Summary
Fostering kittens can be a rewarding and life-changing experience. The many factors to consider before diving in are discussed here, as well as the pros and cons of fostering independently or through an animal shelter or rescue organization.
Considerations Before Taking Kittens
Factors to Consider
Fostering kittens can be a rewarding and life-changing experience but can also be challenging. There are many factors to consider, including:
- Do you have the time to care for kittens? Feeding, cleaning, socializing, medical appointments and other tasks take time. The age and health of kittens will also affect the amount of time, from hours to months.
- Do you have an appropriate space in your home to house kittens apart from other animals, for at least a two-week quarantine period?
- Will your pets be stressed by the presence of other animals in their home? Are your pets’ vaccines and parasite treatments current? Always check with your veterinarian about potential risks to your pet or the kittens.
- Do you have transportation to get to appointments?
- Are other household members on board with taking in kittens and able to interact carefully with them? Young children must always be supervised.
- Can you afford to pay for food, litter, toys and other supplies if necessary?
- Can you do a lot of cleaning and laundry?
- Are you and your household members prepared for the possible death of a kitten?
- Are you and your household members prepared to let kittens go for adoption?
Pros and Cons of working with Animal Shelter or Rescue Organization Versus Caring for Kittens Independently
Fostering kittens through an animal shelter or rescue organization may provide benefits, including:
- Providing food and other supplies needed to care for kittens.
- Providing medical care such as vaccines, deworming, and spay/neuter surgeries.
- Having an experienced staff and volunteers to guide and support you while fostering.
- A pool of other caregivers to take kittens, short- or long-term, if you cannot provide care.
- Ability to widely advertise available kittens for adoption.
- Assistance with or management of paperwork.
- Adoptions and post-adoption issues.
Fostering kittens through a shelter or rescue may present disadvantages, including:
- Restrictions on the food or litter used.
- Requirements to use only their medical resources and accept their decisions.
- Little or no control over the adoptions process.
Caring for kittens independently offers some advantages, including:
- Autonomy in the kittens’ daily care (what they are fed, how they are housed).
- Choice of medical provider and extent of medical care.
- Control over the adoption process.
Caring for kittens independently presents its own challenges, including:
- Financial responsibility for supplies (food, litter, toys, and other supplies) and medical care (vaccines, deworming, and spay/neuter surgeries).
- Lack of access to experienced staff and volunteers to guide and support you.
- No pool of other caregivers to take kittens, short- or long-term, if you cannot provide care.
- No assistance with advertising the availability of kittens for adoption.
- No help in screening adopters, managing the handoff of the kittens to their adopters, and assisting with post-adoption issues.
