Orphan Kitten Project at UC Davis

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Orphan Kitten Project at UC Davis

For kitten intake inquiries, please email us! OKP is a student run non-profit foster based rescue Other Useful Links: https://linktr.ee/orphankittenproject

Orphaned and abandoned neonatal kittens are taken in from the community and given a complete physical exam by the project coordinators who are current veterinary students. These kittens are then fostered by a community of volunteers who bottle-raise them in their own homes. The kittens are weaned, vaccinated, FeLV tested, spayed or neutered, and dewormed vaccinations before they are put up for adoption, usually by 10-12 weeks of age.

08/27/2025

Meet our littlest - Benny! You might remember Benny from our stories a couple of weeks ago - After being surrendered to OKP with severe flea anemia, Benny and his brother, Frankie, struggled to gain weight in their foster home. Despite supportive care, their health continued downhill and they were hospitalized with persistent hypoglycemia. Benny’s hair fell out as his body struggled to keep him going. But thanks to an incredible grant from and the support of our community, OKP was able to afford Benny’s life-saving care. He is now living his best life in his foster home: playing with his brother, eating lots of good food, and working on growing back his fur! Keep it up, Mighty Benny!

08/22/2025

✨ Feline Feature: Mouse! ✨

Mouse is a super sweet and cuddly cat! 🐁 She enjoys falling asleep in your arms and makes a great lap cat. She is also very playful and will chase toys for hours if you let her. She also loves to chase her own tail! She enjoys being chased, and will try to hide before you catch her. When you come home, she’ll walk up to you and greet you, asking for pets before becoming playful and gently biting your hands. She loves climbing up on your lap and will paw at your legs before jumping onto you. 🥰 At night, she enjoys cuddling with you and has the loudest purr. Mouse is a bit cautious of things she hasn’t seen before (ex: rubber bands) but learns quickly. She may be a bit cautious of strangers, but warms up fast! She does well with other cats with proper introductions and has not interacted with dogs or children.

If you are interested in adopting Mouse, check out her Petfinder page and submit an application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/mouse-77069941/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

08/21/2025

✨ Feline Feature: Rat! ✨

Rat is a super sweet cat that has a meow that matches his name. 🐀 He is very playful, but also loves to cuddle. When you come home, he runs right up to you, meows, and paws at your legs to demand pets or to be held. If he is really excited to see you, he will even wag his tail! 🤪 He loves to cuddle and window watch, and is super adventurous. He enjoys staying by your side and is a great companion. At night, he’ll jump onto your bed and jab his nose into your face before falling asleep near you. He’s also very playful and will play with you under doors, and enjoys being chased by his sister (Mouse) or by you! Rat does well with other cats, but has no interaction with dogs or children. He warms up to strangers quickly, though he may be a bit shy at first. ☺️

If you are interested in adopting Rat, check out his Petfinder page and submit an application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/rat-77069834/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

08/19/2025

✨FELINE FEATURE: Wrench!✨

Wrench, who got her name after being found in the parking lot of a Home Depot, is a bit of a princess! 👸 She was a bottle baby, so she is used to being the center of attention. She enjoys being held and will purr like crazy for cuddles. 🥰 She loves toys and likes to run around playing with her foster brother Bolt (who is also adoptable!). Wrench is very friendly with people and gentle with children and other cats. She hasn’t met any dogs yet! She can be adopted with or without her foster brother.

If you are interested in adopting Wrench, check out her Petfinder page and submit an application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/wrench-77734077/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

08/18/2025

✨FELINE FEATURE: Bolt!✨

As you may have seen from our stories, Bolt is a survivor! 💪 He came to us extremely weak and malnourished with only half the weight of a normal kitten. He had severe diarrhea, refused to eat on his own, and only had the energy to sleep. 😔 With a lot of fluids, syringe feeding, and dedicated care, he has grown to be such a handsome little boy! 🥰

Bolt is the friendliest guy around! He loves to rub up against legs and even vibrate his tail to say hello. He’s a bit of a chatterbox, and will be sure to let you know when he wants some attention. Bolt is a snuggle monster at night, and you’ll definitely wake up to him curled up against you. He loves to run around and play with his foster sister Wrench (who is also adoptable!). Bolt is very friendly with people, gentle children, and other cats. He hasn’t met any dogs yet.

If you are interested in adopting Bolt, check out his Petfinder page and submit an application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/bolt-77734121/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449

08/15/2025

✨FELINE FEATURE: Scrub Daddy!✨

Meet the sweetest kitten, who loves cuddling with humans and siblings, and enjoys zooming through tunnels and under blankets! 🤩 Scrub Daddy is growing into a handsome panther of a cat, who will possibly have more smoke-colored fur as he ages. Confident and playful, he thrives with companionship, whether it’s with his siblings, another pet, or kids. Gentle in play and bold in exploration, he wishes to be adopted with a sibling or into a home with additional friends! 😍 This precious little guy can't wait to meet his forever family ❤️

If you are interested in adopting Scrub Daddy, check out his Petfinder page and submit an application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/scrub-daddy-77674071/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

08/13/2025

✨FELINE FEATURE: Cap!✨

Cap is a cute and cuddly cat who loves to explore and play all day! 🥰Him and his brother, Bear, love playing together and taking long naps to recharge. Cap loves to follow you around the house and will curl up in your lap when given the chance. He has gotten along well with other cats and dogs with a proper introduction! This silly little guy would make the perfect lap kitty and would love to find his furr-ever home! ❤️

Cap and his brother would love to be adopted together, but can also be adopted separately!

If you are interested in adopting Cap, check out his Petfinder page and submit and application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/cap-77673944/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

08/12/2025

✨FELINE FEATURE: Bear!✨

Bear is a silly dude with the biggest personality you’ll ever meet! 🤪He is definitely a cat who likes to get to know someone before showing affection, but once he loves you he’ll love you endlessly! Him and his brother Cap love playing together all day and then taking long naps to recharge. 🥰 Bear is a curious boy who loves to meet new people and pets, and has gotten along with other cats and dogs in the home. You will never have a dull day with Bear as he is a ball of energy!

Bear would love to be adopted with his brother, Cap, but can be adopted separately! 🤩

If you are interested in adopting Bear, check out his Petfinder page and submit an application: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/bear-77673914/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

08/10/2025

✨ Feline Feature: Ladybug! ✨

‼️ADOPTABLE‼️

Everyone, meet Ladybug 🐞 ❤️ Ms. Ladybug is a very special kitty. Brave and adventurous, she can often be found checking out new sounds and surroundings for her siblings to make sure everything is ok. She is super playful and loves all sorts of cat toys.

Ladybug likes to be with her person, greeting them right at the door when they come home. She is very affectionate with her human, giving lots of grooming licks. She knows never to use her claws, even when she’s playing. She’s not very vocal, but she is an excellent purrer. She’d do fine alone, but she’d love to be adopted with one of her three siblings.

She does not have experience with children or dogs, but would likely be okay with either.

If you’re interested in adopting Ladybug, check her out on Petfinder! https://www.petfinder.com/cat/ladybug-76994191/ca/davis/orphan-kitten-project-ca449/

07/31/2025

✨FELINE FEATURE:✨

🌲The Forest litter!!🌲

Mama cat sure hit the copy and paste button!

Meet Cypress, Ivy, Juniper, and Sprout. 😃I guess you could call them quadruplets in crime? These cuties are equal parts playful and sweet. When they’re not zooming around the house at turbo speed 🏎️💨, they’re seeking out a lap to cuddle or a hand to pet. If you’re lucky, you might find them setting a world record for the most stripes in a single kitten pile.

Despite those nearly identical faces, each one of these babies has their own unique personality — check them out on our Petfinder (link in bio) to get a more detailed description of each member of this tabby gang 🐯

07/26/2025

Little Frankie is a ! A generous and life-saving grant from has given Little Frankie the financial support he needed to be hospitalized while he battled persistent hypoglycemia. Thanks to this support, Little Frankie was discharged last night and is doing well at his foster home- despite his protests against butt-bathtime. Way to go Little Frankie, you are truly Mighty!

07/25/2025

‼️Medical Case: An official introduction to Benny and Frankie and their mystery illness!

As you may have seen on our stories, Benny and Frankie came to us 2 weeks ago with their 2 siblings in rough condition. All 4 had severe flea anemia and, despite receiving blood transfusions, we soon lost 2 of the little angels. While in our care, Benny and Frankie have struggled to grow - weighing only 250g at 5 weeks old. They seemed to be doing ok otherwise until Benny broke with effusive diarrhea causing an inability to absorb any sugar/nutrients or maintain hydration. His attentive foster rushed him to the ER where he received immediate attention - they confirmed hypoglycemia and placed an IV catheter for the administration of fluids and dextrose. While we were making plans for his care and funding, his surviving brother, Frankie, followed suit and joined Benny in intensive care at the UC Davis VMTH.

By the first evening, Benny was improving. He began forming solid stool and showing interest in food and his medical team was hopeful that he would be in shape for discharge by the morning. Their plan to wean him off IV dextrose proved unsustainable as we realized he was “meat nursing” and not taking in any of the food. He is currently being syringe fed in the hospital where he has been on IV fluids and dextrose for over 48 hours. Frankie is currently a bit behind his brother’s progress but is stable as well.

Aside from flea anemia and hypoglycemia, most diagnostic tests (including 2 parvo tests on each kitten) have come back negative. A necropsy on one of the siblings we lost showed pneumonia, which we believe is not affecting either of our fighters, and an unremarkable GI tract.

We are continuing to do our best for these boys and your support makes such a difference! A massive THANK YOU to everyone who has donated and shared their story - you are the reason we are able to give these kittens their best shot at life. Their fight isn’t over. For anyone who would like to make a donation, you can do so using Venmo (-OKP) or at our GiveButter (link in bio)!

Address

Davis, CA
95616

Website

http://orphankittenproject.org/, https://www.bonfire.com/store/orphan-kitten-project/, https://givebutter.com/wh3YHh

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