Kaya Miller, a second-year undergraduate at UC Davis, is fostering three 3-week-old kittens named Anna, Elsa, and Merida. Along with her roommate, Miller alternates feeding and cleaning the kittens every two hours. “It’s a lot of dedication; we have to wake up every two hours, but it’s so worth it,” she said.
Miller volunteers for the Orphan Kitten Project (OKP), a nonprofit club managed by veterinary students that has been rescuing and rehabilitating neonatal kittens since 1988. Neonatal kittens under four weeks old require special care such as bottle feeding and medical attention. Volunteers like Miller help reduce pressure on animal shelters while providing needed support to these animals.
According to the UC Integrated Pest Management Program, feral and free-roaming cats make up between 18% and 49% of all cats in the United States. These numbers are especially high in warmer regions like California; Los Angeles County alone is estimated to have about half a million feral cats.
Yolo County residents and shelters often contact OKP when they find neonatal kittens. “They’ll call us, and if we can take them, we will. Or we’ll help direct them to other resources,” said Hannah Rogers, a student at the UC Davis Veterinary School of Medicine and co-president of OKP.
The organization operates without a physical location and relies on an extensive network of volunteers for roles ranging from surgery coordination to adoption logistics. Support also comes from veterinary advisors at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital on campus.
“It takes a village because we’re running an entire rescue,” Rogers said. “The whole thing is really everybody in the community.”
Foster families—mainly undergraduates or local residents—receive supplies and guidance from vet students who match them with kittens needing care. At any time, there are typically 20 to 30 active fosters involved with OKP.
Miller previously cared for an injured cat named Mildred during her childhood experience with fostering: “We would syringe feed him and it was a little stressful, but it was so good to just be there for him and get to raise him.” She joined OKP after hearing about it from a friend and received training along with necessary supplies from program coordinators.
“The coordinator came over and showed me how to do everything. There are just really amazing people in the program,” she said.
For veterinary students like Charissa Tseng—a first-year student at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine—the program offers hands-on experience relevant for their future careers: “Even after we graduate and become veterinarians, we will see kittens in our line of work — they will pop up in the clinic, so it’s good to know how to deal with them.”
Tseng serves as co-vice president of OKP: “I personally love cats and wanted to learn how to take care of very young kittens,” she said. “The best part is seeing the kittens go from fragile and sickly to strong and healthy.” She helps check in on fosters, administer vaccines, organize adoptions—and recently saw her first kitten adopted: “It was so fulfilling to see the kitten find a loving home,” she said.
Adoption fees collected by OKP go entirely toward covering medical expenses such as vaccines or neutering procedures rather than generating profit. The group depends on donors—including organizations like Orphan Kitten Club—to fund operations.
Despite partnerships with veterinary hospitals, financial constraints remain significant due to ongoing medical costs: “We work hard to apply for grants and raise funds,” Tseng said.
With feral cat populations expected to rise during warm seasons—such as those seen throughout California—the demand for foster services increases accordingly: “By high summer, we just run out of space. Our biggest limiting factor is money because we always have to keep a certain amount for medical emergencies,” Rogers explained.
Looking ahead, OKP plans greater focus on trap-neuter-release efforts aimed at controlling stray cat populations long-term: “Unless you can spay and neuter mom and dad, you’re always going to have more homeless kittens getting hurt from living outside,” Rogers noted. “When you stop that cycle, you won’t have more kittens taking their place.”
“If you have the time and ability, definitely foster. Every bit makes a difference for these kittens,” Tseng added.
For now Miller continues caring for Anna, Merida, and Elsa until they find permanent homes: “The only reason why I wouldn’t adopt them is because I don’t have the security. Otherwise I think I’d have 10 million cats,” she said.
