Blue Turtle, a stunning two-year old tortie cat, arrived at Athens Area Humane Society after surviving a grim hoarding case where over 40 cats were left to fend for themselves. Underweight, covered in fleas and pregnant, Blue Turtle was rescued. Thanks to a loving foster at AAHS, an amazing team and lots of TLC, Blue Turtle gave birth to two healthy kittens, Nemo and Dori. Over the course of four months, she blossomed from being neglected to a happy cat who was able to find her forever home. She wasn’t the only one to have a happy ending to her story, her two kittens are able to spend the rest of their lives together after being adopted out together.

Blue Turtle’s story had a happy ending, but that’s not the case for all stray or mistreated cats. The number of cats that were brought into shelters across Athens-Clarke County in 2024 was 1,584 according to the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government website. Athens, Georgia, is a city that is in constant battle with overpopulation of cats and finding enough homes for these cats to go to. There is an influx of cats in shelters and the streets, but why is this?

Why are there so many cats to start with?

Cat population in Athens is largely driven by a high number of intact (not spayed or neutered), free-roaming cats, often called community cats, that have easy access to food sources such as dumpsters and citizens who feed them. These conditions create an endless cycle of reproduction, especially due to the absence of supportive local ordinances or shelter policies that would allow for effective management of this issue like shelter-neuter-return or return-to-field according to Staci Cannon, clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.

“If you feed them, fix them,” Marketing Communications Manager at Athens Area Humane Society, Kelsey Fredriksen said. She personally has 11 community cats of her own and got them all fixed at AAHS and released them back into their environment they were living in. The process of taking stray cats, getting them fixed and releasing them into the wild is called TNR, this stands for trap-neuter-release. Unfortunately, many people do not know what to do with cats or kittens when they find them and they either leave them be or take them in as their own. However, this does not solve the problem. 

“It’s important to understand the way to reduce them is not to adopt them all out,” said Fredriksen when talking about the population of community cats. The solution to decreasing the population is to “keep them healthy and let them be in that space,” said Fredriksen — while also spaying and neutering to ensure they don’t create a larger problem. Cats choose places to live that are resource rich. When removing one group of community cats, you are just opening grounds for a new group to take over. 

Over time, with cats not being fixed, the population grows and it leads to an unsustainable number of unowned cats and kittens in shelters. With a lack of action on community cat management programs in Athens, it means government shelters are burdened with more cats than they sometimes can handle which leads to them being euthanized. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals released alarming statistics about this problem. Approximately every year, 530,000 cats are euthanized in shelters and 3.2 million cats enter shelters.

How can people help with a solution?

Every spring community members gather to see adorable kittens and learn some hard truths at the AAHS Kitten Shower. Iris, a beautiful but very pregnant cat, was surrendered by her owner at AAHS. She gave birth to four kittens that were able to be in one of the Annual Kitten Showers. People were drawn to her kittens. “You could see the love when they picked them up and put them in their hands,” said Lexi Morello, adoption and foster care coordinator at AAHS.

AAHS values educating the community about community cats, the importance of TNR and getting your animals fixed through events such as the Annual Kitten Shower. At 2:00 p.m. on May 4, the AAHS will host its 9th Annual Kitten Shower. “It brings awareness to kitten season and all of its aspects,” said Morello. Athens-Clarke County Animal Services has a huge influx of kittens and mother cats during kitten season which takes place from spring until winter according to the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government website. In order to prepare the kittens for adoption, AAHS makes sure that the kitten has had at least two vaccinations, no prior history in the last couple of weeks of having health concerns or not eating.

According to an article from the website called The Spruce Pets, a cat can have as many as five litters of kittens per year. AAHS receives kittens from other shelters, owner surrenders or litters being found.

Why is the foster system so important?

Not everyone can or should adopt a cat or kitten, but they can help by fostering. There has been an increase in owner surrenders in Athens. Many college students adopt animals but do not have the time to take care of the animal so they end up giving the animal back to the shelter. All animals deserve to be properly cared for, loved and fixed. Yes, kittens are cute but they do not stay kittens. If you are someone who wants to help the cause but recognize you are not in a position to adopt, fostering could be a great option.

Fosters are a crucial part of being able to take care of as many animals as AAHS does. As of January 2025, AAHS has 130 fosters that are able to step in and help but they are always looking for more.

“The more fosters we have, the more lives we save”, said Morello.

When a kitten comes in under 1.8 pounds, they are considered neonatal kittens and are taken under the care of a foster. At 2 pounds, the kitten gets spayed or neutered. Until then, a shelter environment can be extremely stressful especially for little kittens. Due to the stress that some kittens face in a shelter environment, they can lose weight. Fostering is not the only way to help out shelters with the influx of cats, AAHS needs donations such as kitten formula, heating blankets and playpens.

Cat overpopulation is a multifaceted issue that requires a holistic approach to address it effectively. To solve the problem, it will take a collective effort from individuals, communities and organizations. Spaying and neutering cats and kittens is a crucial first step in controlling the population, but fostering cats, supporting animal shelters and donating essential supplies are equally as important in creating a sustainable change. By combining these efforts, there can be a future where the cycle of cat overpopulation is broken.