Those Fabulous Fosters

by Monica Roberto

No one can resist a cuddly kitten, but not everyone is able or willing to adopt one and commit to the lifetime of care involved in adding a new pet to the family. Even among those who might otherwise be interested in a new cat, potential life changes or the uncertainty associated with these difficult economic times may cause some animal lovers to hold off on adopting their next companion animal.

If you’re not in a position to adopt, you can still make a big difference in the lives of homeless animals in our community at little or no cost to you. When it comes to cats, one way to help locally is by joining The Animal Center’s foster care program.

We run our Feline Rescue & Adoption Program entirely through a volunteer foster network (we do not have a shelter or sanctuary). Last year, 138 kittens were rescued and adopted out by our program. All were fostered by local families who, for a few short weeks, dedicated an hour or two a day to love, play with, and care for a litter of kittens in the convenience of their homes. Food, litter, and medical care expense are paid by The Animal Center — foster families just provide the shelter and socialization.

“We fostered our first litter of kittens in 2008,” says Kim Sussman of Newtown. “Our two children had a lot of fun playing with the kittens, and my husband Mike and I found ourselves spending just as much time with the kittens. Sure, caring for them takes time and energy, but fostering for us turned out to be an activity that our whole family shared and enjoyed. We are looking forward to fostering kittens again for The Animal Center in the spring.”

The Animal Center starts off new foster parents with a two-week foster commitment with kittens who are old enough to eat on their own (approximately 6–7 weeks old) and will have started litter box training. Foster parents are assigned an experienced volunteer to answer any questions they have during their experience. The most important job a foster parent has is monitoring the kittens to ensure they are eating and drinking regularly, acting alert and playful, using their litter box, as well as providing them with a clean, warm, and safe environment separate from other animals in the home.

Foster families tell us that the hardest part of the job is keeping the kittens clean. Unfortunately, many of the homeless kittens in our program come from abandoned litters without a mother cat to teach them. This places the responsibility for teaching the kittens good hygiene habits, which they take into adulthood, on the foster parents. This may include gently cleaning the kittens with warm, moist hand towels after feeding time as well as bathing and drying them when litter box accidents occur. Foster families must also be prepared for the possibility that a kitten may get sick and need vet care.

We are sometimes asked by families if they can foster just one kitten at a time. We do not break up litters while they are in foster care because this is a critical socialization time for them. Keeping the kittens as a family unit helps them develop important social behaviors that will lead them to become healthy and well-adjusted adults. It has been our experience that baby kittens who spend the first few months of their lives alone are more likely to develop undesirable cat behaviors, such as aggression toward people or other animals. While playtime and love from humans is essential, nothing is more important than allowing the kittens to interact with and learn from their own species during the first 8–12 weeks of their lives. Ideally, kittens would have their mother during this formative period, but as mentioned earlier, we find very few mom cats with abandoned litters.

Foster parents are encouraged to play with kittens daily to help increase their physical coordination. All play should be with toys, not parts of the human body. Few people can resist the urge to wiggle their fingers to initiate play with kittens, but by encouraging this type of behavior where you let them attack your hands or other body parts you are teaching them a very bad habit: that swatting, biting, or latching on to human play friends is pleasing and acceptable. We also stress this point at adoption. It may seem cute to have a 2-month-old kitten playing touch-and-go with your fingers, but the charm will wear off once the kitten grows adult teeth and powerful claws. Kittens take the lessons they learn as babies into adulthood. For the kitten’s sake and yours, always direct play toward toys.

Where do the kittens in our program come from? A small percentage come from people’s pets having kittens, as well as transfers from other shelters or rescue groups in the area that are overcapacity. But the majority are the offspring of free-roaming stray and feral cats in the community. Most times, these kittens will have had little or no human interaction and require a lot more handling and TLC from foster parents. Teaching a frightened kitten to play, eat in front of you, enjoy being held, and learn to trust people has its own rewards — knowing that you played a role in transitioning a kitten from a total scaredy-cat to a lovable household companion is something that you never forget.

What’s the best part of the foster experience? Nothing gets your mind off your own troubles like a kitten, much less a playful bunch of them. Spend a few weeks with some kittens and see how much it cheers you up. And when you are feeling better and are ready to get on with your life, the little balls of furry sunshine will be ready to move on to brighten someone else’s life. And you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you made a big difference in the lives of a litter of kittens by giving them a fresh start and a lasting foundation for human interaction.

We are also in need of foster homes for adult cats. Adult cats tend to be a longer foster commitment of up to several months instead of several weeks, but foster homes for these animals play a very important role in reducing feline homelessness in our community. If you would like to participate in The Animal Center’s foster program for cats or kittens, please contact us today. The Animal Center can be reached at 203-270-0228 or info@theanimalcenter.org.

Monica Roberto is president of The Animal Center a nonprofit charity that runs a volunteer-staffed, feline rescue, adoption and spay/neuter program in Newtown.