Advancements in Neonatal Kitten Care
Wednesday, June 26 at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern
Neonatal kitten care has seen significant advancements over the last decade. At the same time, social media had created thousands of influencers sharing information on the best ways to save these little ones. This information is often conflicting. In 2023, several major shelter medicine programs and animal advocacy groups updated their guidelines for caring for neonatal kittens which added even more confusion and debate about the best ways to care underage kittens.
Join Dr. Julie Levy and Marnie Russ for a review of these changes and clarification about feeding schedules, weaning age, temperature regulation, euthanasia rates, medical interventions, combining litters, socialization, and adoption. Come away knowing how you and your shelter can provide neonatal kittens with the best possible care.
This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It has also been submitted for approval for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) approval.
Guest Speakers:
Dr. @Julie Levy, Fran Marino Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the
University of Florida
@Marnie Russ, National Kitten College Program Administrator, National Kitten College/Animal Welfare League of Arlington
Speaker Bios:
Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DAVBP
Dr. Julie Levy is the Fran Marino Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the University of Florida, where she focuses on the health and welfare of animals in shelters, feline infectious diseases, and humane alternatives for cat population control. She founded Operation Catnip, a nonprofit university-based community cat trap-neuter-return program that has spayed, neutered, and vaccinated more than 70,000 cats in Gainesville since 1998. In 2008, she joined Dr. Cynda Crawford to found Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine, an educational and discovery initiative with a global impact on the care of homeless animals. In 2014, she joined Dr. Kate Hurley to launch the Million Cat Challenge, a shelter-based campaign that saved more than 3.5 million cats in shelters across North America. In 2022, she helped launch Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge to create transformative “communities of practice” that deliver access to care through humane, community-centric programming—inside and outside of the shelter—to achieve the right outcome for every pet.
Marnie Russ
Marnie developed the Kitten College at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Arlington, VA. The first kitten nursery of its kind, Arlington went from saving 92 kittens a year in 2016 to 1547 kittens in 2022 all while maintaining a no kill live release rate. Marnie has been fostering neonatal kittens for over two decades, specializing in critical-care neonates and high-risk nursing/expectant queens. Marnie is a recognized expert on caring for at-risk kittens. She is co-founder of the National Kitten Coalition and speaks nationally about at-risk neonatal kittens. Her advice and expertise are sought from shelters and rescues across the country. In 2023, Marnie assisted UC Davis and the University of Wisconsin to update their neonatal kitten guidelines for mass distribution.
Marnie sits on multiple Boards for spay/neuter organizations throughout the county including Fox Hollow Animal Project in Montana and Caring Hands Animal Support and Education – International Advocacy. She annually travels to third world countries assisting in international spay/neuter projects to help impact the lives of street animals in underserved areas.
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