And Baby Makes Four

Most rescue and shelter groups never have enough feral foster homes because of the time and patience required to foster feral kittens.  The tips on how to socialize them and on how to handle kittens that might bite can be taught and in some cases the patience can be learned.  But it is a lot harder to create time.  Most people just don't have the lifestyle that gives them the time needed. Due to multiple medical conditions, I can not work full time and will likely never be able to do so again.  However, rather than dwell on the fact that I had to leave the work force in my 30s, I have chosen to do what I can with the time fate has forced on me.  Fostering higher risk kittens like ferals and sick failure to thrive kittens allows me to give back and feel like a productive member of society.

Because there are so few feral foster homes out there, it is not unusual for a feral foster mom or dad to have kittens from more than one litter.  And as long as you have the time and space to give them each the individual attention they need, there is nothing wrong with having more than one litter.  But I do suggest you keep in close contact with your foster coordinator and be honest with yourself as to whether they are making the progress they need.  It is better to ask your coordinator to move them to another foster home than let them get older and older under your care while they make no progress.  Switching kittens to another better suited home is not a failure.  Putting the kittens needs above your own desire to be the one to socialize them is what a good foster mom does (in my opinion).

Twyla, Frankie and their brother have not made much progress in the last few days but that is mainly because I had an asthma flare up and could not spend much time with them.  But they are still making a little progress so they are  OK to ride out this flare up with me.  And they are no longer alone.

And with that, I would like to introduce you to our newest little girl:

She is about 4 weeks old.  She was not really eating on her own when she was surrendered because she was too scared.  4 weeks is border line for eating wet cat food out of a dish on their own.  She probably would have eventually figured out how to eat out of a dish when she got hungry enough but she was a little dehydrated and pretty hissy, so I chose to syringe feed her for the first 24 hours.  Syringe feeding is basically mixing very soft wet cat food with water (and sometimes kitten formula) and using a medication syringe to put the food into their mouth.  When I first started syringe feeding her she was starving and ate so much that I had to cut her off before she made herself sick.  There were multiple benefits to syringe feeding her.  The most major was getting calories and hydration into her quickly so that she would get healthier quicker.

The seconds is that young kittens are simple.  They want to feel safe, warm and full.  At first she was very hissy, spitting (a noise scared kittens make) and popcorning (suddenly jumping up in the air to make herself look bigger and scary).  I picked her up by the scruff of the neck, wrapped her in a fuzzy blanket to get her warm and fed her.  By the time her belly was full she was pretty sure that I would do OK as a substitute mom and was cuddling in my arms struggling not to fall asleep.  Don't get me wrong, she still has a way to go and is not completely social.  I do have to reestablish that I am mom and she is safe with me each time I approach her cage, but it only take a minute or two.  And in the few days she is with me, she has already blown past her foster "siblings" in the socialization process.

Although this quicker socialization process is common for younger kittens, do not assume a kitten is going to be easier just because it is young.  Look at every kitten as an individual.  One of the most feral kittens I ever fostered was a 3 week old, 12oz kitten who was so feral that for over 3 weeks I had to wrap her in a towel to even pick her up to feed her without getting bitten.

As for where my newest little cutie came from, she was found in the wheel well of some one's car.  She is lucky to be alive.  Feral mom cats often walk away from a litter of kittens when they go back into heat which can be as early as 4 weeks after they give birth.  Those kittens get cold and go looking for someplace warm to sleep.  They will often crawl up into a wheel well or car engine because even after you park your car for the night the engine is warm for a while.  Many cases of kittens (or cats) found in cars do not end as well as this little girl's story did so please, please, bang on the hood of your car if it has been sitting for an hour or two before you start it in the fall/winter.

I know this might mean running out in the cold to bang on the car rather than using the remote car starter from the warmth of your house or office.  But isn't the life of a cutie like this worth it?

Feel free to steal this image and share it with friends and family to help spread the word.  Thanks!