Stray Cat Blues Receives $10,000 Grant from Orphan Kitten Club

Stray Cat Blues Awarded $10,000 Orphan Kitten Club Innovation Grant

Grant will expand neonatal kitten foster program and increase lifesaving capacity

Colmar, Pa., Sept. 30, 2026 — Stray Cat Blues, a foster-based cat rescue organization, announced that it has been awarded a $10,000 innovation grant from Orphan Kitten Club (OKC), a national nonprofit organization with a mission to innovate pediatric care and advance protections for neonatal kittens in shelters. These funds will help Stray Cat Blues expand its neonatal kitten foster program and increase its capacity to rescue and care for vulnerable kittens.

The $10,000 grant will fund the purchase of four neonatal kitten incubators and 10 neonatal kitten kits, along with supplies to equip new neonatal kitten foster homes. By providing fosters with the specialized equipment and supplies needed to care for these fragile kittens, Stray Cat Blues aims to increase the number of volunteers able to foster neonatal kittens, rescue more kittens in need, and improve survivorship among kittens entering its care.

“Neonatal kittens require an extraordinary level of care, and one of the biggest challenges is making sure foster families have the equipment, supplies, and support they need to take them in,” said Denise Bash, Executive Director of Stray Cat Blues. “This grant will provide us the opportunity to build a stronger neonatal foster program, welcome more people into this lifesaving work, and ultimately say yes to more kittens who need us. We are incredibly grateful to Orphan Kitten Club for investing in our fosters and in the future of these vulnerable kittens.”

Neonatal kittens — ages zero to eight weeks — are the most euthanized feline population in animal shelters in the United States, accounting for at least half of feline deaths. The specialized skills, supplies, veterinary expertise, and overnight care they require makes them uniquely difficult to care for on-site in an animal shelter. For this reason, shelters and rescues heavily rely on volunteer foster parents to assist in the care of this vulnerable population.

Led by a panel of experts in animal welfare, veterinary medicine, and kitten wellbeing, the Orphan Kitten Club Mightycat program strategically selects partners based on their potential to create meaningful new impact for neonatal kittens. Following a bi-annual application period, the advisory panel thoughtfully allocates donor funds to partner programs that have proposed an executable and measurable plan to lower euthanasia rates, increase lifesaving capacity, enhance quality of care and/or contribute to groundbreaking research.

“Our Mightycat partners are shelters and foster-based rescues that are truly aligned with our mission to increase lifesaving programs for kittens under eight weeks old,” said Jackie Noble, Executive Director, Orphan Kitten Club. “We’re proud to partner with Stray Cat Blues to move the needle for neonatal kittens.”

For more information about Stray Cat Blues, visit straycatblues.org.

About Stray Cat Blues

Stray Cat Blues, Inc. is a nonprofit rescue organization dedicated to saving stray and abandoned cats and kittens primarily in Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and other suburban Philadelphia counties and finding them safe and appropriate homes.

Powered by more than 250 volunteers, Stray Cat Blues rescues and adopts approximately 1,100 cats annually while also providing extensive Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return services for community cats. SCB operates Whiskers Way Station, a home-like facility providing additional care and socialization for cats preparing for adoption, as well as a working-cat program that provides lifesaving placement options for cats who are not suited to traditional indoor homes.

Follow Stray Cat Blues on Instagram and Facebook. Visit us at straycatblues.org.

About Orphan Kitten Club

Orphan Kitten Club (OKC) is the nation’s leading charitable organization solely dedicated to advancing kitten welfare. A 100 percent donor-funded 501(c)3 organization, Orphan Kitten Club is led by a team of experts in animal welfare, veterinary medicine, and kitten wellbeing who thoughtfully identify Mightycatshelter partners and allocate donor funds to kitten programs, emergency veterinary care, and ethical research programs that create meaningful change and move the needle for neonatal kittens.

Neonatal kittens—those under eight weeks old—are the most vulnerable animals entering shelters, experiencing the highest mortality rates of any population. OKC works to make kitten lifesaving the standard in every community through a strategic four pillar approach: administering the first and only national grant program focused solely on neonatal kitten care and lifesaving; mentoring shelter leaders in implementing data-driven best practices; advancing veterinary medicine through ethical pediatric research; and running a specialized kitten nursery that provides around-the-clock expert care for neonates and kittens with complex medical needs.

Founded in 2016 by Hannah “Kitten Lady” Shaw, Orphan Kitten Club has awarded more than $4 million in transformative kitten-focused grants to save the lives of more than 250 thousand kittens in over 150 communities.

To become a club member–a monthly supporter of Orphan Kitten Club–visit donate.orphankittenclub.org/join.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook, or visit us at orphankittenclub.org.