All this bonkin’, s’exhaustin’….
From The Pendulum, Elon University’s Student Newspaper :
Global warming could be causing a kitten boom, experts say
by Alyse Knorr
July 25, 2008WASHINGTON – Global warming and kittens. While it may seem hard to see the connection between the two – a climate phenomenon that melts glaciers and acidifies oceans, and cuddly, 4-ounce balls of fur – experts say there could be one.
Each spring, the onset of warm weather and longer days drives female cats into heat, resulting in a few months of booming kitten populations known as “kitten season.”
[…]
Where does global warming fit in? Some experts say rising temperatures could be lengthening kitten season by altering cat reproductive cycles.“It might make sense that if temperatures are rising, cats will go into heat more often,” Peterson said.
On its Web site, the Environmental Protection Agency states that rising temperatures may cause some small mammals to start breeding earlier in the year.
“Domestic cats evolved from African ancestors,” said Julie Levy, a veterinarian and shelter medicine professor at the University of Florida. “Although they have adapted to climates throughout the world, it is possible that global warming is mimicking their ancient origins and helping them reach their full reproductive potential.”
[…]
And Levy offered another theory – that warming could hasten the onset of puberty in cats, as it does in some other species, creating a larger pool of fertile cats each breeding season.
Now I’m earwormed, dammit. “Millions of kittens, kittens for free, millions of kittens, kittens for me…”
