This ASPCA Kitten Graduation Ceremony Will Melt Your Heart

A group of healthy kittens is ready for adoption from the ASPCA on the Upper East Side after “graduating” from the Kitten Nursery.

The nursery, which opened for a trial run in the summer of 2014, offers 24/7 care for kittens too young to survive on their own. On Wednesday, the Gothamist released a video with an exclusive look into the graduation ceremony, which shows volunteers holding the little buggers as they play with tassels. Can you say adorable?

From May 2015 to October 2015, the facility took in over 1,500 kittens and graduated the ones ready for adoption around the corner at 424 E 92nd Street. According to Senior Manager Lourdes Bravo, this correlates with feline breeding season, and consequently, when shelters are overrun with kittens.

"We're so proud to say we were able to take on this many kittens — it's amazing," Bravo said.

Bravo says the Kitten Nursery cares for kittens ranging as young as a few days to a few weeks old. They’re ready once they’re at least eight weeks old, two pounds or heavier, and big enough for spay/neuter surgery.
Adorable, Adoptable Kittens "Graduate" From… by Gothamist

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ASPCA

“We like to celebrate our victories — they graduate on to being ready for adoption, so that’s where the idea for the ceremony came from,” Bravo said.

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ASPCA

The ASPCA also announced last week that 1,000 animals have been treated as a result of the NYPD partnership that launched last January.

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ASPCA

The Kitten Nursery program hopes to take on its second graduating class in April 2016. SHARE this adorable video with your friends and family and spread the word about this amazing program!