Taking care of at least 30 cats, most of them kittens, reminds Humane Society & Shelter SouthCoast executive director Melinda Ventura of being responsible for a houseful of teenage boys.

“They eat you out of house and home,’’ she said with a laugh.

The felines’ healthy appetites have prompted a call for donations of cat and kitten food for the shelter. Pate cat food and Purina cat chow are especially needed, she said.

Most of the kittens come from an outreach program for feral cats supported by Dartmouth Animal Control. The feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, then returned to their original locations, as long as people commit to feeding them.

But when the cats are pregnant, or having kittens, the young cats are taken in by the shelter where staff members and volunteers work to make them comfortable with people so they can be adopted.

This can take time, Ventura said. “They need socialization,’’ she said. “They have to stay here until they are socialized.’’ 

The longer they are in the shelter, the more food the kittens need. 

Another delay can be blamed on Covid, she said. The pandemic resulted in delays, sometimes for months, before the cats can be seen by veterinarians for spaying and neutering. Many veterinarians “are stretched to the max with their own clients,’’ she said.

In addition to the need for food, the shelter could use unscented, non-clumping kitty litter, she said. 

“We buy it by the pallet,’’ she said. 

Financial donations can be made through the Web site at hsssc.org. 

Donors can also bring the needed supplies to the shelter when it is open or leave the donations outside when the doors are closed.

Applications are being accepted for the kittens, although they may need time to be ready for adoption, Ventura said.

Bringing home a kitten provides a happy ending for the young cat and its new family. 

Adoptions also provide another important service for other cats, she said. 

“It clears out room for more,’’ Ventura noted.