Is California's Drought Producing Friskier Cats -- And More Abandoned Kittens?

For cat lovers, it might be hard to imagine that there could be too many kittens. But animal shelter officials in Oakland, California, say abandoned kittens are arriving earlier this year and in higher numbers than they've seen in previous years, reports SF Gate. Some are blaming the state's drought and its warm weather for randier cats and the resulting kitten overload.

“We get a lot of kittens every year, but it has started early this year,” director of Oakland Animal Services Rebecca Katz told SF Gate.

Officials for Oakland's Animal Services, which has limited space and supplies, asked the public on Monday to donate time or money to help the more than 80 kittens that have shown up already.

Jason Holley, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife isn't sure if there's a correlation between the drought and more mating cats and resultant kitten offspring. What he does know, reports SF Gate, is that in the wild, stressed animals like bears will hold off getting pregnant or even abort their offspring during hard times like a drought.

The Humane Society estimates that there are about 50 million feral cats in the U.S., according to a 2013 study, and a 2014 study put the stray cat population at around 58 million.

Whether the drought's warm weather is putting cats in the mood might be up for debate, but what's not is that one way to help prevent an overabundance of orphaned cats is to spay or neuter cats if they spend time outdoors.