Non-Profit Kitten Rescue

Welcome to OKP!

Orphan Kitten Project is a student-run non-profit organization at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine that has been rescuing kittens since 1988.

 

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Our Mission

Orphan Kitten Project

 

Orphan Kitten Project is a student-run non-profit organization at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Orphaned and abandoned neonatal kittens under 4 weeks of age are taken in from the community and given a complete physical exam by the project coordinators. These kittens are then fostered by veterinary students or giving members of the community who bottle-raise them in their own homes. The kittens are weaned, vaccinated, FeLV tested, spayed or neutered, and dewormed before they are put up for adoption, usually by 10-12 weeks of age.

Our mission is twofold:

1) to rescue orphaned and abandoned kittens and adopt them into loving homes

2) to train future veterinarians in the care of feline neonates.

None of our foster kittens are involved in invasive medical research and no healthy kittens are euthanized because a permanent home cannot be found. All kittens remain in the program until they are adopted out.

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Success Stories

Cheeto

Cheeto came to us with his brother, Mango, as an adorable little pair of orange brothers who were unforunately battling a kitten cold. With the help of our dedicated vet student coordinator and foster, you can see that he recovered beautifully! Mango and Cheeto got adopted together so they’ll have many more years of playtime together!

Juice

Our goofy boy Juice (pictured here at 6 months) was actually adopted by one of our presidents! He loves to sit like a baby and cuddle with mom as she studies for her vet school exams. He and his dog-brother Louie love to spend their day playing together. Juice is also known for the silliest sleeping faces!

Nyx + Ned

Pictured here at just 2 weeks old, Nyx and Ned came to us from the Yolo county shelter. Without Mom around, these tiny nuggets needed a dedicated foster to help them grow strong and healthy. Thanks to OKP, both babies were adopted into a loving home!

Tiny Tim

At just 1 week old, Tiny Tim was found outside all by himself by a Good Samaritan. As you can see, his eyes weren’t even opened yet so he definitely depended on his wonderful foster to eat and stay warm. Tiny Tim (who is no longer tiny!) was adopted by the foster’s roommate and is living a happy life as an only child.

Bean

Bean was born with eyelid agenesis (which means his eyelids weren’t fully formed when he was born) but that doesn’t stop him! After a corrective surgery, Bean is living in the lap of luxury! Here he is, living the life after going to his new home (as you can see, Brother still hasn’t quite gotten used to a new sibling!)

Cheese

Cheese LOVES belly rubs from new mom (here he is mid-rub)! Cheese and brother, Bean, came to us as a nervous pair. Mom was a feral cat so it was normal for babies to be a little nervous! Since they were still young enough to learn that humans aren’t so scary, they blossomed into a couple of lovebugs.

Services

What We Do

Vaccinate

Once each kitten is old enough, we begin their FVRCP vaccine schedule to ensure they are protected against dangerous but easily preventable diseases. If they are older when they are adopted out, we also vaccinate against Rabies (as required by the State of California.)

Deworm

Did you know almost every young kitten that has never seen a vet probably has some form of intestinal parasite? To prevent any serious side effects of having worms, we deworm all of our kittens to clear them of everything from roundworms, hookworms, and intestinal bacteria.

Spay & Neuter

To help combat the overpopulation of cats and kittens, we only adopt out kittens after they have been spayed and neutered (at the appropriate age and weight). At their procedure, they are tested for FeLV/FIV and are microchipped!

Finding A Home

Our kittens stay in OKP as long as they need to in order to find the right home for them. Our Adoptions Coordinator reviews applications to ensure that kittens are placed in safe and loving homes. After receiving all of the standard procedures, kittens are placed in their furever home.

$35 Saves a Life

Every dollar goes a long way at OKP. Your donations help to provide food, litter and all of the necessary medical supplies to provide the best quality care to these young kittens. If it is within your means, please consider donating to help the kittens!

Donations are tax-deductible

Adopt

Our kittens may come from rough beginnings but they truly thrive under the care of our wonderful fosters. There are kittens that are waiting to join your family – consider browsing our extremely adorable kittens Smiling Cat With Heart-Eyes on Twitter Twemoji 12.1.4

Foster

We wouldn’t be able to save hundreds of kittens each season without the help of our incredible team of fosters. If making a permanent addition to your house is not feasible, we are always looking to expand our dedicated team of kitten caregivers. It only takes a few simple steps to join and you can call yourself an OKP foster!

2022 Kitten Rescue Count

2022 Forever Home Count