Caroline Tucker
WMAL.com
ARLINGTON – (WMAL) In a couple weeks, Arlington will get a kitten nursery called “Kitten Academy” at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
The new nursery is the first of its kind in the D.C. Metro region and will provide around-the-clock care to neonatal kittens, typically under 3 weeks old.
“They are not able to eat by themselves, go to the bathroom by themselves,” said Chelsea Lindsey, AWLA communications specialist.
Many of these kittens could be euthanized because they are too young to survive without a nursing mother. However, this new nursery will allow for staff and trained volunteers to help care for the kittens.
The new nursery will be staffed by some employees and also volunteers who learn how to care for the kittens.
Kitten season starts in April and runs through October, which is the time when the AWLA gets its highest number of cases.
But the nursery should open by the end of June.
“They have already done the construction. We are at the point where we are painting and we are just waiting for the kennels, the cages, and most importantly, our incubators to arrive,” said Lindsey.
A $25,000 donation from Ted and Willa Lutz helped to make the nursery possible.
If you would like to volunteer, you can take a neonatal kitten workshop on June 14th from 6:30-8 pm at the AWLA.
To register for the class head here: www.awla.org/event/kitten-care-workshop
You can also donate supplies or funds to the shelter.
You can visit the shelter’s Amazon wishlist by CLICKING HERE.
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