The Brightside: Cedarcrest Homestead Foster Tails & Kitten Rescue

WICOMICO Co., Md. – In the efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and find a home for kittens across Wicomico County, one organization just opened a new space to effectively carry out that mission. Cedarcrest Homestead Foster Tails & Kitten Rescue aims to rescue and adopt as many kittens as possible. With growing concern over the kitten and cat population in Wicomico County, foster parents say they’re working overtime to help take some of the pressure off of places like the humane society.

“The shelter has nowhere to house kittens. I have 87 kittens, other fosters have 10 and 20 kittens in their house,” says founder, Leigh Lampert, President of Cedarcrest Foster Tails and Kitten Rescue. She adds, “So we had nowhere for our foster kittens to be seen or meet potential adopters.”

Lampert tells us, she has been fostering kittens for a few years, specializing in bottle-fed kittens, and is now the kitten foster coordinator. Last year Lampert fostered out of her home but was quickly running out of space. That’s when a brick-and-mortar became available and she pounced​ at the opportunity. “We foster for them and they provide all the bedding, medications, spays, and neuters for us, this is the space where they come where they can meet potential adopters once they’re vaccinated and they can roam free safely.”

Part of their new space is the Kitty Kafe where curious potential pet owners can come in grab a coffee, or a snack, via donation, and “Grab a kitten go in one of the cuddle rooms snuggle a kitten, and hopefully get lots of kittens adopted when they meet their new family member,” says Lampert. “It’s incredibly helpful because we’ve had several people that are just curious about the space and have no intention of adopting a kitten and they leave filling out an application and adopting a kitten.”

While community members can come in on weekends to see these cuties, Lampert says the behind-the-scenes work to help these fur babies get adopted is the real reason she does it. “Seeing them grow and going into their adoptive homes and getting updates from those families and seeing how happy and loved those kittens are, I mean that’s all I can ask for 11 16 It’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of hours put in, I put in eight hours at work and another eight hours of kitten care act home,” says Lampert.

Each weekend, Lampert says they’re seeing 150-200 people come through their doors, also allowing them to educate the community on how to help keep the kitty population down, while also caring for the current one. “People have to spay and neuter their animals; I mean in this day and time there’s no reason to not have your animal spayed and neutered,” says Lampert.

While were told the ultimate goal would be to have all kittens adopted, until then, Lampert says they’re growing every day and they want to be the ones to assist in the efforts to get them into loving homes. “I already see us outgrowing this space probably in a year.” Lampert adds, “Their journey is what makes it worth it, the kittens’ journey.”

Lampert says her organization is working on becoming a non-profit. However, they are always in need of donations such as kitten food, formula, crates, and blankets, especially as kitten season is in full bloom.

They’re open every weekend from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and open during the week by appointment.

For more information, visit their Facebook page.