The San Diego Humane Society is Monday celebrating the 15th season of its Jim Lester Kitten Nursery & Foster Center, which has saved more than 27,000 kittens since opening in 2009.
According to SDHS, the Lester Kitten Nursery at the organization’s San Diego Campus was the first of its kind in the nation. It was created to meet the needs of neonate kittens — or kittens under eight weeks of age. Young kittens are one of the most at-risk populations to enter shelters because of the time and resources needed to keep them alive.
“Our Lester Kitten Nursery is critical to helping us stay at zero euthanasia of healthy or treatable shelter animals,” said Jackie Noble, Sr., director of behavior, nursery and foster at San Diego Humane Society. “In other communities, baby kittens often have nowhere to turn. But here in San Diego, we are committed to giving every kitten who needs us a second chance.”
Since the nursery’s start in 2009, San Diego Humane Society has added nurseries at their Escondido and Oceanside campuses. And Monday, a network of specially trained foster volunteers plays a key role, according to a SDHS statement.
These dedicated fosters raise kittens in their homes and provide around-the-clock care until the babies are big enough for adoption — like in the case of Rose and Ruby, two of the nursery’s earliest arrivals this season. The kittens were named after traditional spring milestones, the flower and gemstone, and were just days old when they arrived.
San Diego Humane Society expects to welcome more than 10,000 kittens like Rose and Ruby this year alone.
To learn more about how you can support their work by donating or becoming a foster volunteer, visit sdhumane.org.
–City News Service
