Almost 2 years ago in late September, I got a call from one of my Besties. “My husband found some abandoned kittens, I’m working two jobs, and can you foster this set? ”

I’m the one in my friend-group that is the go-to cat person. I’d never fostered kittens quite this young before, but I figured I knew enough of the basics to manage.  Warmth, food, and patience, lots of it.

I named the black & white girl Morrigan and the orange male Enlil. I relied heavily on the Kitten Lady’s website to age my kittens(3 weeks), to properly feed them with a syringe, and to properly socialize them with my other cats.

Back then, I would have killed to have today’s book.

Tiny But Mighty: Kitten Lady’s Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

From Kitten Lady, the professional kitten rescuer, humane educator, animal advocate, and owner of the popular Instagram @kittenxlady comes the definitive book on saving the most vulnerable—and adorable—feline population: newborn kittens.

Hannah Shaw, better known as Kitten Lady, has dedicated her life to saving the tiniest felines, but one doesn’t have to be a professional kitten rescuer to change—and save—lives. In Tiny but Mighty, Hannah not only outlines the dangers newborn kittens face and how she combats them, but how you can help every step of the way, from fighting feline overpopulation on the streets to fostering unweaned kittens, from combating illness to combating compassion fatigue, from finding a vet to finding the purrfect forever home. Filled with information on animal welfare, instructional guides, and personal rescue stories of kittens like Chloe, Tidbit, Hank, and Badger—not to mention hundreds of adorable kitten photos—Tiny but Mighty is the must-have kitten book for cat lovers, current-and-future rescuers, foster parents, activists, and advocates.

I managed to raise Morrigan and Enlil to adoption age, and adopted out Morrigan to an excellent home. I ended up adopting Enlil after she (stealthy girl) bonded to my ancient therapy cat, Pandemonium.

Tiny But Mighty is the closest thing to a textbook for anyone involved in Kitten Rescue. Hannah Shaw uses her years of experience and hard-won knowledge to lay out a comprehensive how-to guide.

This book covers literally everything. There are chapters explaining the correlation between Colony cats(AKA feral cats) and the high kitten shelter mortality rate, on what it takes to foster(surprisingly little!), on sicknesses and what to do, and how those who take on the monumental task of fostering should make a point to care for themselves. This is a definite must-read for anyone involved with cat care, especially kitten care.

I found Tiny But Mighty to be laid out in a similar format to a user-friendly textbook, filled with charts, graphs, pictures and punctuated with stories from Hannah’s own experiences in the field. Not all stories are happy, but all serve a purpose, illustrating the points in that particular chapter. The amazing pictures that fill the book do the same, uplifting and educating.

Looking back, I can see where I made some mistakes in my fostering. But, some things can only be learned through experience or education. I’m incredibly grateful to Hannah for sharing this incredible resource to the cat community.

That being said, Hannah’s work as the Kitten Lady has saved hundreds of lives, both directly and peripherally. If not for her website and YouTube channel, I would not have my delightful therapy-cat-in-training, Hurricane Enlil!

• Title: Tiny But Mighty: Kitten Lady’s Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines
  
• Author: Hannah Shaw
  
• Publisher: Plume/ Penguin Random House
• Released: August 6th, 2019
• Language: English
• Format: Trade Hardcover
• Pages: 336 pages