Advice on Fostering Kittens
Posted by juliana on February 10th, 2008 filed in CatsFostering kittens is lots of fun as well as hard work. Most of the time, you are playing the parental role in the kitten’s life. I have fostered kittens for a few years, and it is a very rewarding experience. Many young kittens (old cats too) are euthanized, especially in spring (kitten season). By fostering these kittens, you are giving them another chance in life. If you are fostering kittens, or considering fostering kittens, I have found that this is useful information.
FOOD
When they are kittens, they should have dry food and (for cats of any age) water available at all times.
There are different types of dry food for different ages of kittens, for example, there is food for mothers and their (about 2-8 week old) kittens, which is usually small, and has plenty of nutrition for very young kittens and nursing mothers ( I use Royal Canin), and then there is food for older kittens (8 weeks-six months) with the right nutrition for them(I use IAMS). Kittens should be fed canned food twice a day (some good brands are; Friskies and Fancy Feast).
HEALTH
If your foster kitten was a stray or was in a shelter with a lot of cats it is possible that he/she could be sick. The younger the kitten is the more susceptible to disease. If you have very young kittens, you should keep a close eye on them. Here is a bit about different sicknesses:
Ringworm: ringworm is probably the most important sickness. If your kitten does have ringworm it is important to find it early on, because it is quite contagious. People and cats can both get it. If you think your kitten is likely to have it, look for a spot where there isn’t much fur, and somewhere in there you will find a brown or reddish/pink circle. If you find this DON’T touch it or you will get it too. Call the shelter you are fostering for or the shelter’s vet’s office to get the right medicine. The kittens that have it can be kept together, but keep them away from other cats until they are completely healed. Check all the cats that the contagious kittens were with.
Runny Noses: runny noses aren’t always serious but they can be uncomfortable for the kitten, and you probably don’t want to take them to the adoption fair until they’re healed. They are a symptom of an upper respiratory infection. Call the shelter you’re fostering for or their vet’s office to ask what medicine (if any) is needed. Meanwhile daily, or more depending on how bad it is, apply a warm, wet rag, washcloth, or hand towel to the kitten’s nose and hold for as long as the kitten let’s you, continue daily (or more) to do this until all the crusty stuff on the nose is gone.
Eye Infections: Another sickness is an eye infection. You can tell if your kitten has this pretty easily, your kitten’s eye will be swelling or will have some gooey green, yellow or brown discharge around the eye. Contact your shelter for medication, which is usually applied onto the eye or eyelid with a Q-tip. An important thing to know when your foster kitten gets sick is how to give medication. To give a kitten medication out of a dropper, hold the kitten in your lap and poke the dropper into the side of the kitten’s mouth (not too deep) and squirt. If your kitten struggles a lot, as many do, it may help to have another person to hold the kitten.
Diarrhea: diarrhea is often caused when their litter is not scooped often enough (daily is good), they’re not getting the right nutrition, or as a side-effect of another sickness (sometimes serious, sometimes not, you just have to wait and see). If they have diarrhea, scoop their litter often, and give them small amounts of canned pumpkin or plain or vanilla yogurt (sometimes yogurt only makes it worse though).
SOCIALIZATION
When you first get your kittens they may have been strays or were abused, if this is the case it will take a while for you to gain their trust, but it will be worth it. One of the most important things is patience. Let them come to you on their own time, not yours. I know it’s really exciting, and you just want to run up and cuddle them, but this will only scare them. Over time they will realize that you won’t hurt them, and that you only bring them good, safety, food, and toys. It took quite a while for a foster kitten I had, named Dee Dee, but she turned out to be one of the sweetest kittens I have ever met. In the end it was completely worth it, because she found a loving home with her sister. Once they come to you, let them get used to your smell and a little bit of petting. Over time in small steps, you will have a very sweet kitten.
PLAY
Play is an important part of a kitten’s life. In the wild, they play to learn how to hunt, although domestic kittens don’t need to hunt, play is still important. You should supply your kitten with plenty of toys; a scratching post (if your kitten has a scratching post, he/she is less likely to do anything to your furniture, more about this in “Training”), toy mice, balls, feather toys, etc. If you are fostering or considering fostering more than one kitten, you will notice them playing among themselves. Sometimes it may seem rough and like a real fight, but usually it is just play. But, if you notice teeth bared and a lot of hissing, especially if one’s smaller than the other, you may want to try to lure one away, but don’t get in between them.
TRAINING
Training is sometimes hard but if you want to find your kitten a good home it is necessary. Biting and scratching are some big problems. If your kitten bites or scratches you while she’s in your lap stand up, if you’re petting her, stop, if you’re holding her, put her down, each of these with a firm, rather loud “No!” She’ll learn that if she wants attention she has to behave. If it’s your furniture that’s being attacked, make sure you have a scratching post, sometimes this will be the simple ‘problem solved’. If she still is scratching/biting your furniture use a firm “No!” or shake or rattle something. Another tactic is a spray bottle, whenever your kitten scratches your furniture spray her, just a little bit though. An important thing to make the spray bottle work is to make sure your kitten can’t see that you are spraying her, this will make her think that when she scratches your furniture she is sprayed with water and will stop. This may seem cruel, but it isn’t , this isn’t hurting your kitten, just getting her a little bit wet and surprised.
ADOPTION
Even if your kitten isn’t yet old enough to go to an adoption fair, most shelters will want a biography in advance, a biography will tell about their personalities, likes and dislikes, and the way they look. The biography that goes onto the shelter’s website should also have a picture of the kitten. It is good to do their biography and take their picture early so that people can put them on hold when they’re still really cute. If the kitten has siblings that haven’t yet been adopted, include the name of one of them that your kitten is pals with, so that people might consider two. In the case of two your kitten won’t be as scared going to his/her new home, and it will probably be easier for you too, knowing that your kitten won’t be alone. Once, I was fostering a litter of four two-week-old kittens and since I put up their biographies when they were still little they all got put on hold. I included their sibling’s names and they were all adopted in pairs.
An Adoption Fair is somewhere you drop your kitten(s) off, usually at a pet store on the weekends with people from the shelter. They will go in a cage with their siblings (if any) or sometimes with another cat if they get along and people will come to adopt them. It is very rare for all the kittens to get adopted at the first fair, because there are lots of other cats, so don’t get your hopes up.
LETTING GO
When your kitten finds a home it can be really hard to say goodbye. You’ve taken care of this kitten since he/she ( I’ll use she for now) was little and have formed a close relationship with her. You’re so glad she found a home, but then, you’re sad too, this is goodbye, probably forever. Here are some ways to make goodbye easier: Send a toy with your kitten to her new home, send along the rest of her bag of food or treats, spend a lot of time with her before she leaves, telling her how much you love her, how much you’ll miss her, and how you hope she’ll be happy in her home.
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February 8th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
[…] like taking pictures of my foster kittens. They are always napping or playing, and both of these activities make cute pictures. One of the […]