Every spring and summer, animal shelters across the country face an overwhelming surge of orphaned, pre-weaned kittens. Because these neonatal kittens require round-the-clock bottle feeding and intensive care, high-kill municipal shelters often lack the staff and resources to keep them alive. Without specialized foster networks and community support systems, countless vulnerable kittens face euthanasia before they ever have the chance to grow and find permanent homes.
Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue (IBOK Rescue) addresses this crisis directly by pulling neonatal and orphaned kittens from shelters and placing them in dedicated foster homes until they are healthy, vaccinated, and ready for adoption. To expand its impact and create a welcoming, interactive adoption space, the organization is launching the Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe in San Jose, California. In this executive interview, the leadership team at IBOK Rescue discusses the inspiration behind the new kitten cafe, the operational demands of neonatal rescue, and how community engagement drives their lifesaving mission.
Q: What inspired IBOK Rescue to open the Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe, and how does this physical space change your adoption and outreach efforts in the Bay Area?
IBOK Rescue: As the founder of the rescue 25 years ago, I’ve always wanted a place where potential adopters could meet our adoptable kittens in a cageless environment. We’ve been holding adoption events at Pet Food Express for years where people can only see our kittens in cages and hold them in their laps once approved for adoption. In the beginning of 2024 I decided I wanted to open a kitten cafe as there are a few cat cafes and lounges in the Bay Area but none just for kittens. We were fortunate to find an affordable space and a sustainable business plan in March 2024 and we had our grand opening on May 4, 2024. It has been successful and we’ve adopted out hundreds of kittens since opening.
Q: Caring for neonatal, pre-weaned kittens requires around-the-clock bottle feeding and specialized medical attention. How does IBOK Rescue manage and support its network of volunteer foster homes?
IBOK Rescue: We have been providing training to the community and other kitten rescue groups for almost two decades as the more people who know how to properly care for these fragile babies, the more we can save from the shelters where many are euthanized. We recruit and train foster volunteers on how to care for them and I personally support them and mentor them to make sure the kittens survive. I also foster dozens of these babies myself throughout kitten season and then move them to other foster homes when they are weaned and take on more neonates. We provide all of the necessary supplies and veterinary care they need to survive and thrive.
Q: The cafe features dedicated kitten playrooms where visitors can book time with adoptable kittens. How does this relaxed, cage-free environment benefit both the kittens and prospective adopters?
IBOK Rescue: Having our adoptable kittens come spend time at the cafe and meet lots of people helps socialize them so that they become friendlier adult cats. They are only there the six hours we are open each Saturday and Sunday and then get to go back to their foster home and spend the week with their foster families. And the guests that come to play and cuddle with them get a very relaxed and enjoyable hour with them and often fall in love with a pair and adopt even if that was not their intention when booking time to visit a playroom. Potential adopters can see the kittens’ personalities shine while they are free to play and cuddle and not just see them sitting in a cage in a pet store.
Q: Kitten season places an immense strain on municipal shelters and rescue groups. What public education initiatives does IBOK Rescue provide to help residents care for found kittens rather than surrendering them prematurely?
IBOK Rescue: In 2007 we started the Prewean Kitten Project where we provided emergency supplies, written instructions, and a video we produced that showed members of the community who had found orphaned kittens how to care for these vulnerable babies. We provided these kits to all of the local shelters and to all Pet Food Express stores for free, and trained local shelter staff on how to try and convince people surrendering kittens to the shelter to take the kittens home with them until they were eating on their own. For the first time, we had shelter staff telling people the truth, that if the kittens were surrendered that they would be euthanized. For the people who accepted the kit and took the kittens home with them, we provided mentors to help guide them. Years later, Pet Food Express took over this program from us and we worked with the former shelter manager and other rescue organizations and advocates to create a rescue partnership with the shelter so that instead of automatically euthanizing these kittens, they would let rescue groups know they needed rescue and we all began pulling as many of these kittens as possible to save them from euthanasia. After 24 years of working as a paralegal in a law firm, I went to work at the San Jose shelter for two years helping create a strong foster program where people were trained to sign up as fosters for the shelter and we were able to get a large percentage of these kittens out to trained foster homes. When I left the shelter, some of these amazing fosters came with me to volunteer at Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue. We have a large group of dedicated foster homes and are always looking for new fosters so that we can save more kittens.
Q: Beyond adopting a kitten, how can local community members, businesses, and volunteers get involved to support the ongoing operations of the cafe and rescue network?
IBOK Rescue: We have a volunteer program where we train our Volunteer Ambassadors to staff shifts at the Kitten Cafe and our adoption events at Pet Food Express. We are also looking for volunteers to fill other roles such as fostering, fundraising, and other positions. And because we are an all volunteer organization with no funding, donations are greatly needed to continue to provide all the food, litter, and other supplies to our foster homes and keep our close to 100 foster kittens fed and receiving appropriate medical care. We are a 501c3 nonprofit so all donations are tax deductible. We say if you can’t adopt, foster. If you can’t foster, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, donate. There are many ways to support our efforts to save as many kittens as possible.
Q: Looking ahead, what are your primary goals for the Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe, and how do you envision this model shaping the future of foster-based animal rescue?
IBOK Rescue: We are hopeful to keep our kitten cafe open as long as possible but there is a strong possibility that the shopping center where it is located will be demolished in the near future. If that happens, we will try and find another suitable and hopefully affordable location and start over to keep the cafe open. We love that other rescues are finding ways to open their own cat cafes or kitten playrooms as we feel strongly that this is the best way for kittens and cats to find forever homes.
Operating a dedicated kitten rescue demands coordinated foster support, rigorous medical care, and continuous community involvement. By establishing dedicated adoption playrooms and accessible visitor spaces, rescue organizations can demystify the adoption process, socialize young animals, and significantly lower shelter intake numbers.
Innovative community hubs like the Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe demonstrate how nonprofit rescues can build sustainable, engaging pathways to animal welfare. As IBOK Rescue expands its presence in San Jose, its hands-on approach ensures that vulnerable orphaned kittens receive the care they need to thrive in loving forever homes.
To learn more visit https://www.ibokrescue.org/
