Kitten ICU Gearing Up for 2025

Peering into the cage at the tiny patient in the Kitten ICU (KICU), there is an array of items around the silver tabby kitten; a bowl of dry food, a water dish, a couple of trays with wet food, a spring toy, and a plush blanket under her. She is leaning against a Snuggle Puppy, a white, plush, dog-shaped toy with a simulated heartbeat and warming feature. Weak and a bit shaky, she closes her eyes and dips her head against the toy, savoring the comfort it provides.

At-risk patients like these will soon be treated by the KICU volunteers when the 2025 season begins in the weeks ahead. Over the past five years, Dakin has received an increasing number of local kittens; from 432 in 2020 to 1,451 in 2024, the highest number of kittens since 2011.

When the KICU opened last year, there was a great level of excitement. The program, which typically runs July through October and provides lifesaving care for kittens, had been handled primarily by staff for the previous several years. However, the increasing number of kittens needing help led to the reformation of a volunteer-based program, recruitment of participants, training sessions and then months of attentive care to sick, vulnerable kittens.

The results were more than gratifying. By the time the KICU closed its doors in late 2024, the team had treated 260 patients that season. The average length-of-stay for a kitten in the KICU was 11 days, and the most common illnesses treated were diarrhea and anorexia. There were no traces of fungal infections or viruses like ringworm or panleukopenia.

Vet tech Meghan Delaney and vet assistant Ceara Daigle oversee the KICU, which is staffed by three daily shifts of volunteers; two per shift. Meghan expects the patient count to be on par with last year’s. While there will be no major operational changes to KICU in 2025, she reports that there will be a slight shift in their approach to kitten care, in general. “We’ve learned a lot over the past year from researching, continuing education and conferences,” she noted.

Meghan and Ceara where also influenced by the Lion Tamers program, which debuted last year. Those volunteers work with feral kittens to socialize them for adoption, and their efforts reinforce how important enrichment and socialization is for a kitten’s mental and emotional well-being.  This led Meghan and Ceara to look at their kitten patients more holistically.  “Not just focusing on their medical needs,” Meghan explained, “but also their mental, emotional and nutritional needs…the whole kitten. Nutrition plays an integral role in gastrointestinal health and directly impacts a kitten’s immune system. We are aiming for a healthy gut and a healthy brain.”

One important element for the recovering kittens in KICU is comfort. The Snuggle Puppy toys, as well as the Snuggle Safe microwave heating pad, are placed in cages with patients, and the kittens are greatly soothed by them. Their heat also aids the kitten’s healing.

Meghan and Ceara stand ready to launch the new KICU season alongside both familiar and new faces. “We welcomed back our previous volunteers, and added many new volunteers, including veterinary medicine students,” said Meghan. “The KICU Team – we call them the Critical Care Crew – is such an important part of Dakin, and it’s inspiring and heartwarming that so many people are so enthusiastic about saving kittens’ lives!”

It you’d like to help a KICU patient feel a whole lot better this season, you can order canned kitten food, Snuggle Puppy toys, Snuggle Safe microwave heating pads, and other kitten essentials from our Amazon Wish List. Thank you for giving them the warmth and love they need!