Directions on how to foster kittens and momma cat successfully. Tips on how to handle feral cats and specific things to do like offer socialization, introduction of new animals and people.

1. Transport Foster Kittens And Momma In A Crate For Safety
Kittens Feel Safe To Lay In Their Bed
Without Mom
12 Steps To Raise Friendly Foster Kittens
sit-stay-play.com /12-steps-foster-kitten/
Have you ever had a foster kitten? Would you like to help lighten the load but feel uneasy about how you go about
fostering kittens? Don’t worry, we’ve assembled a comprehensive list of 12 steps which will help any new cat foster
be successful.
These 12 steps to raise friendly foster kittens can help if you’re thinking about trying your hand at bringing on foster
kitten in your home, or a family of cats.
12 Steps To Raise Friendly Foster Kittens
1. Calm Transport. If you’re transporting your new kittens from a shelter or rescue to your home, keeping them
calm in a carrier is the best. Place something soft inside like a small blanket so they’ll be comfy. Place a blanket or
towel over the outside so you don’t stress them out with the movement.
2. Safe Housing. The room you’ll be keeping your kitten in
should be free from dangerous chemicals or items that
could hurt the kitty if they she were to climb on or get in.
Ideally the walls to the room should be solid and not have
any holes in the drywall or open windows. Note: It might
seem silly to include that in this list but believe me, people
have been known to foster kittens in the most unsafe
situations and accidents HAVE happened. Once you’ve
brought your kittens home, the best thing to do is just place
them in the room with the crate/carrier door open and leave
them be for a few hours. When they decompress they’ll
come out and start investigating.
3. Age-Appropriate Food. Depending on the age of your
kitten and if the momma is with her, you might need to bottle
feed at first, then move on to other kitten food as she gets
older. It’s important to feed the right food at the right stages for proper kitty
development. Kittens can’t eat large pieces of cat food until their teeth are
developed nor does the food have all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals
they’ll need at that age. Kitten food is a necessity.
4. Clean Water. Your foster kitten needs fresh water. You’ll need to change
their water frequently because they might drop food particles or cat litter in it.
They even might spill it. Placing the water bowl on something that can
absorb any spills will help.
5. Litter Boxes Sized Right. In a shelter environment, the cat cages are
usually small so a large litter box is impossible to have. Now that they foster
kittens are at your house and possibly the momma cat, purchase a larger
litter box; she’ll appreciate it! Kittens need litter pans that are lower so they
can get in easily and they might not be able to climb over taller sided litter
boxes. Additionally, we recommend having two litter boxes in the room, one larger for mom, one smaller for babies.
As the kittens grow, you can just purchase a larger litter box and put the smaller one aside. Also, keeping these litter
boxes clean is important. Your kittens will play in these boxes and will get in and hide from his siblings so keeping

2. Provide Foster Kittens With Appropriate
Food
Foster Kittens Progress To Larger Litter Box
This Foster Kitten Is So Relaxed He Fell
Asleep In My Hands
the waste cleaned regularly is important.
Speaking of cat litter, we suggest you use the highest quality cat litter
possible when the kittens are small. Their respiratory systems are delicate
and many of the litters on the market are known for dispelling lots of dust as
they scratch. We’re using scoopable Arm and Hammer litter currently.
In the picture below, Sonny, my two-legged Chihuahua looks on as this foster
kitten does his business. As always, once the kitten comes out, Sonny will
clean his bottom. Momma cat stepped away from those duties and gave it to
this sweet little fella!
6. Safe Touch. Depending on how the kittens were obtained, they could be
from a feral or semi-feral momma cat or could be the friendliest kitty’s
around. If the momma cat is shy, has huge pupils when you get near her,
crouches down or runs and hides from you, she’s probably not used to
human touch. Her kittens will likely follow in her footsteps unless you act
quickly. Feral cats are hard to adopt so take the time to really work with them
now. What I’ve found that works is to just sit on the floor and the kittens
usually wander over to me. You can use canned cat food to lure mom to you.
Take a spoon and put a small amount on it, put it near her nose and just go
sit down. She’ll likely come over to grab a treat! I use a light touch at first
then begin handling them once they relax. Ferals and semi-ferals require a
ton of patience and might not ever seek human attention. However, provide
calm human presence is important at this stage so she does learn that some
humans aren’t scary. Be sure to pick them up, cuddle them, kiss and nuzzle
them. Get them used to being handled in odd ways too.
7. Various Sounds. I like to turn a radio on most of the day so the kittens
(and mom) get exposure to something other than my voice. When I’m visiting
the foster kittens, I’ll use high pitched voice and talk softly to them. I’ll also
raise my voice once in a while. In my experience, the kittens and mom spook
and hide when I do this so it’s important to immediately coax them back to
you for some fun play. In the shelter environment, they’d likely be exposed to
dogs barking, cats meowing and dozens of people coming and going on a
daily basis. You can replicate this by doing the things mentioned above.
8. Light Stimulation. If you have a window in the room, open the curtain
and let the sun in so the momma and kittens can look outside. After a few
weeks of being cooped up in the room, the momma cat will start getting
antsy more than likely. Also with light stimulation I like to come in when it’s
dark and turn the light on and off. I talk softly to them while doing this so they
associate that with me coming in to visit. The kittens will probably get scared
when you do this but comforting them and rewarding them when they walk
back over to you is important.
9. Fun Toys. As the foster kittens grow, they’ll need toys to stimulate them. Toys with feather and bells work great
and strings are a big hit once the kittens get to the point where they chase things. Put a small blanket on the floor
they can roll around on and hide in. As they grow, provide things they can climb on, i.e. cat towers, scratching posts.
10. Cool Hiding Places. Provide empty boxes the kittens can jump on, run and hide in. Set things up in the room
where they can play hide and seek.

3. Wear Thick Pants When You’re With Foster
Kittens!
Allowing Your Foster Kittens To Meet Other
Animals Is Important
Momma Cat Was Once Semi-Feral Now
She Seeks Attention
11. Positive Socialization. Socialization starts with you. You should be the
best, kindest, most loving person in her life and introduce your foster kitten to
other people who will be gentle and loving to her. If you have sibling kitties
and have to keep your kittens in a crate/carrier/partitioned off from the rest of
the house, take them out of their area frequently for short periods of time so
they can explore a little. Just be sure that you keep your eye on them AT ALL
TIMES because they could run and hide somewhere or accidentally run
outside if someone opens a door. If you have other pets, especially dogs, do
slow introductions. Hold the kitten and let your dog smell but don’t put your
kitten on the floor. Your dog could accidentally step on him or quickly bite and
you might not have time to react. CAUTION: If you have a dog that has
injured cats or small animals before, DO NOT introduce this dog to the foster
kittens. Keep the kittens safe at all times.
In the picture above, the kittens were introduced to Sonny first because I
knew he’d be gentle with them. He’s been a great playmate the last couple
of weeks and the kittens all flock to play when he comes to visit.
12. Regular Veterinarian Check-ups. A veterinarian check-up is important
to make sure they’re healthy and progressing nicely. Once they’re old
enough, they’ll receive first round of vaccinations and an appointment to be
spayed or neutered should be made before your kittens are adopted out.
Before you take the kittens to the veterinarian, keep an eye on their ‘nose,
eyes and rears’. Any crustiness or drainage in either the nose or eyes should
be checked by a vet. Simple eye ointment or antibiotics might be prescribed.
Momma usually keeps their rears clean but you might have to step in once
the start having bowel movements in the litter box. If you do, just take a
warm wash cloth and gently wipe away any fecal material. They might
urinate while you’re wiping their bottoms, that’s normal.
Spay Or Neuter Your Foster Kitten Before Adoption If
Possible
In closing, we like to urge people to spay or neuter their foster kittens
BEFORE they’re placed in a new home. Doing this early prevents unwanted
litters, keeps them healthier and allows them to be better inside kitties (less
marking, spraying and fewer tendencies to roam outside).
We recommend you take pictures of your foster kittens throughout their time
with you. This helps people to see their personalities, shows how lovable
they are and entices people to adopt. These pictures can be used for
networking to help find them new homes.
If you aren’t fostering for a shelter or rescue and are doing it on your own, we
suggest you never give away the kittens for free. Always ask for an adoption
fee and if possible do a home check and get referrals from their friends and veterinarian. If you know this person
hasn’t taken good care of their pets in the past, please don’t adopt to them. If you see this person on facebook
begging for free animals, don’t adopt to them either.
A kitten is a big commitment but the love you receive far outweighs the stratches and constant cleaning. Being
owned by a cat is one of the greatest pleasures I’ve had in life. Remember, fostering is very important because

4. you’re helping that kitten grow into a fantastic, lovable, outgoing and friendly baby for someone to spend their life
with.
Lastly, should you need a cat sitter or pet sitter, we can help. We’re professional pet sitters and love kitties!
Enjoy Your Foster Experience,
Kelley Stewart, CEO|Pet Sitter
sit-stay-play In-home pet sitting & more.LLC
“Your pet sitting, dog walking, poop scooping specialists!”