Cat got your tongue? This one has our heart.
Meet Zanzibar, a 10-week-old tangerine tabby who is the 10,000th kitten rescued by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in New York.
“We get kittens that are very vulnerable and they’re the most vulnerable population in New York City and in the country,” Meike Oliver, the senior manager at the ASPCA Kitten Nursery, told Reuters. “It’s important to save them and to take care of them.”
Zanzibar’s milestone comes at the peak of breeding season, during which shelters become overwhelmed with in-need kitties.
“You can see all around how many kittens we have,” said Oliver. “But we also need the help to foster them and it helps not just us, it helps the kittens with their socialization and helps them thrive. And it also helps Animal Care Centers free up more space so they can take care of more kittens as well.”
Zanzibar is up for adoption through the ASPCA. REUTERSAt just four weeks old, Zanzibar showed up at the ASPCA Kitten Nursery — the city’s largest high-volume kitten nursery — and received her shots from veterinarian Felicia Magnaterra and was fostered by Emily Goldsmith.
“When I got Zanzibar and her sister, Zurich, they had eye infections, they had upper respiratory infections,” said Goldsmith. “They needed some medicine, some eye drops. They were learning how to eat. It’s been so nice to watch them recover from being sick and then also just watching them grow up. And now they have turned into little kittens.”
The energetic feline was nursed back to health at the ASPCA and recovered further at her foster mother’s apartment. REUTERSGoldsmith, who has cared for a whopping 50 kittens — or more — since 2017, said the siblings “know how to take care of themselves,” describing them as “playful” and “sweet.”
“I just loved watching that journey for them. And now they’re healthy and happy and are perfect, ready to be adopted,” she added.
“I just loved watching that journey for them. And now they’re healthy and happy and are perfect, ready to be adopted,” Goldsmith said. REUTERSTo be prepared for adoption, Zanzibar and Zurich were bottle-fed by Goldsmith, who also nursed them back to health and showered them with love.
“I know some people say they aren’t cat people and when they say that, I’m just like, ‘Oh, you just haven’t spent enough time around cats,'” continued Goldsmith. “It’s just such a joy to be around. They have so much love to give.”
Zanzibar, and his sibling Zurich, were nursed back to health at the ASPCA Kitten Nursery, which is the largest high-volume nursery in the city. REUTERSIn 2014, the ASPCA Kitten Nursery was launched to aid the Animal Care Centers of New York City (ACC). Since its beginnings, the nursery has been dedicated to caring for and treating neonatal kittens who can’t survive on their own and have to be bottle-fed.
The ACC gives vulnerable kittens less than 8 weeks old to the nursery, which only allows 30 felines at a time, although most end up in foster care immediately. Once they’re old enough, they can, like Zanzibar, be adopted through the ASPCA Adoption Center.
