Fostering Kittehs!: THE VARIOUS STEPS OF FOSTERING

In the normal course of fostering, there are many things that need to be done to ensure that kittens are all prepared to transition from their foster home to their forever home.

These are the things that I normally do when I first welcome a batch of kittens into my home:

1. CLIP THEIR NAILS - most kittens come to me with unclipped nails and they are like daggers! One nail in your skin can be very painful and if a sharp nail catches on a piece of clothing, it can easily ruin it. Most kittens are fine with having their nails clipped. The ones that protest are put into a "purrito" (swaddled tightly into a towel or blanket) and then I just pull out each paw and then clip them quickly. If the kitten still protests, then I just let them go and try another time ... or even when they are sleeping.

2. BATH TIME - I don't always bathe my foster kittens. It all depends on the condition they are in when they arrive. Some kittens are perfectly fine and I just let them groom themselves. Other kittens may come from not-so-ideal conditions (living outside or hoarder conditions), and so I give them a quick bath. I'm lucky enough to have an enclosed shower stall, so I just get into the stall with the kitten and we both have a little shower together.

Opalescence, Alexandrite, Onyx & Miss Amber

3. DE-WORMING - kittens are given a deworming pill (1/2 on the day I receive them and the other 1/2 exactly 15 days later). Most kittens are good about taking their pill. I just open their little mouths and put the 1/2 pill at the back of their throats. I quickly close their mouths and touch their noses so that they lick it, which results in them swallowing the pill at the same time. I always open their mouths again to check that the pill is indeed down their throats.

4. VACCINATIONS - this is always the part that I dread having to do to kittens. Not only because I have to hold the kittens down while the vaccinator puts a needle into the kittens, but also the potential side effects that might happen after the vaccination. Fosters are instructed to monitor their kittens for adverse side effects from the vaccine as these can be harmful, and in some cases may cause long-term issues and even death.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR AFTER VACCINATION

Lethargy (shows little interest in anything, has little to no energy, etc.)
Diarrhea and/or vomiting
Lameness in limbs (Is the cat limping or having difficulty walking?)
No appetite
Fever
Withdrawn behavior (Is the cat huddled, crouched with head down, or has its eyes closed for a long time?)
Any vaccine that has dripped out of the wound – in this case please wipe the area with warm water NOTE: Avoid using an alcohol pad to wipe off any dripped vaccine as this neutralizes the administered vaccination

The runt of my litter, Hermione, showed some of the above signs: diarrhea, vomiting and no appetite.

I quickly emailed my foster coordinator, the vaccination team and put in a medical form into VOKRA. I was swiftly told by my foster coordinator to call Karen, the co-founder of VOKRA, for further instructions. They don't mess around when it comes to sick kitties!

Karen asked me to check the kitten's gums - where they white and pale? No, they were not (whew)! Was she drinking water? Yes, she was drinking lots of water. Apparently this is a good thing. With Hermione vomiting and having diarrhea, she would have become dehydrated very quickly, so the fact that she was drinking water was a very good sign. Was she lethargic? No, she was actually playing and purring up a storm in bed with me. So, with that checklist done, I was told to watch her through the night to make sure that she didn't take a turn for the worse.

Hermione and I played in my bed until almost midnight before I turned off the light so that we both could get some shut eye.

I'm so happy to report that although Hermione did not use the facilities or eat all night, she did wake up looking fine and even had a bit of breakfast this morning.

Hermione (aka Hermie)

5. BIOGRAPHIES & PICTURES - After getting to know the kittens and their personalities a little better, fosters have to write a bio for each kitten to go onto the adoption page (http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/ready_to_adopt). I always try to take a ton of pictures of each kitten to accompany their bios. Pictures can say a thousand words, so the better the picture, the greater the chance (I think) that my kittens will stand out amongst the crowd.

6. HEALTH UPDATES - VOKRA has a database that keeps track of all the kittens/cats that come into their care. As fosters, we must assist VOKRA to keep that database up-to-date. So, I am routinely updating the database with kittens' names (I love naming my kittens!), photos, type of food and litter they use, when they were given their deworming medication and vaccinations, if they required defleaing medication and on the odd occasion I have a mother cat, when I've had her spayed and tattooed.

7. VIEWINGS - Once one (or more!) of my kittens is/are chosen by a prospective adopter, I must make arrangements with that adopter to come to my home and view/play/get to know my kitten(s). I've had viewings last as short as 15 minutes, to viewings that have gone up to 2 hours. Usually the ones that last hours are first-time pet owners, so they have A LOT of questions. I try to answer each question as best I can.

After all that, it's just a waiting game. I hope that the stars align and that each one of my kittens find their perfect forever homes.