Fostering Kittens

When asked if I would be interested in fostering a queen and her eight newborn kittens, I volunteered without question.

- Theresa Gleason

Who doesn’t love a newborn kitten? My maternal instincts kicked into high gear when thinking about these adorable little creatures and how I would have the opportunity to watch them grow and turn into playful balls of fur.

I drove three hours to pick up the young family. The kittens were approximately one week old. I assumed the ride home would be uneventful, but learned quickly that the kittens were not content. They cried for most of the three-hour trip home. After arriving home, I settled everyone into a clean and safe environment believing the stress of the commute was the culprit for the unhappy kittens, but I learned the transport was only part of the cause of the discontented kittens. On initial assessment, I discovered the kittens were cold, hungry, had a possible infection, and the queen did not have any evidence of milk. Here is what I wish I had known prior to fostering kittens:

Kittens cry because of stress, failure to adequately nurse, being cold and having pain − among other possible discomforts. Healthy newborn kittens should not cry for longer than 20 minutes.2 These kittens met the requirements to cry and be irritable. I immediately began to assess the kittens to meet all their needs. While I observed this pile of squirming brown tabbies, my heart was breaking and I was overwhelmed thinking about how to successfully raise these kittens and to determine why the queen had no milk. Fortunately, with my tight circle of experienced breeders and access to excellent veterinary care , they walked me through every new problem that arose ... so many problems that arose. Over the following 12 weeks, I carefully peeled back the layers, responding to each of the needs of the queen and her kittens, while using a spreadsheet to document the progress of each kitten and the queen. Categorically, this is what I wish I had known:

Documenting the Queen and Kittens