As Nicole Andrews steps into her laundry room, she’s greeted by five kittens, all siblings several weeks old.

Two loiter on the washing machine while the rest hang out on the cat perch, calmly eyeing their new visitor.

“I’m just sitting on them for a week or two to make sure they don’t get sick. In the meantime, I’m giving them antibiotics to support their immune systems.”

The Whalley home is not a cat shelter, however, and rarely keeps kittens for any length of time – other than Andrews’ own four cats.

Andrews is the Surrey coordinator for Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue (VOKRA), which adopts out feral kittens that are trapped at several sites throughout the Lower Mainland.

“These four are from one litter and then this little girl was a feral kitten that the SPCA gave us. She’s from a different litter.

“These guys are all very cute and very adoptable. They’re not skittish at all. You can pick them up. And they’re interested in whatever you’re doing. That’s their job.”

They were born in the wild, and were trapped recently near a building in Bridgeview and one of two productive trapping spots in a Newton industrial park.

Since being caught, they have tamed well and have seen a vet.

“Over the next week, if they don’t get sick, these guys will all go on the (VOKRA) website, so they’ll have a picture and a little description about them,” Andrews says.

Website visitors can get a feel of the cats’ personalities.

Andrews points out a black kitten in a cubbyhole.

“This little girl, for instance, she’s not too friendly with other cats, so she can get adopted by herself.”

She picks up a black-and-white male.

“This little guy here, he’s a little terrorizer, so I’ll encourage whoever takes him to adopt another kitten or at least have another cat at home. He really likes to play.”

VOKRA, in operation since 2001, adopts out about 800 cats per year with the help of about 150 foster homes that care for the kittens until they’re about eight weeks old and ready to be adopted.

VOKRA’s move to Surrey was fairly recent, and Andrews gets organizational help from the Vancouver head office and regional volunteers.

The organization has no cat shelter, and keeps the kittens in small groups to isolate them from contagious diseases.

The small number of feral cats that cannot be tamed are – once spayed or neutered – adopted by farmers who use them to kill rodents or are re-released where they came from, if the area is deemed safe enough.

Andrews understands it’s easy to get attached to the felines, but works to remain objective.

“I try not to name kittens because I don’t want to keep kittens. I don’t want to get too attached to them – they’re all really cute.”

(The exception: Foot Fetish Fred. “He likes to lick toes.”)

Back in the kitchen, Andrews picks up Mini, one of four adult cats that came with the house or neighbourhood when she moved in. They’re all fixed.

A pair of human visitors have arrived at the Andrews home as well: veteran cat trapper Mona Boucher and Andrews’ neighbour, Sabrina Hingston.

Hingston, the first among VOKRA’s kitten foster parents in Surrey, has brought with her a bewitching, pocket-sized, five-week-old grey kitten with a white bib and white paws.

The tiny female lounges comfortably on Hingston’s left shoulder.

“That little one’s so funny,” coos Andrews.

“That little kitten is going to be very adoptable and very bonded to people because she has no kitten friends. She’s almost like a bottle-fed kitten. She’s going to talk you, want attention, suckle on you...”

VOKRA’s primary need is foster homes for kittens. Next comes the need for storage space (empty sheds, garages), volunteers to help transport cats, donations of cat food and cash for veterinary bills and finally volunteer cat trappers. (The bait is usually canned salmon, and trapping is done after dusk).

Andrews explains for foster kittens, not much space is needed.

“The bathroom is a good place to foster kittens. There’s nothing in there that they can get into trouble with as far as hiding. They have room to walk around. If there’s an accident, you can wipe it up.

“And they’re forced to see you because they can’t hide. If I let those new kittens out, they’d be underneath the couch and we’d be flipping up couches trying to get them back.”

For more information about the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue, visit www.www.orphankittenrescue.com. The website gallery shows kittens ready for adoption as well as volunteer opportunities.