Giggles: A Kitten Street Team Success Story

Dakin’s all-volunteer Kitten Street Team (KST) serves one of the most vulnerable animal populations in the region; feral cats and especially their offspring. Kittens born in outdoor feral colonies have grim survival stats, with one in four - on average - surviving their first year.

The KST goes to great lengths to humanely trap feral adults and kittens, climbing under porches or sheds, and waiting for hours or days to capture felines while often braving extreme temperatures and weather conditions. They bring the cats and kittens to Dakin for vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery to help curb the cycle of suffering faced by kittens born outside. Adults, unable to adapt to domestic life, are returned to their colony sites. Kittens who can be socialized and adjust to living with families become adoption candidates.

Giggles and his four siblings were barely a month old when they were rescued by the KST. He was the weakest of the litter; dangerously underweight and dehydrated, and he struggled to eat. Fearing that the stress of the shelter would further weaken his immune system, Dakin staff placed Giggles with a foster caregiver, whose meticulous care gave Giggles that miracle that he needed.

While in foster, Giggles gained weight and grew stronger. His eyes became clearer and brighter, his coat grew thick and soft, and his mischievous, adorable personality blossomed. Six weeks later, he was welcomed into a loving home where he feels safe and knows the absolute bliss of being someone’s treasured pet. Every success story like Giggles’ fills our hearts (and the KST’s) with joy when we think about the odds of survival feral kittens face, and how saving each one makes a difference.

Working together, the Kitten Street Team, Dakin, Giggles’ foster, and his adopter were able to give this adorable boy a bright future.