Hannah Shaw Is On a Mission To Save Neonatal Kittens—And You Can Help

Fifteen years ago, Hannah Shaw's life changed forever when she rescued Coco the kitten from a treetop—quite the quintessential hero origin story. Today Shaw, nicknamed Kitten Lady by her friends and fans, is using her voice and skillset to care for and spread awareness on behalf of underserved animal shelter populations, especially neonatal kittens.

Shaw's work has also made her a popular online presence. Her Instagram account @kittenxlady has over 1.3 million followers, and her YouTube channel of 350+ instructional videos has 1.7 million subscribers. She also maintains a website kittenlady.org, which showcases the wide-stretching nature of her work.

Learn from Shaw how you can help save neonatal kittens from the comfort of your own home.

The Newborn Kitten-Sized Gap in Animal Shelter Services

Neonatal kittens, also known as kittens between 0 and 8 weeks old, are a very vulnerable population. Unfortunately, many of these kittens don't live longer than those first eight weeks. That's why Shaw has made it her mission to step in.

"I am always trying to figure out what levers I need to pull to stop kittens from being killed in shelters," Shaw says.

Shaw regularly conducts educational training sessions at animal shelters to help them understand the ins and outs of providing comprehensive care to the neonatal kitten population. She also aids shelters monetarily through her nonprofit Orphan Kitten Club, whose grants help animal shelters build kitten nurseries, hire kitten-specific staff, and more.

"Fewer than 1% of [shelters] provide overnight care for kittens," Shaw adds. "More likely than not, if a weening kitten comes in without their mother, they will be euthanized. It's not the fault of the shelters; they are not 24 hours. If they close at 6 pm, a neonatal kitten who comes in at 4 pm only has two hours to find someone."

Kitten Lady Empowers All to Foster

Shaw is incredibly passionate about educating the public on how to open their homes to vulnerable animals.

"We will never get to a no-kill nation without solving the neonatal kitten issue, and that’s why we need foster parents," Shaw says.

"I do public-facing education for professionals and community members, from beginning to advanced," Shaw says. "I foster all the time, but I recognize that my power is to self-replicate. I try to empower other people, get other people excited to foster."

Here are some of the benefits (for both you and the kittens) of signing up to foster kittens through your local animal shelter.

Around-the-Clock Care

Many shelters close at the end of the workday, but when you foster neonatal kittens, you're able to provide them the attention they may need after dark, including late-night cuddles and bottle feeding.

Disease Prevention

Euthanasia is not the only risk neonatal kittens face in shelters. Your home can also serve as a haven against illness.

"Kittens are immunocompromised, so in a high-volume shelter, they’re exposed to so much disease and cannot fight it off as easily," Shaw explains. "Fostering gives kittens a safe space."

Kittens Are Small

One of Shaw's main messages of empowerment is that no matter how large your living space is, nearly anyone has enough space to foster kittens, especially when they're at their smallest.

"Sometimes people don't want to foster because they don't have space, but the alternative is that they're going to be euthanized or kept in a space smaller than what you are able to provide," Shaw says. "Even if you live in a studio apartment, you can save kittens."

Fostering is Temporary

If you're not ready to become a full-time pet parent, fostering is a great alternative. Many animal shelters provide their fosters with all the necessary supplies they need to care for their foster animals as well as cover any necessary medical care. This is to ensure finances are not an obstacle to prospective foster parents.

Cats of the World, A True Passion Project

In between her full-time advocacy work, Shaw and her husband Andrew Marttila, a professional cat photographer, just finished a brand-new book together called "Cats of the World." The book, which comes out this fall, took five years to complete.

"This is probably the longest-running project I've ever worked on," Shaw says. "We traveled to 30 different countries to learn about cat welfare around the world….history, climate, architecture, politics, and culture—with cats and people.

The couple's worldly findings are accompanied by over 700 of Marrtila's best shots.

"He takes the most beautifully detailed photos that show the beauty of the cat and the setting and environment they live in," Shaw says, "Cats living at the top of mountains in Montenegro, cats living in mosques in Turkey, cats being cared for in the streets of Mumbai by community members."

"Cats of the World" also includes an interlude written by Shaw after her return to the U.S. and how cat culture in the U.S. contrasts Shaw and Marrtila's travels.

"So much of the world exists in the community to a greater extent than we do in America," Shaw says. "Sometimes, our individualism makes us forget we are a community and as a community, we can make powerful change. That goes back to fostering. They don’t over-rely on institutions like we do in the U.S. in other parts of the world; there’s more empowerment to have community-based solutions that I hope readers will take away from the book."

You can preorder "Cats of the World" by visiting catsofthe.world or pick it up in person when it's released on Oct. 15.