Neonate Kitten Foster Program

Who doesn’t love kittens!? In Chicago, as well as other areas that experience the four seasons, we have a kitten season. Kitten season typically starts in the spring and lasts through the fall. Evolutionarily female cats’ reproductive systems take a cue from the weather and when it would be safe to mate and birth kittens. Because there is such a large population of outdoor cats roaming in Chicago, many kittens are born outdoors and brought into shelters.

Unfortunately, shelters are not the best place for young kittens because they require around the clock care. In addition, their immune systems aren’t yet strong enough to stand up to the viruses or bacteria they may come in contact with in the shelter environment. This is why we rely heavily on our savvy fosters to take these little ones home to help them survive.

What makes a good neonate foster:

Time

– Not unlike having a newborn, caring for neonates is time consuming. It’s ideal if you have a flexible schedule that will allow you

to feed every 2-3 hours.

Calm, cool, and collected demeanor

– Neonates are delicate and can’t do anything on their own yet. This means that as a foster you will be responsible for feeding them and stimulating them for potty breaks. Sometimes this goes smoothly and sometimes it takes some time for them to catch on. Unfortunately, not all kittens make it through, and that can be emotionally difficult. While it isn’t a job for everyone, we encourage you to consider the pros and cons and everything in between to determine whether you are up for the job.

A small space for a carrier or small crate separated from your pets at home

– Fortunately, neonate kittens take up very little space for the first 2-3 weeks of their lives. Because they mostly eat and sleep, they don’t need much more than a small crate or large carrier to house them. However, they must be kept separated from pets at home since we are still learning about the kittens’ health and they are still too young to be vaccinated. 

Register for a virtual neonate foster training session here.