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Spring is here and so is kitten season, but some of those babies are brought in to area shelters without their mothers. In order to survive, those kittens need special attention.

Kerry Brown volunteers her time to bottle feed the young kittens and like any good mother, she has to make sure her babies are fed and loved.

“You never feed a kitten on their back; they need to be belly down,” said Brown.

She has perfected her feeding routine with four tiny kittens.

“It’s kind of an acquired touch,” she said.


They’re just three weeks old, and without a mom. Brown is caring for them 24/7 as a foster volunteer for Feline Rescue in St. Paul and it takes real dedication to keep the little ones content.

“It’s every three hours they need to be fed and they are ready at three hours, they know,” said Brown. “You can hear them crying on the dot.”

What volunteers like Brown do is crucial, especially this time of year. It’s mating season for cats, and animal rescue groups see more of these orphaned kittens come in. There are volunteers to help, but local organizations are always looking for others.

“It’s getting up overnights, it’s making sure the milk is heated, it's making sure the babies are clean, they’ve gone to the bathroom,” said Dr. Lisa Mekka, the veterinarian medical director of Feline Rescue.

Luckily, Brown can make the crazy schedule work with her own flexible work schedule. Plus she says, “Who can resist kittens?”

“It’s very fulfilling, I would say, you know it’s making a difference and they’re just so loving,” said Brown.

But even with those cute faces, there is always a need for more help.

“There’s always more cats than we have room for. I think we’re probably better off than other areas of the country as far as the volume we have to deal with now, but there’s always more cats, so there’s more work to be done,” said Brown.

Feline Rescue is always looking for volunteers as well as folks to adopt the kittens. For more information, click here.