations to the area. Thanks to a local grant, Steckelberg Veterinary Clinic is currently offering $47 cat neuters and $80 cat spays. Surgeries are limited, so there is no better time to get your pet fixed and prevent even more unexpected litters. On June 18, we are hosting our very first low cost vaccine and microchipping clinic. Dr. Grant Jacobson of Hometown Veterinarian is helping to coordinate medical care for us on that day.

By supporting our community, we are hoping they will in turn support us through this kitten season. On average, it costs the Animal Rescue League upwards of $150 per kitten to get it ready for adoption. This includes multiple vaccinations and dewormings, spay/neuter surgery, and microchipping. What that doesn’t include is all the time, love and attention that our staff, volunteers, and fosters give to the animals in our care.

To get on the surgery schedule for Marshalltown TNR, please contact Kayti at 970-573-9413.

To schedule your cat to be fixed at Steckelberg Veterinary Clinic, please call 641-366-2540.

To register for our low cost vaccine clinic, please call 641-753-9046.

All available animals and our adoption application, as well as our wish list and a link for donations, can be found at www.arlmarshalltown.com.

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Rachel Buchanan is the executive director

of the Marshalltown Animal Rescue League.