About Us
Smitten With That Kitten Staff
We are a proud pride of dedicated fosters for kittens between the ages of newborn - 6 months!
Allison RK Brueckner, Founder
Allison is a retired librarian. She is an avid animal lover. Allison started fostering in May of 2021. It all started with that one kitten, the one that we all were smitten with... thus, Smitten With That Kitten! Allison learned, very quickly, that the resources available to foster families were not readily available so she was determined to start her own resource center and services specifically for fostering young kittens with the specific intent of accessibility.
Sven Brueckner, Co-Founder
Sven is a computer scientist and kitten foster Dad on the side and in between! Sven named our business because he and we were all smitten with that kitten! Sven is the one who typically takes the risks for us and handles more of the heavier logistics in our operations. However, all technicalities aside, Sven is also a Master kitten lover!
Frances ("Franzi") Brueckner, Wet Nurse
Frances (aka: Franzi) was our very first foster kitten in May of 2021. She won the heart of Sven, who knew that this little feline would join our pride as a permanent resident. Franzi is now our Wet Nurse. When new kittens arrive, Franzi is there to groom, teach, discipline, play and babysit. She is well suited for this specific job.
Ryan Kopczynski-Brueckner, Kitten Master and Sitter
Ryan is 18 years old and has had cats all his life. He has experience raising and bottle feeding kittens, as well as keeping a feeding schedule. He understands cat behavior and is careful about making sure the kittens are as comfortable as possible, especially when they are introduced to other animals. Ryan is also very respectful of other cats when pet sitting and takes his job seriously when caring for cats outside of his home.
The Pride
Bast, Atlas, Charlie, Tyler & Diana
This is the rest of the Pride. Bast is our oldest, at 10 years old. Atlas is next, at 9 years old. Then Charlie at 8 years old, Diana is 7 years old and Tyler is 6 years old. Whenever we foster kittens, each will be socialized with the entire pride. All in little bits, of course. Bast, being the senior, is the most reserved. He is content with leaning back and watching the operation go by without a care. Atlas is pretty much the same. Charlie, however, is the Guardian. He likes to stay close to the kittens and just watch them, which is why we dubbed him the Guardian. Tyler is a mean kitty, truth be told. He's just a grumpy, mean kitty. So, we allow him to interact only under supervision. Surprisingly, he is quite the gentle giant with the babies. Diana, our one and only canine within the pride, is a rescue. She's a pit-mix and is a huge love button. She loves to give the kittens baths and will even play with the older kittens. Each of these members of our pride play an important role in the care and socialization of our kittens.