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This may seem like a morbid question, but have any of you noticed how many dead skunks are out there on the roads lately? It seems like I’m seeing at least one or two everywhere I drive. Last week, there were four between the Route 55 exit on Garden Road and the drive down Delsea to the mall.

We haven’t been able to gauge the beginning of spring by the weather this year because of the all the mild days we’ve had, but the fact that the skunks are on the move is a sure sign that the change of season is coming.

That said, I just want to take this opportunity to remind our readers of several things that come with spring.

First and foremost, skunks aren’t the only creatures out there that are ‘lookin’ to hook up.’ Breeding season for many of our furry friends will most probably get a jump start this year because of the mild temperatures. If you have cats of your own, or in your neighborhood, that are unaltered, please make arrangements to have them fixed or call your local animal control to gather them up before they start to reproduce.

If you find that one of the neighborhood strays has gifted you a litter of kittens under your porch or behind your shed, please try to socialize them as soon as possible and get them to us before they become feral. At the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, we have a great transfer program with several other high adoption volume shelters. So, if you’re able to socialize and care for the kittens until they’re 6 to 8 week sold, we have a good chance of getting them a home … at least until summer, when the numbers can become overwhelming. The ideal thing is to prevent the litters by spaying and neutering. Our low-cost clinic is always available to help make that affordable.

We also have some fun stuff to look forward to. Next week, on March 10, we have our annual St. Pawtrick’s Day Celebration at Kavanagh’s Irish Pub & Grill in Malaga. Their staff works for more than a month in advance to collect donations for our animals and puts on a super-fun evening with raffle prizes, live entertainment and, of course, great food and libations.

We’re also about to kick off our annual Dog of the Year contest. It may not be quite the entertaining circus that this year’s presidential election is proving to be, but at least you can be assured that a good guy (or girl) is going to win! We need 12 dogs who have been adopted through us to compete, and there are a few spots left if you think your mutt is worthy of the title. It’s a fun campaign, and the real winners are the countless homeless animals who benefit from the funds raised by pets that once were in that same desperate situation.

Please go to our website at southjerseyregionalanimalshelter.org to make spay or neuter appointments, get details on the Dog of the Year contest and to check out our calendar of events.

Source: Kitten breeding season nears as weather warms up

Posted in 2016, SJRAS Articles