?'s for those who foster mother's and orphans

Some of you know I am currently unemployed. I have 1 cat, I live alone in an 2100 square foot house 3 bedrooms. I have tons of time on my hands. I'm interested in fostering a pregnant mother cat. From what I've read in this thread, I don't think I'm ready to hand rear kittens just yet. I do however feel I have plenty of love to give to a mother and her kittens. I would like to c how the first litter goes, and who knows I may volunteer to do this often. I absolutely love kittens as well... I mean who doesn't!

So my questions for all you that do this are how did you get started? Do they provide any supplies? I can provide most of it but there may be some things I can't afford right now. As far as immunizations, working, etc.- does the rescue provide that or do I take the cats to my vet?

I'm sure there are other questions...

You need to talk to the rescues in your area to find out how much vet fees and food / litter costs they cover.

Also, do you have a car? 

When I fostered a while back I went to someone's house and got food & litter from their garage as required, and I have a friend running a Cats Protection with the same arrangement. 

And you might need to take a cat to the vets in a hurry - again, if you don't have a car is it possible?

Are you looking for work?  If something suddenly comes up how will that affect any fostering?

Does one of your rooms you could devote to a mother & kittens have a water-proof floor, rather than carpet?  Kittens starting to get out and about often have toilet accidents especially if there are not enough litter trays out.

Finally, fostering can involve a lot of heart-ache.  You are often dealing with poorly cats and kittens, mortality as a result is higher.  Do you think you can handle that?

No one can predict if you'll need to hand raise a litter, things don't always go perfectly.

Each rescue probably operates a little differently you're best to ring them and see what the requirements are, and ask what they provide, their expectations of you etc.

bigperm20 said:

So my questions for all you that do this are how did you get started? Do they provide any supplies? I can provide most of it but there may be some things I can't afford right now. As far as immunizations, working, etc.- does the rescue provide that or do I take the cats to my vet?
I'm sure there are other questions...

Click to expand...

It depends on the shelter that you foster through. With my shelter I have to provide everything except they deal with the medications and health issues. I provide the food, litter, litterbox, toys, etc. They provide me with the wormers, antibiotics, etc. If they need a vet visit I contact the humane society and they get us an appoinment with their vet and I don't pay anything, it gets charged to the shelter. They use a low-cost vet for everything, I'm sure that if I ever brought her in to my own vet I would have to cover the cost myself since they're more expensive!

If you aren't sure if you have the funds right now maybe you should wait a little bit?? You'd be AMAZED at how much the mama cat can eat when she's pregnant and nursing. And then once the kittens are being weaned it's even more!!!!

lindz2785 said:

<snip>

If you aren't sure if you have the funds right now maybe you should wait a little bit?? You'd be AMAZED at how much the mama cat can eat when she's pregnant and nursing. And then once the kittens are being weaned it's even more!!!!

Click to expand...

And how much litter they get through!

Thank you all for your quick replies. I don't know how to multi quote, i haven't figured that out yet :sly: I do have a car that is fairly New and is reliable. I don't have a bedroom without carpet the carpet in my house is in need of replacing soon. In other words I'm not sweating a little cleanup. If a hard floor is a requirement I have a big bathroom upstairs they could use with a Parkay (sp?) Floor.
Eventhough I used to work outside my home, I'm looking for a work from home or Telecommuting Position. With gas so expensive it just makes sense. I think I will wait until I find a job, just to make sure there is no financial strain. It just really fills my heart with love every time I read about one of your foster kitties. I do realize it's not all warm fuzziness and that there are many many heartaches. I just want to help. I also think my little lady needs some companionship around here as well.

As far as your little lady needing some companionship...you'd want to keep any fosters segregated from your own cat since you don't know what kinds of diseases your foster might have or be carrying. My local shelter actually has a big section on their website saying what they require of fosters and what they provide so you could check that out too if your local organization has a website. (And apparently my local one is pretty generous too - they provide food and litter and vet care and more - which is different from what I'm reading in other people's responses above.) If your shelter provides as much support as mine does, you may be able to foster now without too much financial hardship.

RIccaDawn said:

As far as your little lady needing some companionship...you'd want to keep any fosters segregated from your own cat since you don't know what kinds of diseases your foster might have or be carrying.

Click to expand...

Agree, I wouldn't be letting the cats mix.

That's great, spring and summer there are tons of moms with kittens.  Most shelters will provide food, litter, and vet.  You will most likely need to transport to vet and adoptions though.  Most mother cats would prefer to have their own room and be very protective of the kittens.  However, some fosters stay for awhile (I've had 3 cats for over 1 year) and may enjoy company. 

All foster should be cleared for fiv/feleuk and flea/worm treated before you bring them home.  The one thing to watch for the most is ringworm.  That is why you would want to keep them isolated until you know for sure they don't have it.   

How long would it take to know if a cat has ringworm? Also, I did check a well respected no-kill shelter's website and they provide food, vaccinations, supplies(?), medications, & vetting.

I don't mind keeping them segregated for as long as possible, but I would like to eventually integrate them once I'm sure everyone is healthy. Especially if they are testing for FIV & FELV those and Panleukopenia would be my primary concerns. My girl has had all her shots so hopefully she'd be safe regardless.

Ringworm is a tough one as they don't always show symptoms. It usually presents as scabbing first on the tops of their heads and ears, and in severe cases scabbing all over their body. The test takes 10-14 days to come back so by the time they are diagnosed it's usually too late and it has spread. Ringworm is not actual worms but is a fungus (similar to the one that causes athletes foot in humans). It is airborne so once it's in the house it takes a long time to eradicate (I know because I have lived through it). In general it is not deadly (but any illness to a young kitten can be lethal) it is just a pain to get rid of. 

As for fostering, I agree with other posters that every shelter is different and you just have to do the legwork to find out what each one provides and how they handle things like vet appointments, ect (which it sounds like you have done). 

I think the best advice I could give you is to set aside time to meet with the foster coordinator and discuss your situation. Personally, I foster out of a one bedroom apartment. Interaction between my resident cat and my foster is inevitable. I have an integration process and for the most part it works well. I think it is very important to let them know right off the bat what your limitations are so you and the shelter can come up with a plan/system that works for both of you. If you are especially concerned about illnesses, you could ask that your first foster be a Queen who has been relinquished by it's owners. It does not guarantee the cat is healthy but oftentimes you have a much better idea of her previous home life.

As far as bottle feeding: It's true you never know what will happen when you take a Queen and you have to be as prepared as possible for any and all circumstances. But, everyone has their limits. Like you, taking bottle babies is not an option for me right now. I live alone, I am a full time law student and  have a job. It would not be in my best interest or in the kittens best interest if that situation arose for me to keep them. The shelter knows this and we have a plan in place on what to do if they end up needing to be bottle fed long term. I don't think there is anything wrong with setting limits and boundaries that you are comfortable with so long as you and your chosen rescue agree to them beforehand. 

It is a lot to think about I know. Take all the time you need, ask all the questions you need, and listen to your gut. Good for you for being willing to open up your home and heart to a cat in desperate need of one! 

Wow! Thank you so much for the post. You answered questions I didn't really know I had.

It's nice to know you can at least have some kind of constraints in place. I'm a hard sleeper, so if I ended up with a litter that needed bottle feeding every 2 hours, I'd have to sleep on the floor next to them

bigperm20 said:

Wow! Thank you so much for the post. You answered questions I didn't really know I had.
It's nice to know you can at least have some kind of constraints in place. I'm a hard sleeper, so if I ended up with a litter that needed bottle feeding every 2 hours, I'd have to sleep on the floor next to them

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what a 'hard sleeper' is, but if you bottle feed when half asleep it might be easy to feed to fast.

BTW - 'supplies' - cat litter I suspect.  A litter of kittens gets through mountains of the stuff.

bigperm20 said:

Wow! Thank you so much for the post. You answered questions I didn't really know I had.
It's nice to know you can at least have some kind of constraints in place. I'm a hard sleeper, so if I ended up with a litter that needed bottle feeding every 2 hours, I'd have to sleep on the floor next to them

Click to expand...

Well, I can't say all shelters would be like this, it depends on the kind of shelter you decide to foster for. The people on here who I think are the most incredible are those that take Queens from high kill shelters. While they are just fostering the animals until they find homes they are very much bound and take whatever comes their way: bottle feeding, medical emergencies, and keeping the Mom and babies until they find homes, which could be years. I think the type you are more looking for (at least to start) is a no-kill shelter with a good foster program in place. The way it works for me is I pick up my Queen and am responsible for the cost of everything except medical (food, litter, toys, bedding, ect). Yes, it is expensive so for sure keep that in mind. When medical emergencies come up or when they need their shots I am responsible for getting them to the shelter approved vet clinic. If I take them somewhere else I am liable for the cost. When the kittens are big enough both Mom and babies all go back to the shelter to have their spay and neuter surgeries and stay there to be adopted out. My shelter does not allow otherwise healthy cats and kittens to stay in foster as it minimizes their chances of adoption. If they can't been seen and interacted with then they are less likely to find a home. So, I foster in 8-16 week stints, depending on the circumstances. I take breaks in between litters if I need to and try not to have fosters during finals and other busy times of the year. I'm sure I may take some flack for my more laid back foster style but I can only handle what I can handle. I figure even if I only foster one litter that's still an impact. 

I am also not advocating that you make a list of every single problem that may come up and head for the hills when things don't go perfectly, because I assure you they won't. I have had a major medical emergency with every litter I have had: from 6x a day special diet feedings to administering sub-Q (IV) fluids. You have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for these. I simply draw my line at every 1-2 hour bottle feedings. The thought being, if something happened to the mother that she could not care for them them being with me or being with someone new is not a difficult emotional transition for such young kittens and their chances of survival are much better with someone who can fully devote themselves to them, which I cannot do. I can take kittens to class, which I have done before, but I cannot take them to court so I just don't put myself in that situation. 

So, sit down and be brutally honest with yourself about your bottom lines and fears and take those to the foster coordinator. Ask them as many questions as you can. If the shelter is not on board with your limitations then I would keep looking for the right fit. Your not just buying a piece of furniture you are assuming full care and control over an unknown number of lives. It is not a decision to be made lightly. If you are not comfortable with the staff I would also keep looking. These are the people you will be calling at 3am with an emergency and you can't have any fears about doing so. 

Once you find the right fit I think you will find the experience to be more rewarding than almost any other. It is expensive, time consuming, and at times heart breaking but the joy is indescribable. I'm excited to follow what you decide to do. The fact your asking for advice before even getting started says to me you are committed and would make a wonderful foster Momma. 

Wow EB24, you took your kittens to class, that must be one compassionate instructor. 

 The first official foster experience I had I was brought to back room and asked which mom with kittens I wanted to foster for the kill shelter. I pointed to one litter and was told, "oh, you can't have those, they have ringworm and are going to be put down, we just can't deal with that."  I couldn't handle bringing the kittens and mom back at 8 weeks and not knowing what happened to them.  I soon joined up with a no kill shelter but had kind of the opposite problem in that I was left hanging on to cats forever because they had super picky adoption policies and adoption coordinator would sometimes turn people away because "I just didn't like them".  So one important thing to know is if you are allowed to appove adoptions yourself. 

HappyKitty said:

Wow EB24, you took your kittens to class, that must be one compassionate instructor. 

 The first official foster experience I had I was brought to back room and asked which mom with kittens I wanted to foster for the kill shelter. I pointed to one litter and was told, "oh, you can't have those, they have ringworm and are going to be put down, we just can't deal with that."  I couldn't handle bringing the kittens and mom back at 8 weeks and not knowing what happened to them.  I soon joined up with a no kill shelter but had kind of the opposite problem in that I was left hanging on to cats forever because they had super picky adoption policies and adoption coordinator would sometimes turn people away because "I just didn't like them".  So one important thing to know is if you are allowed to appove adoptions yourself. 

Click to expand...

Haha yes she was. But, I live in a VERY animal friendly state- there are almost no restaurants that aren't dog friendly. People always have their dogs in the law school so having a kitten in a carrier wasn't too far past normal. Unfortunately he didn't survive, although I'm lucky that out of 25 fosters he's the only one I have lost in my care (3 of his siblings later passed on at the shelter- they just had too rough an introduction to life and too many health problems to overcome). But, I can't take kittens to court or into the jails where I spend most of my time so I've had to be a little stricter about that recently. 

Your point about approving adoptions is a great one- I can help find adopters but can't approve applications myself (though I wish I could)! This is a great question to ask. 

Thanks to all who have replied. Happycat I'm actually Very interested in becoming a foster DADDY. I guess maybe my user name can be confusing, but it refers to a character in the movie Friday. If you check out my avatar picture though, you'll see, I would make one UGLY woman LOL!
I did check several shelter websites I've only found the one who states info. I will have to call around.

There is a LOT of really good advice in this thread for you already but I might as well throw my 2 cents worth in.

I foster for 2 different rescue organizations. One will provide EVERYTHING except litter. The other will provide absolutely everything under the sun. Because I don't like asking them for things however, I provide everything except medical costs, but keep all of my receipts for food, litter, supplies, treats, toys, etc. and am provided with a tax receipt each year.

Fostering is in NO way easy. I have had to deal with so many different illnesses and situations that would absolutely break even the hardest heart. One of the current mama foster cats I have was found abandoned with her 4 ten day old kittens locked in a dog crate in an apartment. They were there at least a week with no food or water. 2 of the kittens have horrible eye infections, one was so bad his eyes were nothing but scabs. Once I cleaned them off, blood and pus just oozed out. He will for sure lose at least one of his eyes, IF he even makes it at all. Yesterday, due to mastitis, the mom had a mammary abscess rupture, so now not only is she in pain, she's on antibiotics, I have to clean the wound, put a hot compress on it, put ointment on the wound and all of her nipples to sooth them, I have to bottle feed all 4 of her kittens to supplement them so they'll leave mom alone as much as possible, all while listening to her cry not only from the pain but because she WANTS desperately to nurse and care for her babies.

I have had cats/kittens die in my arms, I have dealt with more crap, vomit, pus, blood, etc. that anyone can possibly imagine, HOWEVER all that being said, there is nothing in this world more fulfilling than helping these innocent babies that NEED you.