Follow one newborn kitten’s journey

For all Jaguar knows, cozy beds and kind human hands are very much the norm. A Valentine’s Day baby, he was just three weeks old when he came from a crowded city shelter to Best Friends Neonatal Kitten Nursery in Los Angeles.

What could be cuter than a bunch of neonatal felines taking their first steps, licking milky whiskers after a bottle, and opening big, sleepy eyes and fuzzy ears to the new world around them?

Indeed, at Best Friends, this nursery for newborns is a vision of cuteness — and much more. It’s a lifesaving haven for animals who have no one else to look out for them. Incubators help to keep the smallest and most vulnerable kittens alive, and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers work round the clock, bottle-feeding the youngest residents every two hours and tending to all medical needs.

For these kittens, Best Friends’ nursery is a lifesaving machine. It has to be — in L.A. alone last year, more than 8,700 neonate kittens were admitted to county animal shelters. Most don’t have the resources to care for these little ones, which puts their lives in grave danger. But at Best Friends, it’s all much more than just an efficient care system. It’s a place of compassion and beautiful miracles. The fuzzy kind!

Thanks to caregivers’ love and attention, Jaguar — just a tiny morsel of fluff in those early days — was soon thriving. He was gaining weight and romping with his pals, developing at just the right pace. Before long, the plucky kitten was strong enough to go to a loving foster home, where he and his brother could experience life with a family.

All kittens — all pets — should know this kind of nurturing and care. But millions of dogs and cats enter our nation’s shelters each year, so there’s no guarantee they’ll get that chance, or go on to become beloved family members. Instead, sadly millions lose their lives. Together, however, we can change that. Together, we can Save Them All®.

When you make a donation to Best Friends, you’re providing a future for neonatal kittens, as well as dogs, cats, and puppies who face the risk of being killed at municipal shelters. But through community cat programs, along with adoption support, spay/neuter outreach, and education, Best Friends is committed to creating a brighter future for all pets across the nation.
In fact, gifts from people like you are exactly what brought Jaguar to Best Friends, where he is guaranteed a place until he’s adopted — and where pets of any age and from communities all across the country receive everything they need to live long and healthy lives. For some, that means a stay in one of our kitten nurseries. For others, it’s lifesaving medical care at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. For still others, it’s simply the opportunity to meet a loving adoptive family at a Best Friends adoption event.

Best Friends Animal Society is a national animal welfare organization focused on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. An authority and leader in the no-kill movement, Best Friends runs the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as lifesaving programs in partnership with rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding in 1984, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters nationwide from 17 million per year to about 4 million. Best Friends has the knowledge, technical expertise and on-the-ground network to end the killing and Save Them All®.