The Joys of Fostering Kittens
This has been quite a year for everyone! The months of isolation and lockdown in our homes has been quite a challenge for all of us! One thing that has been a great help to my family are the “parade” of foster kittens that have come through our home. Thanks to Beltsville Community Cats (BCC), my family has been entertained as we cared for these precious kittens, born outside in feral colonies.
We have had 30 foster kittens since June 2020, ranging in age from 4 weeks to 4 months when they came to us. We socialize them and care for their basic physical needs until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and adopted into forever homes. The work is sometimes messy (some of the real young ones “swim” in their food and have to be bathed after every meal) but rewarding as we watch scared little ones grow into confident, healthy kittens ready to leave our home.
Fostering is a family project with everyone involved in some way. The kittens are in a large room in our home with lots of light and a TV that is a “covid office” during the day and an “escape from the world” space in the evening. There is nothing better than having a purring kitten sleeping on you. We call it “kitten paralysis.”
The worst thing about being a foster is saying goodbye. I must admit that I cry when each of my babies leave, even though they are going to wonderful “forever” homes. I often wonder who benefits more from our fostering project: the kittens, my family, or the families who adopt the kittens. I believe that we all end up winners!
If you would like to learn more about fostering kittens, please contact Beltsville Community Cats at hello@beltsvillecats.net or 240.444.8353. Or you can apply on line to foster for BCC at http://www.shelterluv.com/matchme/foster/BCC/Cat.