"My sisters and I rescued 80 kittens out of our house and it was just getting way too overwhelming," Mini Cat Town Co-Founder Thoa Bui said. "We decided that we needed to find a place to have our kittens be adopted and be seen."
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This is where Mini Cat Town was born.
The neonatal kitten adoption center and kitten lounge officially opened June 8, 2019 in Eastridge Center in San Jose, Calif.
Every year around March or April, cats begin to give birth to kittens across the area.
This creates a major strain on local shelters.
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"The San Jose Animal Care Center gets about 5,000 orphaned kittens every year," Mini Cat Town Co-Founder Tram Bui said. "Essentially, kittens that are under a pound at a shelter can't survive in a kennel by themselves. They're a life that can't survive without us and we're the first step into the next part of their lives. We taken them when they are itty-bitty, raise them and adopt them out. Everyone is working together to save lives."
With the help of many volunteers, this 501c3 non-profit organization welcomes in cat lovers from all over the area to spend time with the kittens and hopefully take them home.
All funds go to the health care and well-being of the cats.
Mini Cat Town is almost always busy the Bui sisters said.
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Each guest has a different reason to get some down time with these purr-fect companions.
"I like the opportunity to have my granddaughter interact with the kittens and understand that they are not toys," April Ambard said.
"I don't have a cat at home or any large animals so it's nice to be able to pick them up and play with them," Vy Lu said.
"They're cute and I love how soft they feel." Chloe Castille said. "I like playing with them and I get to learn how to take care of cats."
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While offering a fun visit to guests, Mini Cat Town also saves hundreds of lives of cats.
Thoa Bui tells us that these kittens could be subject to euthanasia if this center didn't exist.
Not only are they getting a new lease on life, these kittens also find themselves forever homes.
"We've adopted out about 85 since we opened (in June)," Thoa said. "That blows our record out of the water from last year when we did 80 over the entire kitten season."
"Mini Cat Town is on track to save 300 kittens, but we need 300 homes," Tram said. "So I'm really relieved and satisfied when people walk in and want a kitten."
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Mini Cat Town partners with the Dancing Cat in San Jose, Calif.
Once the kittens age out, they often move to the Dancing Cat location which specializes in adult cats.
In addition, the Dancing Cat donates kittens born from mothers at their location to Mini Cat Town.
The Bui sisters had a dream of helping these animals that they love.
Now after nation-wide adoptions and hundreds of rescues, they can not only say that they are Building a Better Bay Area, but a better world as well.
"I think it's really important to help these kittens because they wouldn't otherwise survive," Thoa said. "We as a rescue serve the kittens in our community because it's important to us that somebody helps them. We just happen to be that somebody."
For more information on Mini Cat Town, you can follow their journey on Instagram or visit their website by clicking here.