JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Humane Society is asking for the community’s help in saving the lives of underage kittens.
So far in 2025, JHS has taken in 317 kittens, and 216 of those came in the last 30 days.
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JHS has served an additional 65 kittens through its Kitten Krusader program.
The public can help in many ways, the first being to act as temporary foster parents by bringing kittens into their homes and raising them until they are 8 weeks of age. JHS provides all medical care along with food and other supplies.
When the kittens reach the appropriate age and weight, they return to JHS to have spay/neuter surgery and find new, loving homes.
Foster families save the lives of kittens of all ages. Some kittens are too young to eat on their own and require feedings from human helpers every few hours.
Others are able to eat on their own and just need socialization from humans.
Occasionally, kittens will come to the shelter with their mother, and a foster home provides a safe place for her to raise her kittens with minimal intervention from the foster family.
No matter the age, foster homes provide the supervision and care needed for kittens to survive and thrive.
Generally, the younger the kitten is, the more supervision and care are required by a foster parent.
Older kittens usually do not need around-the-clock care but still benefit from the comfort of a home rather than being in the shelter environment until they are of adoptable age.
JHS encourages people interested in adopting a kitten to consider fostering as well. Foster families receive special perks, including their “pick of the litter” to adopt a kitten in their foster care once they are of age and a waived adoption fee for their first kitten adoption.
“This is our busiest time of year for kittens, and it isn’t going to slow down any time soon,” said JHS CEO Lawrence Nicolas. “However, there is no place like Jacksonville when it comes to helping pets in need! We are excited to welcome new volunteer foster parents to this amazing community of helpers and save even more kitten lives this year.”
Community members are also asked to remember and follow the CASA method to assess the situation when they find kittens, as well as to remember that “kit-napping” kittens may not be in their best interest. Information on how to help found kittens can be found here.
Community members who are not able to foster but still want to help kittens in need are encouraged to donate kitten care items to JHS. Most-needed items can be viewed and ordered directly from the shelter’s Amazon wishlist and shipped to the shelter.
For information on becoming a foster parent, donating, or adopting, please visit jaxhumane.org or call 904-725-8766.
