Advice for Beginners
Make sure you have a place to keep fosters separated. I know many foster homes that let kittens mingle with their own cats, but I have first hand experience of how dangerous that can be. It can take six weeks for illness to show up (and even to be tested for accurately)
Most Rewarding Aspects of Fostering
watching fearful and shy kittens blossom into loving adorable cats and knowing you made the difference
Saddest Aspects of Fostering
no matter what, kittens die. You can do everything right, and things can go horribly wrong. You can make sure you only take older or healthy kittens, but there are still going to be times when it just doesn't work out.
Temptation to Keep Cats and/or Kittens
The temptation is HUGE. I find when I take in only kittens, or I have kittens that have had medical issues, I want to keep them, because they bond strongly with you (which is why I now own seven) You just have to determine what your limit of what you can afford is.
How I became a foster parent to cats and/or kittens
I suggested a foster program to my shelter years ago when I first heard about it. They delayed, worried about liability issues, but after they did some research on it, they jumped in with both feet. I was one of the first families to bring home foster kittens.
How I learned to care for my foster cats & kittens
The shelter prepared a folder with some paperwork regarding the general basic care, and what to do in an emergency - along with contact numbers if there was an issue. I also belong to several cat groups on line, and when really weird things pop up, there is usually someone who has dealt with it before. Keeping your network of contacts and friends active is helpful in building the support you need. Only cat people will understand the joy of finding a well formed poop in the litter box if you have been dealing with coccidia for weeks.
Lessons learned
- I was once one of those foster homes that let the kittens mingle with the household cats. One set of newborns turned out to have FELV, and got sick and died. There was some serious concern due to exposure to the household. Now I do my best to keep exposure limited to the rare escape by an active teen kitten. I also found that it was worth while to invest in a kitten condo. I foster year round, and having a cage has saved my sanity more than once. Trying to sweep up litter is so hard when you have four kittens clinging to the broom
