12 kittens rescued from one home seek new families in Seoul

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it has been accepting adoption applications since June 29 for 12 kittens rescued from a single household and now in the care of the Seoul Metropolitan Animal Welfare Support Center.

The 12 cats — all young — include six that are 2 months old, five that are 5 months old and one that is 1 year old. The city named the group the "Twelve-Month Cats," expressing its hope that pets and their families will build a happy life together throughout the year. Each cat has also been given a temporary name corresponding to a month of the year, such as "Ilwori" (January), "Iwori" (February) and "Samwori" (March).

The cats came to the city's attention last month through a support program for pets owned by low-income households. Three unspayed adult cats kept by a vulnerable family in Eunpyeong-gu repeatedly gave birth, causing the population to grow beyond what the household could manage and prompting complaints from neighbors about odors.

After inspecting the scene, the district and city governments determined there was a high risk the situation would lead to neglect or abuse. Two of the adult cats were spayed and allowed to remain with the original family, while the third adult and all 12 kittens were emergency-rescued.

The kittens are currently housed at the Dongdaemun and Mapo branches of the Seoul Metropolitan Animal Welfare Support Center. Immediately after the rescue, they underwent comprehensive health checks covering infectious disease screening, malnutrition and skin conditions. All but the smallest, nicknamed "Sibiwori" (December), have since recovered sufficiently to be eligible for adoption.

Cats old enough for the procedure have already been spayed or neutered. The city plans to arrange the surgeries for the remaining cats in stages once they have settled in with their new families.

Socialization training is also underway. Because the cats grew up in an isolated environment with little exposure to people, animal behavior specialists are providing tailored sessions to help them become comfortable around humans.

"Responses vary by individual, but most of them enjoy being touched by people, and once they warm up they purr and show affection," a Seoul city official said. "With the love of a new family, they can become even more people-friendly." Prospective adopters can apply through Poinhand, the adoption platform operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Animal Welfare Support Center.

Photos and profiles of the cats are available on Poinhand and on the "Garden City Seoul" Instagram account. To ensure safe placements, the city will screen applicants through phone and in-person consultations before making final decisions.

The screening process covers consent from all household members, the applicant's reasons for wanting to adopt and an overall assessment of the living environment. Prospective adopters must also complete a pre-adoption education course and, for three months after adoption, report on the cat's condition at least once a month through the Seoul Metropolitan Animal Welfare Center's online community.

The city said it will continue working with district governments to emergency-rescue animals suffering from abuse or neglect and to strengthen support covering health recovery, socialization and adoption. The city also plans to produce a calendar next year featuring photos of the Twelve-Month Cats.

"We hope many residents who want to become family with the rescued Twelve-Month Cats will take an interest," said Kim Yeong-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Garden City Bureau. "We will do our utmost to build a tight-knit animal welfare safety net — one that swiftly rescues animals in distress and takes responsibility through treatment and adoption — so that Seoul becomes a warmer city of coexistence for animals that have fallen through the cracks."