Austin Pets Alive! | Neonatal Kitten Nursery

Neonatal Kitten Nursery

A unique and creative approach to saving an entire class of especially fragile, homeless animals – orphaned, unweaned kittens.
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APA!'s Neonatal Kitten Nursery, affectionately called the Bottle Baby Program, is the first of its kind in the nation and began in 2009 in a trailer. It is now located at our Tarrytown Facility and is kept as a sterile environment open only to staff and volunteers to protect these tiniest lives.

Each year, especially during breeding season, also referred to as kitten season, (which spans from March to October), shelters are overwhelmed with orphaned kittens. Prior to APA!’s introduction of the Neonatal Kitten Program and Maddie’s Lifesaving Academy’s Bottle Baby Nursery Apprenticeship Program, nearly all of these kittens were euthanized because neither the shelters nor local rescue groups in the community could provide the intensive care that these special little ones need to survive. By feeding, treating, and providing shelter to kittens that would have otherwise been euthanized, this nursery fills the gap in the shelter community that is necessary to save the lives of thousands of kittens each year. Our amazing team of staff, volunteers, and fosters provide round the clock care for these tiny lives, including feedings every two hours, and teaching our lifesaving methods to shelters and communities across the nation.

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Program Achievements

Over 20,416 kittens have been saved since we began in 2009!

100% of the unweaned kitten population has been pulled from AAC since 2011.

2,616 kittens saved and 168 momma cats were saved in 2019 – our highest numbers yet!

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