By JAN GRIFFEY / Editor

Once again, our Shelby County winter hasn’t lived up to its name

One can hardly call our winter weather this year “winter” like.

It’s not over, I know. We still have time for some good freezes, but in these fickle times, who knows what the remainder of the season will bring?

Most are just fine with our warmer-than-usual temperatures. However, one unfortunate side effect of our mild winter is the heat cycle of our stray, feral and free-roaming cats hasn’t been hampered by cold weather, and our Shelby Humane Society is likely, again this year, to see a large increase in kittens this spring.

Those large numbers mean certain death for many of these unwanted cats.

We can prevent that fairly easily by getting our cats spayed and neutered, and doing the same for stray and feral cats in our neighborhoods.

The Shelby Humane Society has worked hard over the last decade to promote low-cost spay and neuter clinics, and those have made a positive impact.

But we still have much work to do.

Cats are incredibly self-sustaining. They keep the rodent population down and are rarely trouble for anyone. The best we can do for these free-roaming cats is to trap them, get them spayed or neutered, then return them to where we found them so they can live out their lives in an area they are familiar with, where they know where to find food and shelter.

Alabama Spay/Neuter, a non-profit organization located at 2721 Crestwood Blvd. in Irondale has teamed up with PetSmart Charities and is offering to spay female cats for only $20.

The rate is available to all residents of Central Alabama. If you are interested, call 956-0012 for more information. When you schedule an appointment, make certain to mention the “Beat the Heat” promotion in order to get the $20 rate.

In addition, the Shelby Humane Society can provide you with information on low-cost spay and neuter clinics in Shelby County. In fact, some areas of Shelby County, including Montevallo and Columbiana, qualify for free spay and neuter surgeries for feral cats.

Contact Shelby Humane at 669-3916, ext. 31, for more information, or visit ShelbyHumane.org.

Jan Griffey is the associate editor for the Shelby County Reporter. She can be reached at 669-3131 ext. 36 or by email at jan.griffey@shelbycountyreporter.com.