HAMPTON, Va. — They're collectively known as the Rugrats.
Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil are 7-week-old rescued kittens that will be ready for adoption soon.
For now, their foster mom is Larissa Steblen. She's a volunteer at The Cat Corner, Inc., a nonprofit, no-kill shelter in Hampton.
"They've been rescuing cats since 1981, so this is actually our 40th year doing this."
The shelter, run entirely by volunteers, has had its share of ups and downs amid the pandemic.
"We went to appointment only, so it's been a little bit tough not having people to able to come freely into the shelter," said Steblen. "But we actually had pretty strong numbers, especially with adult cats right at the beginning of the summer at 2020."
The Cat Corner, Inc. relies on donations, which go in part to crucial medical care.
"We get in a lot of very young animals, sometimes medically fragile animals," said Steblen. "Or sometimes, we have cats that just stay with us at the shelter, and they have continuing financial needs, veterinary needs."
Steblen said it's all a labor of love to ensure cats and kittens, like the Rugrats, are ready when it's time to go home.
"No matter where our backgrounds are or where we've come from, we are here for these cats and kittens," said Steblen. "We really want to see the best for them."
The Cat Corner, Inc. occasionally has dogs for adoption as well. To learn more, visit www.thecatcornerinc.com.
You can help the shelter reach its $7,500 goal or meet its need for more volunteers at GiveLocal757.org. You can also help many other organizations at the Give Local 757 website.