Are you in the market for an adorable little kitten? You're in luck. The "kitten season" is officially under way, and shelters have kittens ready for adoption. They are expecting many, many more in the near future.

This is bad news for shelter workers and volunteers who dread "kitten season." Every year very young kittens are dropped off at local shelters starting in late March and early April. The incoming deluge of kittens is especially high in June, but the kitten birthing season continues through October.

Many cats and some kittens will be euthanized in shelters to make way for the next wave of incoming kittens.

What is wrong with cat lovers and cat owners? Why are your pets producing so many unwanted litters?

This year, shelters are being hit with a one-two punch, as kitten season coincides with a bad economy. Shelters are reporting an increase in "owner surrenders" of pets because of lost jobs and mortgage foreclosures.

The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society took in 362 cats and kittens from April 1 to 24 this year. That's a 52 percent increase in the number taken in during all of April last year.

Don't think that most shelter kittens were produced by stray or feral cats. Nice people from nice neighborhoods turn kittens into shelters, and here's what they tell shelter workers:

Some say the kittens were dumped on their doorsteps. Others sheepishly admit their female house cat "somehow got out" and got pregnant. Others, astoundingly, say their cats and/or their children need to experience and witness the miracle of birth.

Owners of intact male cats with outdoor access don't even know how much damage their cats are doing.

You say you find homes for your kittens? Thanks for keeping them out of overburdened shelters, but sooner or later you will run out of friends, neighbors and relatives who want a kitten from your cat. Kittens are not neutered before they are given away "free to a good home" and many will undoubtedly be allowed to produce more litters.

Why am I not criticizing dog lovers and dog owners? Because they are, arguably, doing a much better job than the cat people.

On the rare occasions when Pittsburgh shelters have puppies, they are quickly adopted and there are waiting lists of people who want to adopt shelter puppies. Puppies have not been euthanized in Pittsburgh shelters for a least two decades. Spay and neuter programs for dogs are working, to a large degree, although a steady supply of adult dogs are turned into shelters and rescue groups.

Puppies are still euthanized in some shelters, especially those in areas that are poor and rural, where low-cost spay and neuter programs are not available and many dogs are allowed to run free.

So yes, I am picking on cat owners and wondering what will it take to get cat people to the same point as dog people.

Is there a different culture for cats and dogs? Looks like there is, starting with the whole roaming or "running free" thing.

Responsible dog owners don't let their dogs run freely throughout their neighborhood. Pennsylvania law, and many local municipal laws, prohibit dogs from "running at large" and animal control agencies can impose hefty fines. No state law bans cats from running free, and many cat lovers insist their cats "need" to spend at least some time outdoors, running free.

I am no fan of mandatory spay-neuter laws. The people who now let their cats produce unwanted litters are not likely to abide by such laws.

People should have the right to decide whether their pets are neutered. If your cat never leaves the house, it really doesn't matter if it's intact -- unless there is an intact cat of the opposite sex living inside the same house. If your cats "have" to run free, have them neutered.

Regular readers may wonder how this column jibes with a recent column, where I defended the right of people to buy puppies from responsible breeders. It's a matter of producing "unwanted" litters as opposed to "wanted" litters. Responsible breeders don't produce a litter unless they have a waiting list of people who want their puppies or kittens.

Shelter workers and volunteers work mightily to find more homes for cats and kittens. Some come up with kitten season "specials."

During the "Meowwwing Month of May" the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is cutting the regular $50 adoption fee for adult cats by 20 percent.

Animal Friends has had one "kitten shower" and more are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 21, July 11 and Aug. 15. At a recent shower, 12 kittens were adopted, but one named Dartmouth is still looking for a forever home.

Both shelters -- and many others -- have low-cost spay and neuter programs. Fees are adjusted, according to family income. Information is available on their Web sites.