(Mods, I have no idea where to put this. I thought either Pregnant Cats or Caring for Strays/Ferals, but those didn't quite seem appropriate? Please feel free to move it wherever it needs to go.)
Well, today I signed up for foster parent orientation at my local SPCA! A couple days ago, a friend offered me baby kittens that would have needed bottle-feeding care. After a very difficult afternoon of pros & cons and struggling to be logical/objective about my circumstances, I ultimately said no, because of my concern over having five cats (I would have taken two) in a rental situation. With 3, I know there is at least one option in my city where I can go if my friend terminates our lease, which is month-to-month, but with 5 - I honestly don't know where I would rent a house OR apartment with 5 cats, especially on short notice like lease termination. I'm still a little sad about it, I don't know who got the kittens or if they have any idea how to raise them - but better than dead, I suppose. I also didn't get to use any of the "pair names" I have stored up.
I was hoping to adopt a Benny and a Joon!
ANYway, lol, I've been reading about fostering for more than a year and wanting to get involved, but I thought I needed to wait until I bought a house & had a spare bedroom to keep fosters in. But the situation with being literally within minutes of calling my friend to scream "Yes I want those kittens!" opened my mind to the possibility of fostering, even in my current setup. If I was willing to take two baby bottle-feeders and keep them in my bathroom, why couldn't I take slightly older kittens or an adult cat who needs socialization and house them in the bathroom? It's large, for a bathroom, with a decent-size closet - more than enough space to separate food/litter and have toys, cat furniture/tree for vertical space, etc.
Just to be sure before I signed up, I emailed the director of the foster program at the Richmond SPCA and explained my situation. She said that actually it's ideal for kittens (which is who they need the space for primarily, especially as breeding season gears up) since it's a small area that's closed off from my current pets since the kittens won't be fully immunized yet. And, she said any space is better than the shelter, since being at the shelter involves a high risk of virus or disease. I never thought about it like that.
I'm really excited - the class is three weeks from today, on 4/25. I'm nervous, too - I'm reading as much as possible on TCS and whatever google throws my way. Do you have any good fostering resources? Any tips on turning my bathroom into kitten heaven?
Well, today I signed up for foster parent orientation at my local SPCA! A couple days ago, a friend offered me baby kittens that would have needed bottle-feeding care. After a very difficult afternoon of pros & cons and struggling to be logical/objective about my circumstances, I ultimately said no, because of my concern over having five cats (I would have taken two) in a rental situation. With 3, I know there is at least one option in my city where I can go if my friend terminates our lease, which is month-to-month, but with 5 - I honestly don't know where I would rent a house OR apartment with 5 cats, especially on short notice like lease termination. I'm still a little sad about it, I don't know who got the kittens or if they have any idea how to raise them - but better than dead, I suppose. I also didn't get to use any of the "pair names" I have stored up.
ANYway, lol, I've been reading about fostering for more than a year and wanting to get involved, but I thought I needed to wait until I bought a house & had a spare bedroom to keep fosters in. But the situation with being literally within minutes of calling my friend to scream "Yes I want those kittens!" opened my mind to the possibility of fostering, even in my current setup. If I was willing to take two baby bottle-feeders and keep them in my bathroom, why couldn't I take slightly older kittens or an adult cat who needs socialization and house them in the bathroom? It's large, for a bathroom, with a decent-size closet - more than enough space to separate food/litter and have toys, cat furniture/tree for vertical space, etc.
Just to be sure before I signed up, I emailed the director of the foster program at the Richmond SPCA and explained my situation. She said that actually it's ideal for kittens (which is who they need the space for primarily, especially as breeding season gears up) since it's a small area that's closed off from my current pets since the kittens won't be fully immunized yet. And, she said any space is better than the shelter, since being at the shelter involves a high risk of virus or disease. I never thought about it like that.
I'm really excited - the class is three weeks from today, on 4/25. I'm nervous, too - I'm reading as much as possible on TCS and whatever google throws my way. Do you have any good fostering resources? Any tips on turning my bathroom into kitten heaven?
