FOSTERING KITTENS

Help Us Save Tiny Lives Through Our Kitten Fostering Program!
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Kittens come in all different sizes, shapes, and needs. If you are new to fostering, then we recommend starting out with already weaned kittens (5-6 weeks and above) or a mama and kittens. Many people believe they don’t have the room and ability to foster. However, all you need is a bathroom or even a box/plastic tub for smaller kittens!

What We Provide

We provide so much of the care when it comes to foster kittens! If you have found a kitten or litter of kittens, they need to be brought immediately to the shelter for an initial assessment and we need to get you registered as a foster provider. This way, the kitten(s) will get initial vet care, vaccinations, deworming, microchips when they are big enough. We also strive to provide all of our bottle baby fosters with a can of kitten milk replacer, bottles, and nipples. We are working on getting kitten kits for all of our bottle baby fosters so that you have everything that you need all wrapped up in one, easy kit!

Here are the essentials that HSNBA provides:

  • For bottle babies: Kitten milk replacer, bottles/syringes, and nipples. We also have warmers available if needed.
  • Food and Litter: When needed, we can provide food and litter to our foster caregivers.
  • Fecal examinations and initial, limited dewormers (other dewormers available if needed and when seen by a vet): HSNBA will maintain parasite protection throughout the foster to adopt period
  • FVRCP Vaccinations starting at 4 weeks old and every 2-3 weeks until adopted or of age: HSNBA will maintain boosters throughout the foster to adopt period. All routine vet care (regular vaccine boosters, deworming, and flea protection) will be done by appointment at HSNBA.
  • Rabies Vaccination: A Rabies Vaccine will be given if the animal is old enough, healthy, and weighs enough. Since we do not have a vet on staff, and time is of the essence, we may need to send an animal out without a rabies shot. We will arrange for this to happen as soon as it is reasonable to do so.
  • Microchip & Spay/Neuter Surgery: It is state law that all animals adopted from animal shelters are microchipped and spayed or neutered and this is MANDATORY. As soon as an available surgery clinic opens, you will be notified via email with a date, and you must present the foster kitten the day of surgery, between 7:30 and 8am. The kitten will be ready to be formally adopted the day of the spay/neuter clinic, usually after 4pm.
  • Limited, extra vet care if needed and we have the additional funds available: In the event the pet needs more extensive veterinary care, the Program Manager must be notified, and the pet will need to be seen by a shelter associated veterinarian arranged by the Program Manager. If the foster would rather take the vet to their own veterinarian, they are 100% responsible for all charges and the Program Manger still needs to be contacted to keep them in the loop and notate the animal’s record.

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FOSTER KITTEN GUIDE

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What We Expect From Our Fosters

In order to provide the best outcomes for the kittens in our care, HSNBA may have to be flexible when it comes to our usual procedures – typically, all pets are microchipped, given a Rabies Vaccine and spayed or neutered PRIOR to adoption. However, if the shelter is overcrowded, and/or behind on vet services, or if the kitten is not well or old enough to receive these vet services, foster to adopt situations help the kitten get out of the shelter and into a loving home so the bonding process can begin. However, while the kitten is in a foster to adopt situation, HSNBA retains OWNERSHIP of the animal until it is formally and officially adopted after it has been given a Rabies shot and spayed or neutered.

Check Ins
Checking in is an essential aspect to kitten fostering! We are very flexible and value your time, but we do require foster kittens to come to HSNBA every 2-3 weeks for a vaccine, dewormer, and weight updates! Keeping up with kitten vaccines is crucial for the kittens overall health and wellbeing. Young kittens are MUCH more susceptible to common shelter related illnesses, such as panleukopenia, and need all of the extra protection possible to keep them alive and thriving! Kitten vaccines MUST be updated every 2-3 weeks in order to keep them as healthy as possible.
Kitten Adoptions
We understand after you have poured love, time, money and all the other stuff, you want to be involved in finding them a forever home! There are several ways this can happen: 1) You adopt the foster kitten(s) yourself if you are physically, emotionally, and financially able to do so. 2) You find a new home for your foster kitten(s) through family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc. 3) You pick an adopter from folks who have submitted applications directly to HSNBA 4) The kitten(s) are returned to the shelter for adoption. We find kittens are the MOST adoptable between 10 and 16 weeks, so it’s important to make sure if the foster home is not ACTIVELY seeking adoption placement, the foster kittens need to be returned to the shelter to be seen by adopters. The kitten must be maintained in the assigned foster home and cannot be transferred to another home without permission by the Cat or Dog Program Manager.
Quality Care
We do our best to provide foster caregivers with all of the resources and guidance they need throughout their foster experience! In return, we expect the kittens in our foster care system to receive a sanitary and safe environment to grow and thrive in. We are committed to assisting our foster caregivers every step of the way! We understand everyone has different restrictions on the time they can spend caring for their kittens, therefore, we can always match you up with a kitten or litter to fit your schedule!

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CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT OUR FOSTER KITTEN APP

TYPES OF FOSTER KITTENS

Not all kittens are created equal, but below is a quick breakdown of the types and ages of kittens and what is expected from our fosters.

Bottle Babies: 1-4 Weeks

This is a large grouping of kittens that range from newborns up to 4-5 weeks. These will take the most time, especially the younger that the kittens are. Bottle feedings can range anywhere from every 2 hours to every 5 hours. We usually reserve these for more experienced fosters. However, with proper training and some gusto, even new fosters can do older bottle babies in the 4-5 week range. We even have fosters that take their itty bitty bottle babies to work with them (provided management says it’s okay!).

Weaned Kittens: 5-6 Weeks+

5-6 week+ old kittens should be weaned (unless it’s taking a little longer, which is okay!). By 5-6 weeks old, kittens are eating on their own and can be home alone while you are at work. This age group just needs a little TLC and observation to keep any diarrhea in check, check for signs of illness and lethargy, and just give the kittens a place to “cat” and be socialized. These kittens are great for new fosters that are interested in the fostering process, but they don’t have a lot of time to devote. This time is meant for fattening them up, keeping them healthy, socializing, and keeping vaccines up to date until their neuter date.

Mama & Babies

Mama and babies are some of the easiest fosters to take care of! All you have to do is make sure mama is getting plenty of food and water and has a clean litter box, and she will do all of the work for you. We usually recommend a mama and kittens to new fosters who are wanting to learn the ropes of what fostering younger kittens entails. This also allows people who work outside of the home to foster because mama cat is taking care of everything, leaving you to finish your work day without worrying.

Hissy Spitty Kittens

These are older kittens brought in as “ferals”, i.e. not domesticated and unsocialized. Most of the hissy spitties we receive are between 5-10 weeks old. After that age, it is extremely difficult to tame down kittens. 10-12 week kittens and older usually go through our TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Program. Hissy spitties just need time and socialization. New fosters can be involved with feral kittens, but they are a little different from your domesticated kittens. We will give you advice on properly socializing and tips and tricks to successfully teach these little feisties that humans are okay!

Important things to know about kittens – click on any of the following to learn more!

WEANING

DETERMINING AGE

KITTEN SUPPLIES

BOTTLE FEEDING

STIMULATING KITTENS

ASSESSING HEALTH

PANLEUKOPENIA

UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS

COCCIDIA

GI PARASITES

DETERMINING AGE

The Joys and Limitations of Kitten Fostering

As a kitten foster, you will have one of the most rewarding and heartwarming responsibilities anyone can have in sheltering. However, there are times when it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Kittens are fragile and highly susceptible to many illnesses. Therefore, sometimes no matter how hard you try, it is still possible to experience death and sick kittens during your foster experience. We do our absolute best at HSNBA to ensure the kittens we send to foster are healthy and thriving, but we do not have a vet on staff so things can be missed occasionally. Although things can get rough, we are always here to support our foster caregivers, even if all you need is a shoulder to cry on. It’s important not to let the risks discourage you! Most of the time, fostering is a joyful and fun experience for the whole family, we just like to make all potential foster caregivers aware of the possibility of your kittens getting sick.

Here is a great article from The Spruce Pets discussing the various health threats that kittens can face.

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT OUR FOSTER KITTEN APP

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