Learn From My Personal Experience and the Resources and Supplies I Believe In!
The Start to My Foster Story
I’ve always thought about fostering kittens. Following many cat rescuers and foster advocates online over the years helped me better understand the process of fostering cats and kittens. After starting my podcast, The Story of My Pet, and getting to interview animals advocates firsthand, I decided it was time to start my journey fostering kittens. Here is a resource I used, written by Hannah Shaw, known as the Kitten Lady, who rescues and fosters kittens and cats of all ages, but specializes in neonates.
Tiny But Mighty: Kitten Lady’s Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines, By Hannah Shaw.
After a difficult first attempt at fostering a single kitten with health issues beyond my scope of care, I worried I wouldn’t be able to foster again. But on the day I returned the cat carrier to my local shelter, I found out they had just received a litter of 2-week old kittens. Without a mom cat to care for them I knew their fate in the shelter wasn’t good. So I decided opened her home and heart again, this time to six kittens I named Harry, George, Archie, Pumpkin, Sugar, and Spice.
Photo: 3 of the 6 kittens on Day 1 as my foster kittens.
Preparing for Foster Kittens: Supplies
While most animal shelters and rescue organizations provide food and medical care for their Foster Parents, there are some supplies you should be prepared to have on hand before fostering kittens. The supplies listed below are items I used when fostering my litter of 6 kittens.
Heating Pads
Heating pads are a necessity when caring for kittens under 6 weeks old as they cannot regulate their own temperatures and need a heating source,. Without a mom cat to help keep them warm, the heating pad gives them constant warmth while they sleep. This is the link to the heating pad I use. It works great and is easy to clean!
UBEI Electric Heating Pad for Dogs and Cats
Playpens
Having a playpen with a zip top is much easier for moving kittens in and out for feedings throughout the day and night than using a typical pet carrier. This is the one are I use and it comes in several sizes depending on your needs. I used several playpens for this litter because I had to separate some of the kittens due to them sucking on each other. This is a typical behavior for young kittens as they search for their mom cat to nurse from, but if left together and the behavior continues, it can cause injury and infection to the kitten being sucked on. This playpen is great to use with all types of pets, including cats, puppies, and small dogs.
Photo: The Playpen in use with heating pad inside, as my cat Frenchie looks in on the babies.
Supplies for Bottle Feeding Kittens
Fostering kittens too young to eat on their own involves round-the-clock care. The process involves preparing kitten formula, warming the formula, and bottle-feeding the kittens every 2-3 hours. You also want to insure the kittens are gaining and not losing weight by weighing them on a daily basis. Below is the bottle set, KMR formula, and scale I have used with my foster kittens. It is important to have bottles with a range of nipple sizes, as some kittens will respond better to smaller sizes than others. All six of my foster kittens took to the bottle well and luckily I didn't have to use differing sized nipples or bottles.
Bottles and Kitten Formula
Pet Feeding Bottle and Syringes with Nipples for Small Animal
PetAg KMR Kitten Milk Replacer Powder for Newborn to 6-week old kittens.
Photo: My Foster Kitten Spice drinking from the bottle.
Scale
This is the scale I used for daily weighing of my foster kittens. The bowl made it easy to keep the kitten in place while I marked down their weight. I kept a list of weights for each kitten as I weighed them at least once a day prior to feeding them to ensure they were maintaining and gaining weight. If young kittens begin losing weight, it can signal health issues and they should be seen as soon as possible by a veterinary professional.
Transitioning Foster Kittens to Solid Food
Helping kittens transition from formula to solid food is an essential part of the fostering process. This transition was a particular challenge for little George, the runt of the litter, who showed no interest in wet food for days after all of his siblings started eating it. He was just a little slower in term of growth and development as compared to his 6 siblings, but he made up for it in the end and surpassed most of his sisters in weight by the end of my time with the litter.
Photo: Me holding George, the runt of the litter, after one of his bottle feedings.
Plates
These are the plates I used with my litter when feeding wet food. There were durable and easy to clean, because they will be very messy as they learn to lap up the solid food!
Pawdeer Ceramic Shallow Cat Dish Set
Solid Food
Wet food is a must for transitioning from formula in a bottle as kittens grow. It’s important to feed them the kitten wet food and not the adult cat formula, as they need the nutrients and calories for their growth and development. This is the wet food brand and variety I used and continued to feed Pumpkin after we adopted her through her first year of life.
Purina Fancy Feast Grain Free Pate Wet Kitten Food Variety Pack
Foster Kitten Growth Leads to Play and Enrichment
Amidst the trials and tribulations of sleepless nights and long days of bottle feeding, there were countless moments of joy. Watching the litter of six kittens grow and become active kittens was amazing. Some of the supplies I used with this litter included tunnel tube that kittens all loved to run through together, some wand toys they enjoyed chasing around, and a scratcher with a ball they could follow for hours!
Kitten Toys
Interactive Retractable Wand Toy
Round Cat Scratcher Cat toy with ball
Photo: Foster Kittens Archie and Sugar Playing in the Tunnel Toy
Photo: Foster Kittens exhausted after play time.
The journey for these foster kittens wasn't without its challenges. From weight issues to needing extra care for upper respiratory infections, we faced it all with love and perseverance. Through my dedication, the foster kittens overcame their turbulent beginnings and blossomed into healthy and playful furballs. In particular, I developed a strong bond with Pumpkin, who I ultimately decided to adopt and now is a part of my fur family. To learn more about story of how this litter of six foster kittens came to be in my care and how Pumpkin was adopted, listen to Episode 33 of The Story of My Pet Podcast.
Please share this heartwarming episode with your friends and family to spread awareness about fostering and its impact in saving animals in need. Consider fostering a pet in your local area and experience the joy and fulfillment of being a part of their incredible journey. If fostering is something you can do, volunteer at local shelters or rescue organizations to help animals in need and make a positive difference in your community.
To learn more about The Story of My Pet Podcast, follow the podcast on Instagram.
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