I thought I'd spend the afternoon helping out at PetCo--Saturdays are our adoption days, and I enjoy hanging out with other crazy cat ladies and playing with the cats and kittens. Little did I know when I left today that I'd come home with four kittens.
THIS IS NOT PERMANENT!
Trust. I'm fostering this beautiful litter of four for the next two weeks. AFC is desperate for kitten foster homes, as this kitten season has been particularly nasty (SPAY AND NEUTER, PEOPLE!!). These five-week-olds (our estimate) were dumped last night, literally when Marian and Diane, the ladies in charge of adoptions at PetCo, had their backs turned.
Needless to say, they're adorable, and they are actually pretty healthy at this point. Of course, kittens are fragile, so I'll be keeping an eagle eye on them. Marian warned me that sometimes kittens get very sick, very fast, and it's not the fault of the caregiver. We do what we can for them and pray for the best.
It looks like I'm fostering three boys and a girl. I want to double-check, but they're still a wee bit terrified after all this moving around, so I'm letting them settle in. Tentative names (as first foster mama, I get naming rights) are Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy. But that could change.
Now, as far as the worries that I can just hear Mom and Dad asking as I type this:
1. I'm not paying a dime. Marian gave me a huge bag of litter, a crate of canned kitten food, and a ton of dry kitten food. They'll need one vet visit while they're with me (I'm a temp because their more permanent foster mom is on vacation and can't take them for two weeks), and that is entirely paid for by AFC. Should they need emergency vet treatment, I would be reimbursed completely.
2. Millie and Harley are safe as long as I keep the kittens quarantined in the bathroom. There is always a small risk, but Marian pointed out that I run the same risk when I open my windows and a tomcat wanders by, or when I clean cat cages at PetCo and come home to M&H. So the risk is minimal, and I will take every possible precaution, even washing my hands after handling the babies.
3. Yes, Millie and Harley are currently camped out under the bed, wondering what the hell is going on. They'll be okay!
I'm very excited to take this on--fostering babies is on my Bucket List, and I know I'm helping not only these wee fuzzies, but also the awesome people of AFC, who were desperate for a temporary solution for these kids. I certainly have the time to do it, and it's not costing me anything. They're old enough that I don't have to feed them every hour--just every 4-5 hours, and watch to make sure they're actually eating, that no one is off their food.
It's going to be an adventure, certainly, and I know I'll be burning the cell phone battery and email lines asking Marian heaps of questions. I will probably fall in love with these babies, but I know that at any time, one (or more) could get sick, and there's nothing I can do about it. I also know that when it's time for them to move on to their permanent foster situation, I will let them go and feel a little tug on my heart...but I'll also feel really, really good that I was able to help.
In the meantime, I've got four itty bitty kitties to play with, laugh at, and enjoy curled up in their cage in the bathroom (the cage is open, it's just where they feel safest at this point). I'll definitely post pictures over the next two weeks. For now I have a few that I was able to get while settling them in. They're wiggly little buggers!
To get you started:
5 comments:
OMG!! OMG!! OMG!! Make that one more OMG!!
I am sooooo excited for you, hon!! You're going to have a blast with the babies, God willing and the crick don't rise!
This is an awesome use of your current "in between" time! None of my guys or the critters of anyone I know have gotten sick from fosters so I think M&H are pretty safe!
Oh, lordy, I could rattle on, but I'll just say, enjoy!!
Congratulations on your first foster batch! Hubble sent me over and it totally made my morning. Good luck with the kittens. I was constantly at www.ittybittykittycommittee.com when I had my first litter last year. The internets are amazing with advice and help.
Lisa--I don't mind at all!
Bethany--Thank you. I am very excited to do this, and this will be the only litter I can foster for a long time due to time and money constraints. I'll definitely be asking many people for advice!
Hubble sent me over too, and they are sqeeworthy! I look forward to seeing them over the next two weeks.
Another Hubble reader here - Welcome to the world of fostering! Fostering is challenging and yet absolutely totally so worth it. I can't even put into words how much fostering means to me and the DH.
Thanks for helping to save these precious fuzzy ones. If I can be of help, please don't hesitate to ask. You can reach me through Hobbes House Feline Rescue on the interweb and on Facebook.
Post a Comment