Summer. Ah. Sun. Maybe. Kittens. Definitely.

This is the season when the little cuties pop out, all cuddly and adorable. But if they're not fixed it doesn't take long for them to

, overwhelming owners and neighborhoods where they're dumped. At the moment, shelters are stuffed with kittens and adult cats, with packs of feral felines roaming the streets.

But there is a fix this month -- for free.

The

is offering spay and neuter kittens owned by low-income owners in the metro area between July 18 and July 22. Kittens must be between eight weeks and six months old and weigh at least 2 and a quarter pounds. The owners must live in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas or Clark County and receive some kind of government assistance, such as Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized housing or disability.

The offer applies to adult cats too for a fee of $10. Caretakers of feral cats can take advantage of the operations and do not have to meet income requirements.

The surgeries will be performed by licensed veterinarians and paid for by charity donations

Kris Otteman, lead vet at the

and one of the volunteers urges cat owners and caretakers of feral cats to take advantage of the offer to help the population. "Two cats can become a 100 cats in a matter of months,” she said. “With 22,000 cats entering our area shelters annually, we need to focus on finding good homes for them, without a flood of kittens adding to the overpopulation. There are not enough homes for all of them.”

The surgeries will be performed at five locations, with transportation arranged for those who need it:

in Sherwood

Oregon Humane Society in Northeast Portland

in Troutdale

in Vancouver

of Oregon in Portland for strays or feral cats

To schedule an appointment and arrange for transportation, if necessary, call 800-345-SPAY for domesticated cats and 503-797-2606 for feral felines or strays.

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