BY KARI KUH

Danville-Boyle County Humane Society

In honor of National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, we’re featuring kittens Parsley (male), Sage (male), Rosemary (female) and Thyme (male) as Pets of the Week. These guys are sweetly spicy and already socialized – that’s a cat combo I can get behind!

When Boyle County residents find a free-roaming, healthy feline outside, DBCHS provides free spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations and ear-tipping through the Community Cat Program. Once fixed, the cats are returned to their outdoor home, which reduces the number of new litters, strengthens community immunity, and prevents new cats from moving in.

Every rule has some exceptions: ill, injured, and truly abandoned cats or kittens require more than the Community Cat Program offers. So when a Good Samaritan found four-week-old Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme lying beside their deceased mother, DBCHS took them in to properly care for them.

The spice kittens are a hoot! Although they came in dirty with rough skin and missing fur, they’re otherwise healthy and fun. Since we met Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, they’ve been confident, affectionate, and super-kittenish.

They’ll be dead asleep in a pile, and when their foster mom opens the door, all four come running and meowing for attention. Until you put out their food at mealtime! Then the spice kittens race to their delicious slurry of wet food and kitten replacement milk.

When they’re not cuddling up in a little ball of fur or slurping at mealtime, they take turns pouncing on catnip-filled toys and bouncing around the room. They’ve grown to love the wand toy, joyfully leaping into the air to capture the feathered end. All of them are tidy kitties who reliably use the litterbox.

It’s been impawssible to get a picture of each (rumbling, tumbling, fast-moving) kitten separately, so for now, group photos will have to do. Keep an eye out on facebook.com/DBCHS for updated kitty-pics soon.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme will be ready for surgery in a few weeks; adopt now and pick your little kitten up from the vet. Or, foster to adopt and take your kitty home to bond with you until they’re big enough for surgery. Apply now: shelterluv.com/matchme/adopt/DBCH/Cat, and email karikuh@dbchs.org for more information. Please note: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme are in a foster home, not at the shelter. You can be a foster, too! Sign up to save lives: bit.ly/2RVI7Hh. DBCHS is open to the public from 1-4 pm Monday through Friday, and we hope to see you soon!

About us: DBCHS’s mission is to promote the humane treatment of animals through compassionate care, engagement and support. The non-profit 501 (c)(3) was established in 1971 and is dependent on monetary gifts from generous individuals and businesses in our community.

To donate, please visit DBCHS.org/give or mail a check to DBCHS P.O. Box 487, Danville, KY 40423-0487. Your gift will make a difference in a pet’s life, and we’re grateful for every contribution.