Take a heartwarming behind the scenes look at the lifesaving work happening 'round the clock inside our Kitten Nursery.

Story by Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Tucked away in the back corner of St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center is a small room in which miracles happen every week, if not on a daily basis. The gentle hum of nebulizers and incubators can be heard alongside calming music in the otherwise quiet room, until a chorus of squeaky meows takes over at each feeding time.

Welcome to the Kitten Nursery, otherwise known as the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU.

Meet Lucas

Lucas arrived at the Kitten Nursery unresponsive, covered in maggots and totally emaciated. "It was crazy how skinny he was," said nursery manager Samantha Friedman, who has been a veterinary technician for approximately 18 years.

He was found lying on the side of a driveway, alone. His eyes were infected and scarred from being eaten by maggots.

Following three weeks of intensive care, his infections are gone. He still spends his days in an incubator, and goes home with Friedman at night because he's still being bottle-fed and needs to eat every four hours.

"Now he's a thriving, robust fatty boy," said Friedman. "I already have several people interested in (adopting) him, but he has another month to go."

'Fight for the little guys'

The Kitten Nursery opened in April, three years after the idea was born. Friedman had gotten in trouble for parking in the fire zone because she was bringing 10 carriers of sick or neonatal kittens to her home at night and bringing them back each morning for her next shift.

"We can't rely on me and two other vet techs to shlep them home and stay up all night," she said, describing how the idea came about. "We're St. Hubert's, let's have a nursery."

Friedman spoke with former president Heather Cammisa, and together with other staff members and volunteers, got the ball of yarn rolling to "fight for the little guys," the motto Friedman uses for the nursery.

The kittens here need around-the-clock neonatal care, which includes multiple feedings each day and medications to treat illnesses such as upper respiratory infections and anemia.

"The mortality rate of kittens that are too young to be adopted in shelters is very high," said Friedman. "Most shelters don't have the resources or time to put into it, so a lot of these kittens don't make it."

Now that St. Hubert's has this facility, they are able to pull kittens from partner shelters and provide the care they would not otherwise receive. South Jersey can get very overwhelmed with kittens, said Friedman, and there are currently two kittens in the nursery from South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter in Vineland.

In the six months since the Kitten Nursery has been open, 275 underage and critical kittens have come through, with a 90 to 95 percent success rate.

There are three incubators and 11 cages in the nursery, although at times two of the cages may be joined together to make a larger space for a feral cat and her kittens. An incubator is used to maintain a kitten's body temperature, which a neonatal or sick kitten is unable to do on its own. These specialized incubators, which cost approximately $800 each, also have adjustable humidity levels, which helps them breathe, and built-in nebulizers to pump in much needed medication.

"The whole thing is filled with steam or their medication, they're breathing it in and they don't even know. It's totally stress-free," said Friedman. "This is the coolest thing ever."

Smokey's story

It's not just neonatal kittens who are treated in the nursery -- there are some older kittens that need specialized care as well.

Smokey, who is about 3 months old, was brought in by a woman doing TNR.

"He was emaciated, I mean, skin and bones, the worst fleas, his gums were just pale white, he wouldn't eat, he had a severe upper respiratory infection," said Friedman. "He had all the things wrong with him."

The fleas caused anemia so severe that his internal organs have been affected. He has an enlarged spleen and swollen intestines, which in turn has made his belly large.

"He is very slowly but surely making baby steps," she said. "He just needs time."

Feral moms and their kittens

The nursery can also accommodate feral cat moms and their kittens by turning two single cages into one double unit. This allows the staff and volunteers to "shush" the momma to one side -- as a stray, they're not usually friendly enough to be handled -- in order to clean the cage and provide necessary care for the kittens.

Once the kittens are old enough to go into foster care, the mom is spayed and usually returned to her community, or if she was found in an unsafe location, they will search for a new home, such as a barn, to place her at.

"It's really interesting to watch these feral moms with their babies," said Friedman. "As much as they don't want to be social with people, given the chance to just be in a relaxing environment where you leave them alone, they are the most terrific mothers."

Dedication

There are times when Friedman stays overnight in the Kitten Nursery when cases come in that are super-critical. While she can take home the stabilized kittens which still require care during the nighttime hours, there are times when kittens are too weak to be moved.

"We work our butts off to save them, and the volunteers are a huge thing," she said. The volunteers help clean the cages, assist with animal care, and anything else that needs to be done.

When the chores of the shift are done -- with as many as 30 to 40 kittens in the nursery at one time, it can seem as if they're never really done -- there is a special time that everyone enjoys: kitten cuddle time. The volunteers and staff sit around in their gowns, and hold the kittens who are not super-critical, giving them love and affection. They also use a toothbrush -- which simulates their mother's tongue -- to pet them, and it helps the kittens relax and de-stress, which helps them heal faster.

"We really dote on these guys, which helps them survive."

Friedman and St. Hubert's is always searching for more volunteers. "I could not do this without them ... They have been angels for me."

Grundgetta, the trash can kitty

Grundgetta and her sibling arrived in the nursery after being found in a garbage can.

"Somebody threw them away," said Friedman.

While her sibling did not survive the ordeal, Grundgetta -- who was named after Oscar the Grouch's girlfriend -- is experiencing her own little miracle. She receives subcutaneous fluids to help with dehydration, and still sometimes needs to be fed with a syringe, but is on her way to having a bright future.

How you can help

Volunteers are always welcomed in the Kitten Nursery, as well as other departments at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. There is always a need for more fosters who can care for kittens as they grow old enough to be spayed or neutered and await adoption. If you don't have time to give, but still want to help, check out the Kitten Nursery's Amazon.com wishlist. You can also donate items at the shelter or make a monetary donation.