Orphaned neonatal kittens need medical decisions made fast, and even the most devoted volunteer team can only do so much without someone steering the care. This grant created a first paid position, a full-time medical coordinator.
With one person coordinating care, the team took in kittens with complex medical needs that other rescues often turned away. She arranged about 39 hospital stays, including surgeries for cleft palate, nasal reconstruction, and jaw injuries. She also supported intake techs and foster caregivers, researched care for premature kittens and trained the team on it, scheduled spay and neuter surgeries, and ran weekly kitten wellness clinics. The clinic space opened on weekdays as well as weekends, so fosters could pick up supplies and ask medical questions at more convenient times. Two donated exam tables turned a spare room into a proper exam room, and a new community vaccine clinic became a regular event.
In all, 769 kittens 12 weeks and younger came into care. Most were orphaned neonates, and every single one was supported by the medical coordinator.
