Becoming a kitten foster parent

Attention kitten fanciers (and who among us is immune to their utter adorableness?): Some tiny kittens need your help. 

What happens when an orphaned or abandoned unweaned kitten arrives at one of the six L.A. Animal Services shelters?  We hate to break this to you, but their prospects can be pretty dire. With shelter staffs already stretched thin, they're often unable to care for motherless kittens (who are extra-susceptible to upper respiratory viruses and other illnesses in the shelters).  End result? The kittens are sent to a foster home, if one's available. If not, they're euthanized. 

That's where you come in.

All city shelters (North Central, South L.A., West Valley, East Valley, West L.A. and Harbor) offer a foster care program and are in urgent need of foster "parents" to care for underage kittens (and puppies) until they're eight weeks old. The shelters provide formula and bottles, veterinary care and 24/7 guidance over the phone. 

Foster volunteers can take in anywhere from a single kitten or puppy to multiple litters, depending on experience, available time and space. And should you fall head-over-heels for little Fluffy, you'll have the option to adopt when he or she reaches adoptable age.

"Fostering is not only helping to save a life, but fulfilling as well," says Bottle Baby foster parent training coordinator Valerie Markloff.  L.A. Animal Services "always needs volunteer foster parents and is always welcoming to anyone who would like to join the program."  More information, as well as a downloadable foster application, are available at the L.A. Animal Services website.

— Lindsay Barnett

Photos: Both kittens pictured are available for adoption. The female calico at top has been assigned ID No. A0982767 at the East Valley shelter.  The male orange tabby at bottom right has been assigned ID No. A0984318 at the West L.A. shelter.  You can inquire about either by calling (888) 4LAPET1. Credit: Los Angeles Department of Animal Services

Comments

[Brien Comerford]

People who care deeply about cats are in good company. Famous cat lovers include Abe Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Sir Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale and the current Pope Gregory.

[Susan Pi]

Rescue groups and shelters here in San Francisco are SWAMPED. I imagine it's just as bad everywhere else. If you can foster, please do so!! Even if it's just for a month, that will buy the kitten some extra time to find a forever home!!!

[Courtney]

I fostered the orange male tabby cat featured in this article whom I called "Jack," along with his litter mates, sister "Isabel" and brother "Leo". They were their mother's second litter of this year, and I previously fostered their older sisters "April" and "Bluebell" in May and June of this year.

Mama is a stunningly beautiful and intelligent torby (tortoise-shell tabby) who is feral and has managed to survive on the streets for two years (most feral cats don't make it that long). Attempts to capture, spay and release her have thus far been futile. Her good health and survival skills are a testament to her intelligence. All five of her kittens that I fostered were healthy, bright and beautiful and no doubt found loving homes through the West LA shelter. "Jack" and his litter mates as well as their older sisters were all adopted within one week of arriving at the shelter. Shelter volunteers told me they were extraordinarily sweet and loving compared to other kittens of feral mothers.

I have since moved to a new apartment where I can no longer foster kittens. Mama continues to roam the neighborhood and will likely be due with a third litter before the year is out. If you are interested in fostering or adopting her upcoming brood of kittens, please contact the bottle baby program at the West LA shelter for an application and email me at izzysv@gmail.com. I'd be glad to send you a link to the many pictures I took of "Jack", "Isabel" and "Leo".

Fostering animals is not something I intended to do, but the kittens and their mom seemed to find me. The experience has brought me much joy and reinforced my belief that doing the right thing (by animals AND by people) can be challenging, but it is ultimately rewarding beyond all measure.

[MEOW]

the calico looks exactly like my cat OMG IM NOT EVEN KIDDING