Want to Foster!

bombay momma

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After some intense inner debating I've decided I want to try my hand at fostering this kitten season. Mossy did so great with her babies and I just love helping out mama cats! (I'm a stay at home wife so I have the time!)

Only problem....our shelter has no cats. Was told to call back in a week or two to see if any have come in, but she said they might only get 3 or 4 in by then and no guarantee on being preggo/nursing. Any one have any ideas? I can try the animal shelter that's a little over an hour away, but I don't think they'd let me foster so far away. You have to live in their zip code just to adopt. 
 

ritz

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Oh, there is usually such a great need for fosterers, I'm surprised the shelters don't have more kittens, it being kitten season.

How experienced are you with cats in general?  There reason I ask is because my suggestion is kind of out there:  are there any pregnant, stray-abandoned cats where you live, maybe in areas where there is a high rate of foreclosures/evictions?  You could try trapping a pregnant cat and take it from there.  Be prepared for one freaked-out cat if truly feral.  The kittens will, however, be relatively easy to tame.

The other, saner-safer, idea is to call low cost spay/neuter clinics or vets; they may have gotten in a pregnant cat too pregnant to safely abort.

And did you ask the shelters about orphan kittens--kittens whose mother died or can't nurse?  You'll have to bottle feed them, but the kittens will be fairly easy to socialize/adopt out.

(I lived in an area where there was a high rate of foreclosures/evictions.  I ended up TNRing 35 cats in 2.5 years; it all started with my feeding some kittens.)
 

StefanZ

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Instinctively, you want surely to cooperate with a nice, non kill shelter. But the quickest way to be a savior, is to cooperate with a high kill shelter...  In some of them, they do kill gladely (I had even read some horror stories). But in others - they do kill, but not gladely. If they know there IS someone willing to take a high preg, or mom with kittens, they will be happy to phone you and ask to fetch them...

And the cats do know very well they are in the death row. They are deeply grateful for the rescue.

Tx for caring!

Good luck!
 
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bombay momma

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Oh sorry! My Welcome to the Forum post explained a lot of that. I live in a VERY rural area, a lot of farms and such, in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. The shelter has an average to high dog population, but almost no cats. Ever. I've worked there as a volunteer off and on for over five years now, and they rarely have cats. I've seen them go a month or more without getting ANY in. (Several times when a cat has come in, the office girls fight over who gets to adopt it before any potential other owner comes in lol.) 

There really aren't any places around here that I know of where people just dump animals. There are a lot of dogs in the shelter that have been given up, but we don't even have a high stray dog population. There is a high demand for them (I guess because they are SO handy on the farms,) that is is actually difficult to find stray cats here. In the whole town, there are only TWO vets, total. When people do have animals they want to get rid of (accidental breeding, cant' keep em, etc...) Both vets have big binders on their front desks where anyone can post a picture/number/info about the animal(s) up for adoption, and they'll take them in and rehome them without asking questions. Our shelter also does low cost alterations every thursday....$15 for a spay or nueter, and the wait list is only a couple weeks long.

Our biggest stray cat problem was walmart, there were two sibling strays. The manager had them trapped, spayed/nuetered, and now they live in the garden section with food and beds and tons of pets and cuddles from the employees and shoppers.

My oldest cat, the one who just had kittens, was an accidental rescue five years ago. She was about 10 weeks when we found her outside in a pouring storm, covered in fleas and starving. Turned out she was a neighbors cat who'd gotten out on accident right after they got her. (We'd had her two months by this time so they let us keep her.) They'd been looking for her but didn't have any pictures to put up. 

I look for stray cats and dogs when I can, but I can't find them. I'll try calling both vets and see if they know of a dumping place in the area, maybe there is one I just don't know about, but my husband (born and raised here) says he's never heard of or seen one.

I guess its true that most rednecks take better care of their animals then they do themselves. 


The nearest town is a good hour+ away, and to adopt from that shelter you have to live within their zip code. There is one small pet store here in town, but he ONLY sells small things, snakes, fish, a few guinea pigs now and then. It's why we've allowed our girl to breed, carefully with a male with no medical problems. A few of the kittens go to family members or friends who want one, the rest we put up for sale for a small fee to cover first shots, OR the option to meet us at the vet, and we will surrender the kitten for free if they alter it/get shots.

I've called the shelter and both vets, none of them have any cats at all right now. They all have my number and will call me if they get any in.

As for experience, I grew up on farms in the country lol. I've been there for cows, horses, pigs, cats, dogs, even rabbits and goats giving birth. My current love of my life, Mosberg (a bombay/DLH mix, the rescued one) had her second litter two weeks ago today. She actually had a rare occasion to give birth to two little twin girls from the same sack. The smallest one wasn't breathing or moving, couldn't even lift its head. after several scary touch and go hours, and a day or so of hand feedings and actually holding her head up for her to mama so she could nurse, she made it just fine! she was 56.2 grams. Terrifying. She was also the first to start "walking" and the first to get her little eyes open!

I have another girl, Meridan, who is a bombay mix, will be two years old on March 30th. We've not bred her yet, but I'm thinking maybe in about 6 months we'll be ready to.

I also have a little black terrier/weinie dog mix named Colt. Also solid black. :)

I can try and put some cages out to trap, but i would probably get possums and raccoons and armadillos before i EVER got a cat. :(
 

ritz

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Oh, okay, now I see the picture.

Wanna move to Maryland--lots of oppportunity here :)

I think you've done all you can at this point, given your name and phone number to various organizations.

Maybe Craig's List (but be prepared for scams).

Thanks for caring!
 
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bombay momma

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StefanZ our shelter is a no kill unless its absolutely necessary due to illness/injury/disease. They even have a pitbull program (they require any handlers/volunteers to go through a safety/animal care class) where they rehabilitate/rehome "high risk" or abused animals. 
 
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bombay momma

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Ritz I've tried craigslist...no go. There were a couple postings for puppies (they were doing the same offer we are, $25 for a puppy unless you meet them at the vet) and a rabbit, no cats.

**Edit:**

Maryland? Haha no thanks! I like my wide open spaces and pine tree forests and the sounds of cows. :p 
 
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clynn11

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I usually post on Craigslist that I rescue pregnant cats, or stray females. I normally get literally hundreds of replies, but there are stray kitties everywhere in my area- multiple drop off/dump spots, etc. As long as you're putting your name out there- someone will find you, I guarantee it! :)
 

StefanZ

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Our biggest stray cat problem was walmart, there were two sibling strays. The manager had them trapped, spayed/nuetered, and now they live in the garden section with food and beds and tons of pets and cuddles from the employees and shoppers.
What a splendid example! A so elegant solution! Well done, manager!
 

ritz

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Agree-and what a great marketing tool.  I bet Walmart's sale of pet food and garden supplies increased (good reward!)
 
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bombay momma

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Haha I doubt sales went up. We have walmart, brookshire brothers, and a couple of tractor supply/feed stores and thats it. Everyone shops there anyways ;)
 
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