Kitten Rescue 101

I am Yurika, the director and founder of Kitten Rescue 101. With a decade of experience in cat rescue, I initially began fostering for a local humane society. At the school where I worked, I encountered over 200 feral cats, leading me to start a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program and foster litters of kittens. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, access to essential resources was severely restricted. Spay/neuter appointments were unavailable, and shelters were not accepting animals. As the community's designated "cat person," I was approached by many seeking help with kittens, but I lacked the necessary resources to assist them. Faced with 16 kittens in need of homes and no access to care, I made the decision to establish my own organization, seek 501(c)(3) status, and obtain tax-exempt status to improve our access to veterinary services. Since our founding in 2021, we have successfully adopted out over 300 cats and kittens, secured a rescue veterinarian, obtained medications, and formed partnerships with other organizations and companies. I even left my professional job to dedicate myself to cat rescue and currently work at a cat clinic. This journey has profoundly transformed my life, and the impact we have achieved collectively far surpasses what I could accomplish alone. Our organization is dedicated to rescuing cats and kittens and providing them with essential medical care, socialization, food, and shelter to alleviate unnecessary suffering and to help them find permanent homes. We believe that every animal deserves a chance at life. As an all-volunteer nonprofit, we operate with just myself and one primary team member who manages intake, medication, marketing, and adoption events. We also have foster volunteers who assist in caring for the kittens housed at our adoption center at Petsmart.