TAMPA, Fla. — This story originally ran back in May of 2024.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay saw over 1,000 kittens from March to June who were younger than 8-weeks old, and those kittens require specialized, round-the-clock care. Now, the shelter is able to offer that care easier, thanks to a brand new neonatal intensive care unit, gifted to them by a Hillsborough County high school student.
Juliette Selman is an animal lover. When she’s not at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay volunteering, she’s home taking care of her own crew.
“We have three fosters right now, and then we have two cats and one dog, so I want more, but my mom won’t let me,” she said.
Despite her mom saying “no more pets” at home, Juliette has cared for a lot of kittens, as if they were her own, at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s NICU.
“This is a NICU, a neonatal intensive care unit. It’s where newborn puppies and kittens spend their time here,” Juliette said as she showed the new unit.
The NICU was made possible thanks to Juliette. Over the last couple of years, she worked to raise enough money to create this special unit to help the youngest creatures who end up here. When puppies and kittens are left without a mother to care for them, they struggle to survive, and often need specialized care before they can be adopted.
“I’ve fostered my entire life with my mom since I was four, and I have seen some deaths before, and it really is in my heart to see the survival rate of newborn kittens,” said Juliette.
She raised more than $5,000, purchasing not only the incubator but also all the supplies young kittens and puppies may need.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay says the new NICU unit is being put to good use, too, newborn kittens and puppies need to eat every two to six hours, depending on their age, and the NICU also has an incubator to keep them warm to prevent hypothermia.
“Being a nonprofit, there are certain things that are just really, really incredible that we have an opportunity to have like the NICU it has been so helpful this kitten season, we’re in the middle of it now, and it just really has been a game changer,” said Regan Blessinger with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
All thanks to Juliette’s perseverance, her potentially life-saving commitment will not only show love and care to these kittens, but many more in the years to come.
“It’s just an indescribable feeling. Sometimes I forget that I did it because it’s just such a big project, but when I come in, I’m just like, I did that and that’s amazing,” she said.
Juliette was approved to receive the Girl Scout Gold Award for her efforts contributing to the NICU.
The Humane Society of Pinellas has a NICU with three incubators. They say from May 2023 to May 2024, they’ve had over 200 underage kittens, including neonates, arrive at the shelter. They say at least half of them will require the NICU before going to foster homes.