Launching a Kitten Nursery

Whether your Kitten Nursery is staffed 24-hours a day, or just during normal business hours, you can have a big impact on the lives of the underage kittens in your community. Below is a compilation of protocols, information and learnings from 10 years of operating a 24-hour Kitten Nursery. We hope this helps! If you don't see what you're looking for, email us at [email protected].

Space and Cost Requirements

This is an estimation of the feed and supply costs of operating a Kitten Nursery, based on the number of kittens you are trying to save. This does not include staff costs.

Number of Kittens	Number of Seasonal Staff	Number of Volunteers	Feed Costs	Supply Cost
200	6	35	$8,228	$6,156
300	12	80	$12,432	$9,234
400	12	145	$16,579	$12,313

Breeders Edge Kitten Formula

We've used many types of formula in the Kitten Nursery, and have found the most success with Breeders’ Edge. We started with a trial of the new formula by feeding it to kittens in one quarantine area for one month. We found that kittens who were fed the Breeders’ Edge formula gained more weight, had less diarrhea and looked more like the kittens who were with their mothers (orphaned kittens are often skinny and have angular face shapes, which is a sign that their muscles aren’t developing, while kittens who have a mother are more filled out and gain weight easier). Our success rate for 0- to 2-week-old kittens also increased by nearly 20 percent.

DIY Disposable Litter Boxes

Purchasing and cleaning hundreds of small litter boxes can be time and cost-intensive. Reach out to local grocery and pet stores to pick up cardboard trays from canned goods. More info.