Top Five Tips for Fostering Kittens

Tyler Petty, RVT

Once I graduated from veterinary technician school, I knew I wanted to become a foster mom for kittens and puppies. Growing up, I couldn’t have cats because the majority of my family is allergic so fostering was the perfect solution: I could get my kitten fix and help them find their forever homes in the process. In the past nine years, I have had the pleasure of helping dozens of kittens ranging from a few days old to eight weeks old stay alive and find their forever homes. This is the most crucial socialization period in a kitten’s life.  

I have dogs and ferrets so the kittens who stay with me are exposed to different noises, smells, and animals to help them acclimate to their new surroundings. Their first few weeks of life is all about survival – they eat, sleep, and poop, just like a human baby does. Their eyes and ears are closed until around two weeks of age and once they open, the kittens are on the move, exploring the new sounds and sights of their environment. Typically, their mom would be the one to teach them how to walk, play, and stay safe. Without a mama cat, you become their parent. You clean them, feed them, keep them safe, and guide them through their early life. I have learned a few tricks along the way that I wanted to share with anyone who might want to try fostering kittens. 

1. It is a 24/7 job: Being a foster parent means that you have babies who need your care and attention especially if they are under six weeks old! I have had my fair share of bottle babies. They need to be fed, stimulated to go to the bathroom, kept warm, and given love every two hours, including overnight! When I had five or six babies needing to be fed every two hours, I get maybe three hours of sleep total. If I wasn’t up every two hours, those babies wouldn’t have survived. As they get older, they start to run around, cause chaos, and become very messy. For instance, they start to eat gruel and the mess is so “fun” that they need a bath every time they eat!
2. Invest in an incubator: Incubators are amazing for the smallest babies who are not able to regulate their temperature yet. An incubator keeps them from burning themselves as they might with a heating pad or microwavable rice pack and it maintains a set temperature so the kitten doesn’t get cold. Using a heating pad or rice pack isn’t a big no-no, however, it has more cons than pros compared to an incubator. If you are using a heat pad or rice pack, be sure it is wrapped in a towel so it doesn’t directly touch the kittens and they can move away from it if they are too hot.  
3. Work with a local shelter: Working at a vet clinic, I have come by the vast majority of my fosters at work. However, I do work with a few shelters and rescues who always need foster homes for the kittens they take in. Sometimes mom comes with the kittens, which helps with some of the work that goes into raising them. Then you get the added bonus of helping mom as well. Many of the moms that are taken to a shelter or rescue are feral, meaning they have had little to no contact or socialization with people and they can be very difficult to handle. The kittens are able to get 100% of their nutrition and care from mom, so our job shifts to socializing mom and caring for her needs. The shelters and rescues provide you with food, litter, toys, beds, bowls, etc., everything needed for the fosters. They keep in contact with you and provide advice and help, especially once the babies are old enough to be weaned and adopted.  
4. Kitten proof your house: Kittens are very inquisitive little creatures. They are full of energy and like to explore. From Kitten Lady, “…you want to make sure there is not a trash can or toilet they can fall into, a curtain they can climb, a toxic plant they can eat, a small space they can hide or get stuck in.” It is amazing how much trouble they can get into and it isn’t their fault! Be sure they are in a room where the door can be latched to prevent the kittens from getting out as well as other animals getting in. They are able to climb up furniture, blinds, curtains, etc., so if you own anything you do not want them to possibly ruin, move them to a place where they will not have access. Think of it as getting ready for a new baby – you need to be sure they can’t open the cabinets and get into chemicals or trash or fall off of a piece of furniture or down the stairs.  
5. Routine: Having a routine is not only going to help you keep track of their needs, but it will also help the kittens settle into their new environment a lot faster. The age of the kitten is imperative as far as a feeding schedule is concerned but this also goes for enrichment and the TLC they need during their different developmental milestones. Kittens who are only 2 weeks old are just starting to open their eyes and ears as well as just starting to move around more. Introducing a bunch of toys at this stage will not be beneficial to their development. Instead consider changes in your routine as they develop, slowly introducing new sounds every day.

These five tips/tricks are what I’ve found over the last nine years of raising babies. I still learn something new every time I take in a new litter. If you have thought about opening your heart and home to a litter of foster kittens, I applaud you and I hope the helps in guiding you with some of the necessary research to be sure you are prepared for the commitment you have made. It is so rewarding to help these babies become confident, sweet cats for their new families, and we all know there are many out there who need our help. Thank you so much for reading!