Just seven months ago, the ASPCA’s Pee Wee Program in Los Angeles hit a major milestone when the program took in its 1,000th pee wee kitten at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center. This week, we are thrilled to announce that the L.A. program has officially taken in its 2,000th pee wee for care. This marks a turning point for the program just on the heels of the ASPCA’s nationwide campaign Meow For Now, which encourages people across the country to get involved in kitten fostering to help save lives.

The kitten, now named Portia, was brought to the ASPCA by a community member after he’d found the kitten and her litter mate, Turbo, by his home in La Puente. After finding the kittens, the Good Samaritan cared for them for a couple of days before bringing them to the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center. 

Portia is about seven to eight weeks old, and she and her litter mate are now in a foster home while they wait to find loving homes. 

The efforts put forth in Los Angeles for kittens like Portia are part of the ASPCA’s Feline Project, a program launched in April 2017 in partnership with Baldwin Park Animal Care Center. Kittens and cats in the Los Angeles area are one of the most vulnerable populations, and kittens under eight weeks of age are too young to thrive in a shelter because of the extra attention and resources needed to care for them, especially during the summer months when feline breeding is high and more of these kittens are flooding the shelters.

Additionally, kittens in L.A. have an increased risk in shelters, as their immune systems are not fully developed, which make them particularly vulnerable in overcrowded conditions. Our life-saving foster program helps to increase the number of cats and kittens saved, giving them the opportunity to become loving pets.

“We could not save this many kittens without so many people being willing to open their hearts and homes for just a few weeks to save these tiny lives," says Tina Reddington, Director of the ASPCA Los Angeles Volunteer Program. "The only option young kittens have for a second chance is a foster caregiver who can show them how sweet life with a family can be.”

As we continue our work in L.A., and across the nation, we look forward to giving more kittens like Portia a second chance at life, and at a loving home. 

You can help kittens just like Portia by considering fostering today! We’ve got programs in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Or find a participating shelter near you!