KANSAS CITY, Mo -- It may be one of the cutest volunteer opportunities in the metro area, but it certainly isn't the easiest.
KC Pet Project is looking to add more people to its "Bottle Baby Squad" to help newborn kittens through the night.
"We are getting a lot of kittens in that are still underage," Director of Marketing and Communications Tori Fugate said. "They are too young to be adopted and a lot of them can't eat on their own. We've been seeing a lot come in towards the end of the day. It's really busy and they have to go somewhere overnight because they wouldn't survive on their own without someone feeding them every few hours."
People who apply and are approved for the squad will be notified when new kittens come in that need overnight help.
"The main purpose of this is so that we will have kittens who don't have to stay overnight in the shelter," Fugate said. "So if you can only keep them for a night, that's fine. Bring them back the next day and we will find a permanent foster care for them. If you want to keep them in foster though, those opportunities range anywhere between one week to eight or nine weeks."
Kathryn Taliaferro signed up after the group posted its need to Facebook.
"It's harder than I thought, it really is," she said. You think you just pop that bottle right in there, but you've got to set your alarm, get up at three in the morning. It's a real learning process for both the kitten and the foster parent," she said.
Taliaferro already volunteered with KC Pet Project in its cat habitat, but bringing home kittens was a whole new adventure. She named her three foster kittens Bat, Mummy and Ghost because they'll be ready to adopt near Halloween.
"We have to take them out one at a time becuase they will push each other out of the way to see who gets the bottle."
"It's a lot of work," Fugate said. "They're depending on you to make sure that they survive. You are their life support and feed them ever few hours. We teach everyone how to do this. If you don't know anything about kittens, that's okay. We also have mentors who are really supportive in this endeavor and want to show everyone how to do it. "We're all just here to support each other and of course to save lives."
For those not ready to take the leap to foster kittens, KC Pet Project is also in need of many donated items. They have an Amazon wishlist that includes kitten formula, canned food and more.
If you'd like to be a part of the "Bottle Baby Squad" you can apply online.
