To all the foster moms of pregnant (or formerly pregnant) kitties

... a question

I always thought it would be amazing to be with a mom kitty while shes pregnant.. and then to witness the birth.. and then see the babies grow. But at the same time, I'm not crazy enough to irresponsibly breed cats. (All mine are spayed/neutered, so don't worry )

So I was thinking it might be an awesome experience to foster a mom kitty at some point in my life. A lot of work too I'm sure... but something I'd like to witness once. So I was wondering what you had to go through to foster a mom kitty? Do they expect you to have a certain knowledge - like, having experienced a kitten birth before? Do you just need to work with a rescue?

Basically I'm just trying to find out what I would need to do in order to foster a mom. I really don't know if this sounds crazy or not... I mean on one hand, I know adding to the kitten population is nutty... but I figure there are a lot of mom cats out there who need help, so helping one out who is already past the safe spay/abort time is a good way to experience a kitten birth without being irresponsible.. ya know?

Hm... anyway... thoughts on this?

You should get in touchwith your local humane society..they should be able to assist you. I hope that you understand this undertaking may last about 3 months or so..until the kitties are weaned, 2 pounds and the shelter is ready to fix them. Good Luck!!

I would contact a rescue. When I volunteered at a local Humane Society they didn't send pregnant cats out into foster homes. They waited till she delivered and the kittens were 2 weeks old before they went into a foster home.

Definitely contact a rescue or humane society, OR you could do like John and I did and just start taking them in on your own. We started our own rescue group, and took in cats that just showed up, or owner surrenders that we heard of.
But, a lot of times the rescues and humane societies will pay for food, vet care, etc. while the animal is in your care and if you start your own rescue, everything comes out of your pocket.

When I became a foster mom, I filled out an application on my local Humane Society's website. The director of Fosters and Volunteers called my vet to do a little background check on me. I guess to make sure my own animals were up to date on their shots, ect. I had also raised a bottle baby on my own before and did have a little knowledge before hand. I read books and did research online. So the shelter knew I had some basic knowledge. My first foster was a mom cat and her 6 babies that were probably about 3 weeks old. I'm not sure what my shelter's policy is on sending pregnant cats into foster. I've never had that situation come up. I'm certain that there are pregnant cats in the shelters! I'm sure that sadly, a lot of times, these babies are aborted. I took a stray, pregnant mom in for spaying (didn't know she was pregnant) and they aborted 9 babies. I'm sure those policies vary from shelter to shelter, also depending on how many animals they can handle at one time. I'd go to your local shelter(s)' website and find a volunteer/foster section. Take it from there... It's very rewarding no matter what age they are. You can see a birth on t.v. or U-tube. Raising babies no matter what age is a great experience!

I would contact your local rescue, and good luck, most rescues need as much help as they can, especially as mums and kitts take up a pen for so long. I have only had one mum and kittens, and they were 5 weeks old. It was a lot of work, and with working full time, I will stick with adults. But, I am glad I had the experience.