“Everything about little Valerie definitely tugged at my heartstrings, I just knew she was the one for me.” –Vanessa M. of Brooklyn, NY

In early September 2017, a young kitten was transferred to the ASPCA from a local Animal Care Center in Brooklyn. At only one month old, Valerie was too young to make it in a shelter setting and needed to recover in the care of the ASPCA Kitten Nursery. There, she was able to grow and get stronger with the help of the Nursery veterinary team. 

While in our care, Valerie bonded with Vanessa M., an Animal Care Technician at the Nursery who’d been assigned to care for the room Valerie was housed in. “I remember the first day I saw her in October. She was only a month old, and I was told that she was the only one who survived from her litter,” Vanessa tells us. 

As an Animal Care Tech, it was Vanessa’s job to clean, feed and socialize the kittens. And there was just something about Valerie that Vanessa felt connected to. “As I spent time properly socializing with her, I grew attached to her,” she says. “I saw that she had a spunky side to her, which was a relief to me considering she was pretty small. Seeing her be playful made me so happy, and I couldn't help but to fall for her as time went by. Everything about little Valerie definitely tugged at my heartstrings, I just knew she was the one for me.”

Vanessa felt that she was ready to add another pet to her family, and she then made the adoption official and took Valerie home in November. Though Vanessa had never raised a kitten so young, she felt more than ready to give Valerie the home she needed. “I wanted to have that wonderful experience of helping a tiny kitten grow up into a wonderful adult,” she says.

Once in her new home, spunky little Valerie adjusted quickly to her new surroundings—which included two new furry playmates! Vanessa tells us that Valerie immediately loved her new siblings. “Within the first 30 minutes of bringing her home, she was already trying to play with my dog and cat, wanting to cuddle next to all of my relatives and happily exploring every corner of her new home,” she says. “No fear whatsoever.”

Life with Valerie has since proven to be “a bigger adventure,” than it was before, according to Vanessa. She also tells us that Valerie is “like a little athlete.” 

“Home becomes an obstacle course for Champion Valerie, and she includes my other pets in her ‘workouts,’” Vanessa says, adding that seeing her older pets play with Valerie is heartwarming. “It's especially nice to see my dog, who is a senior, perk up and use his paternal side when interacting with little Valerie. My mature cat becomes a kitten again when she plays with Valerie; it’s a joy seeing them play and get along.” 

Kitten season is here, and more young kittens like Valerie will need our help in the weeks and months ahead. Read more about the ASPCA’s efforts to help these tiny felines at our Kitten Nursery.