The Scoop: May, 2022 edition

HERE COME THE KITTENS
KITTEN SHOWER 2022
Every year, from spring through late summer, AHS is inundated with teeny, tiny
kittens. It’s Kitten Season, and over the next few months we will welcome hundreds
of newborn kittens into our shelter. These babies require constant care and support,
and they are the most fragile animals we serve. Our shelter staff members and
dedicated foster caregivers are working around the clock to make sure these kittens
grow big and strong.
To help raise funds for all of those babies, we’ll be hosting our 8th Annual Kitten
Shower, presented by Heritage Ranch by H-E-B and the Nicholas J. Juried Family
Foundation, on May 14th! This is a kitten-themed, family-friendly community
event featuring adorable kittens and cats, kitten yoga, children’s activities, a bakeoff
competition, kitten supply donation drive, and paw-some local vendors. Keep
reading to find out more about the activities we are offering this year and how to register to
participate. The kittens need your support! We hope to see you there!
FREE ADMISSION
Reserve your free ticket online, then join us for all the fun on May 14th from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the AHS shelter (124 W. Anderson Lane).
Visit the link below to register for a free admission or V.I.P. ticket today!
KITTEN YOGA
Join us as we purrfect our downward
dog and cat pose during this 45-minute
stress-relieving class. You won’t want to
miss our precious back-up instructors:
kittens from AHS! We have two classes
to choose from, at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
on Saturday, May 14th.
Head to the link below to register today!
BAKE-OFF TASTING TICKET
The ultimate baking battle is coming to
AHS! Join us for our inaugural Bake-
Off, during which local bakers will enter
their most decadent bite, and you get
to help us decide the winner. Purchase a
tasting ticket and you’ll get to taste-test
each delicious bite and vote for your
favorite!
V.I.P. TICKET
Want to kick the kitten fun up a notch?
Upgrade your Kitten Shower experience
with our V.I.P. (Very Important Purrson)
tickets! Each ticket comes with a
paw-some Kitten Shower swag bag, a
commemorative gift, and a Bake-Off
Tasting Ticket.Supplies are limited, so be
sure to reserve your V.I.P. ticket today!
Get your tickets here: bit.ly/2022KittenShowerTickets
bit.ly/AHSshop

CELEBRATING 75,000
COMMUNITY CAT Q&A
In 2022, our Community Cat Program is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and in March,
our team served its 75,000th cat! Prevention is a staple of the Austin Humane Society’s
mission, but many people still aren’t aware of this unique program. As we enter the height
of Kitten Season, we sat down with Community Support Program Supervisor Ashley
Steffey to learn more about the Community Cat Program at AHS.
What is the Community Cat Program?
The community cat program provides spay and neuter services to free-roaming, stray, or
community cats living in Travis County. Our program has spay/neuter appointments available to
members of the public who are interested in helping community cats in their neighborhood with
trap-neuter-return (TNR). We also partner with the Austin Animal Center to provide volunteer
trapping assistance to folks unable to trap cats themselves. All cats that come through our program
arrive in humane traps that are available to rent here at AHS. The cost is $20 per cat and each cat
receives spay/neuter surgery, a rabies vaccination, a dose of flea prevention, and an ear-tip. Thanks
to the generosity of Karen Pospisil and Roger Beasley, AHS also offers a limited program for
communities outside of Travis County.
Ashley Steffey,
Community Support Program Supervisor
Why is it such an important part of the Austin Humane Society’s mission?
There are many reasons this program is such an important part of AHS, and it starts with
prevention! Our program prevents hundreds of kittens from being born on the streets and coming
into the shelter system every year. I have seen first-hand how this program improves the lives of
community cats and the people who care for them. For most of these cats, this is their one chance
to receive veterinary care. After the trap-neuter-return process is completed, these cats are
returned to their outdoor homes. They are free to live their lives without having multiple litters of
kittens every year or fighting for mates.
What should people do if they see a Community Cat in their neighborhood?
The first thing you should do is look to see if the cat has an ear-tip – a flat clip on the left ear. This
is the universal indicator that this cat has already been spay/neutered and vaccinated. If the cat’s
ear is not clipped, you can ask neighbors in-person or via apps like Nextdoor if the cat(s) is owned
or stray. If the cats are not owned and not ear-tipped, they can be brought into our spay/neuter/
return clinics. Our clinics are offered every Tuesday and Thursday. Helpful clinic information and
appointments are available on our website at austinhumanesociety.org
Kitten Season is upon us - what should people do if they see kittens in their neighborhood?
First, try to estimate the kitten’s age (there are great resources available online to help you do this).
Kittens under 6-8 weeks have the best chance of survival if they are with their mother. It is great to
monitor the kittens, but leave them where they are unless they are in danger. Most often when you
see kittens, mom is nearby hunting for food or hiding from people. Give her plenty of space and
time to return. If she does not return all day or overnight, the kittens may have been abandoned. If
the kittens are sick or in danger call 311 for assistance. You can text “foundatx” to (844) 764-2125
for additional resources. If you have kittens that you think would be good candidates for our foster
or adoption program, email animalservices@austinhumanesociety.org.
Become a Kitten Season Sponsor at bit.ly/KittenSeason2022
75,000th Cat Served!

SAVE THE DATE FOR
SUMMER KIDS SERIES 2022
The Austin Humane Society’s beloved Summer Kids Series is back in-person
for 2022! Our 10th Annual Summer Kids Series, presented by the Turner
Family, kicks off on June 7th.
Presented by
THE TURNER FAMILY
This summer’s sessions will take our Humane Heroes on an epic adventure
to learn what it means to care for a pet of their own and explore ways to help
animals in need. Each week, kids can participate in a variety of educational
activities and earn their Cat Care and Dog Care certificates. We’ll also be
featuring interactive sessions with our partners, art projects, story times, yoga
and so much more. We’re thrilled to be bringing back our beloved Teddy Bear
Surgeries and Outdoor Movie Night (June 23rd), sponsored by our friends at
Q2. The fun will culminate with our Summer Kids Series Graduation, which
will be held at the AHS shelter on August 3rd. Head to our website to register
your Humane Hero today!
Register: austinhumanesociety.org/SKS2022
“LET’S GO HOME” MURAL DEDICATED
If you’ve driven by the AHS shelter, you may have noticed we’ve gotten a little makeover! A new mural
– made possible by our friends at Roger Beasley Mazda Dealerships – now adorns the Georgian Avenue
wall of the shelter. This beautiful work of art was created and painted by artist Lauren Mastro and was
dedicated during out AHS Car Raffle Drawing Party on April 9th. Be sure to stop by to check it out in
person if you haven’t already!
AND THE WINNER IS…
Congratulations to Julie S., the winner of our 18th Annual AHS Car Raffle, powered by Roger Beasley
Mazda! The winning ticket was selected during our drawing party on Saturday, April 9th at the AHS
shelter. Julie is the winner of a 2021 MX-5 Grand Touring Convertible. Thanks to our incredible partners
at Roger Beasley Mazda, we were able to raise over $85,000 to benefit the animals of the Austin
Humane Society!
THE SCOOP MAY 2022
Austin Humane Society | 124 W. Anderson Lane | Austin, TX 78752 | 512.646.PETS (7387) | www.austinhumanesociety.org | media@austinhumanesociety.org