HOMETOWN PROFILE: Youngstown woman’s new rescue organization is the cat’s meow | News, sports, jobs
Gia DeAscentis holds Cera, Ducky and Tulip, some of the newborn kittens she rescues and cares for. The Youngstown woman runs the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, a kitten rescue organization. Corresponding photo / Amanda Davis
YOUNGSTOWN — Gia DeAscentis is making a career change that leaves behind one set of her “children” for another.
As difficult as she said the decision was, DeAscentis is leaving her job as a full-time intervention specialist at Stambaugh Charter Academy in Youngstown to focus on rescuing her kitten.
She operates the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, a small home-based rescue dedicated to orphaned kittens, special needs kittens, and neonatal kittens in need of intensive care.
DeAscentis, 33, a 2009 Boardman High School graduate, works 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but said the stress of raising children with traumatic needs has gotten to her.
“I’m at my wits end,” she said, explaining that becoming a full-time rescuer and zookeeper will be a welcome change. “I just needed a reset.”
She said she always felt motherly towards her students and rescues. “The kids at school are my kids, and these (kittens) are my kids,” she said.
The self-described introvert said she has had a lifelong connection with animals and that kitten rescue helped her get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s an outlet for me,” she said. “I don’t see it as a burden.”
Kittens can become pregnant at four months, a problem DeAscentis said was exacerbated by the pandemic when clinics closed and no one was rescuing cats or fixing them.
“They reproduced like crazy,” she said. “Kittens having kittens… it’s so sad.”
When the mother cat isn’t around or can’t care for her kittens, DeAscentis said they need around-the-clock specialized care to survive. She provides this, she said, because the alternative is often euthanasia.
DeAscentis said neonatal kittens range in age from newborn to three weeks old and that kitten season begins in April. Because of limited space, she does not accept kittens older than 3 weeks.
One of his most difficult recent cases involved a kitten named “Champ” who could fit in the palm of his hand. He was kept in an incubator in the dining room and couldn’t swallow on his own, so she fed him with a small tube every hour.
DeAscentis said Champ fought back and, despite his best efforts, passed away.
“I try to take comfort in the fact that he was loved and cared for his entire life, however brief it was,” DeAscentis said.
She lives close enough to Stambaugh to run home on breaks to feed the kittens if necessary, and at night, DeAscentis wakes up every few hours to feed the most distressed of them.
“I’ve always had a restless sleep schedule,” she said, explaining that it doesn’t really bother her.
She is also the owner of Pawsitivity Youngstown, LLC, an in-home service she started to provide a peaceful, low-stress environment for pet care.
DeAscentis started in rescue in 2016 when she worked at a kennel and attended Youngstown State University. She said a friend called her for help with a rescue case because “she knew I loved animals.”
She admits she prefers animals to people and said she was involved in 4-H and dog shows when she was a child.
Her boyfriend, Richie Dickinson, a postal worker, agrees with her career change because he also loves cats, she said.
They have five cats and two dogs as pets, and all but one of the dogs are rescues. In addition, she takes care of five rescued kittens and three more who are temporarily staying at a neighbor’s house.
DeAscentis partners with Rebel Rescue Ranch, a nonprofit based in Downtown Berlin, and works with other nonprofits, including West Side Cats.
Sheri Hufnagel, a volunteer with West Side Cats, called DeAscentis “amazing” and said she helped save many kittens’ lives.
She said DeAscentis also offers classes to teach people how to bottle feed.
“She’s one of the only people in the area who takes the time to save little ones,” Hufnagel said. “She is much appreciated.”
Some veterinarians come to her for help when they hear about newborn kittens in distress, and DeAscentis said she has a Facebook page that allows her to interact with other rescuers in Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
DeAscentis uses its own money and donations to cover vaccinations, medical expenses for spaying and neutering, vet visits, medications, food and supplies.
She also has an Amazon wish list to help cover the cost of supplies. To learn more, visit www.ittybittykittycommittee.org.
To suggest a Friday profile, contact Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com or Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.
