The phone rang again. Four kittens were found in a pontoon boat after their mother leapt from the craft as its shrink wrap was being removed.  

Darcy Albert, president of KittyMOM’s Rescue in Kalispell, collected the kittens and returned with a trap to capture the mother cat, which employees at the location deemed wild because she had fled from them.  

Albert sat in wait for the cat to return and after about two hours — success. Not wild at all, the mother cat appreciated Albert’s attention and was returned to her kittens. 

The next day, another call, another kitten — a pale orange one, alone in a field. Albert figured it was about the same age as the boat litter, so she placed him with the others. 

The mother cat pulled him to her, licked the new arrival all over and began nursing him. Now, the family of six is spending their days in Albert’s cat haven, which doubles as a garage. 

That garage also houses Spriit, a kitten trapped at Stampede Packing in Kalispell. She was dirty and thin with a snotty nose and her eyes were crusted shut. She was found to have feline leukemia, a common infectious disease, and feline infectious peritonitis or FIP, a rare but usually fatal disease. 

Albert and All Creatures veterinarian Natalie Warren started the unfortunate kitten on newly approved medicine for the FIP, and in less than two weeks, Spirit went from about 3 pounds to 5 pounds, and her eyes cleared. 

Albert said she’s energetic and playful now. 

“I named her Spirit because she’s got the will to live more than any kitten I’ve ever been around,” Albert said. 

In the center of the garage, Gordon scratched at some litter in his large cage, using his good arm. Both bones of his left forearm are broken, and he had removed his own cast the night before. Now, he awaited yet another vet appointment for a replacement cast. 

ABANDONING AN animal is against the law in the Flathead Valley yet is it happening in record numbers this year, animal welfare groups say. 

“It's epidemic this year,” said Albert, “It's the worst I've seen in 18 years. We've never had 75 kittens by early June.” 

Last June, the 100% volunteer nonprofit, KittyMOM’s, cared for 57 cats and kittens. This month, it has 80. 

Last Sunday, someone left a crate at the entrance of Albert’s subdivision containing one cat, five kittens and a note that said, “Please forgive us.” 

'It’s a sign of the times,” Albert said. “People are struggling.” 

According to the group Association for Truth in Pet Food, a 16-pound bag of Purina cat food costs $36.98 in 2020. The same bag costs $53.48 in 2025. Similarly, the cost of Purina dog food increased by 54% in the same period. 

At veterinarian offices across the Flathead Valley, the cost of a spay surgery for a cat ranges from approximately $275 to $945, not including blood work. 

Albert said she is hearing from many who are being evicted with cats, kittens and/or pregnant cats to rehome. Her organization, which saves about 400 cats each year, focuses on cats out on the street and often refers people needing to surrender cats to the county shelter and the Humane Society. 

As of June, all of KittyMOM’s 15 foster homes are all full of cats and kittens.  

“They've taken all they can, so pretty soon, we're just going to have to stop taking them in,” Albert said. “We have two cats with broken legs, and another 11-year-old cat that was found as a stray out by the fairgrounds.”  

KittyMOM’s has spent years saving feral cats from the streets, but now Albert says most of the cats they see are pets that have been left behind. 

“Spaying and neutering is the answer,” she said. 

CATS REACH full hormonal maturity around 5 months old and remain able to reproduce into their teen years with just some reduction in fertility. They can have up to three letters a year — in early spring, summer and fall — with about 5 to 7 kittens in each litter. 

"It used to be that they went out of heat from November to February, [a cycle] based on the hours of daylight. Climate change has made a tremendous difference, I think,” Flathead Spay and Neuter Task Force Executive Director Mimi Beadles said. “Even that couple of degrees, it's enough that kittens are being born in the dead of winter. That was never the case. Now it's commonplace.” 

Beadles said one problem is a generally held misconception about cats. If someone sees a stray dog, they believe it must be lost and will take it to the shelter. When they see a cat, they assume it will be fine and can, somehow, live outdoors without food, shelter or care. 

“It's a totally different way that we see a cat compared to a dog, even though they're both companion animals,” Beadles said. “Here in the valley, we see a lot of abandonment, and that is probably the single biggest issue of all these street cats. 

“There's an apathy with cats, and thankfully, there's also an empathy,” she continued. There are a lot of people that love cats, and they don't want to see them being harmed.” 

She said microchips and communities sharing photos on Facebook have helped get lost cats back to their owners. 

“Animal welfare is losing their focus, in my opinion,” Beadles said. “It needs to go back to the basics; get the animals off the street, get them where they're safe. They can find a home, they can get back to their people.” 

Beadles believes more shelters are not needed, rather, the answer is a return to education and making spay and neuter more affordable. 

This series continues next week with a look at how shelters are addressing an increased number of pet surrenders. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.

    One of six tiny kittens recovering from ringworm at Albert's home. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Three of six kittens recovering in Albert's living room. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    This kitten was found in the middle of the bypass in Kalispell. He is now at a KittyMom's foster home where there are other stray kittens his age. (Photo provided)
  

    A business in Evergreen called KittyMom's for help when a stray cat brought eight newborn kittens to the door, looking for safety, food and warmth. There were an estimated stray 30 cats in the area. (Photo provided)
  

    Gordon, one of two cats with broken legs at KittyMom's Rescue Organization. (Photo provided)