Unless the kitten is sick, injured, or in immmediate danger (extremely cold weather, threat of predators, etc.), the best course of action is usually to leave the kitten alone! Often, mama cat is just out hunting, or even waiting around the corner waiting for the scary human to go away. Please don't intervene unless absolutely necessary- check back (from a distance, ideally!) every few hours. If 6-8 hours go by with no sign of mama, then the kittens may in fact need help. Learn about next steps and find even more helpful info on our Found A Kitten page!

1. If you have not done so already, please fill out an APA! foster application  HERE 

2. Once your application has been submitted, an APA! staff member will contact you to complete a phone screening

3. Once your screening is completed and approved, you're immediately eligible to foster adult cats, including retired mom cats in the Neonatal Program!

4. To foster neonatal orphans or pregnant/nursing moms, please contact bb-foster-pleas@austinpetsalive.org to get the link for our Neonatal Foster Training! This training covers the basics of kitten care and APA! policies. It is self-paced, and easy to complete within about 30 minutes.

5. Once your training is done, you are officially eligible to take home your foster kitties! For orphan kittens, there is one more step after taking your kittens home. We ask that you meet with one of our staff or volunteers via video call so that we can walk you through your first feeding session. After that, you're considered "fully trained"!!

Check out our page on becoming a neonatal foster to learn more!

Fosters in our program must:

• Live within 30 minutes of our clinic in case of emergencies, or sign a waiver if you live outside of that radius.

• Have a consistent schedule that allows for mid-day feedings (for orphans). 

• Have the ability to quarantine their fosters from any resident pets (and other fosters in the home) for at least 10-14 days.

• Be able to commit to keeping their kittens until they are adopted (with a few exceptions). Kittens CANNOT be returned to the nursery!

• Be willing to administer medications and cope with non-emergency medical issues. Neonatal kittens are prone to illness, so symptoms such as tummy trouble/diarrhea, colds, and ringworm are very common. All medical care for foster animals will be provided through APA! free of charge!

Yes! Orphans in the neonatal program need to be weighed and fed every 2 to 3 hours during the day (bottle babies) or every 4 to 6 hours during the day (syringe gruel kittens and independent eaters). You must be able to keep up this schedule to foster neonatal orphans!

If this doesn’t work with your schedule, you can still foster pregnant and nursing moms! Kittens with a mom need to be weighed, and potentially supplemented with bottle or syringe feedings, twice a day. If a nursing kitten ends up needing to be supplemented more than twice a day, we would transfer them to another foster. You can also foster cats and kittens in the Cat Program (kittens over ~8 weeks old). They do not usually need to be hand-fed and therefore do not need to be weighed and fed on a neonatal schedule.

Yes! Most of our fosters also have a resident cat or two or five. You do need a separate space for your foster kittens, like a bathroom or spare bedroom. If your resident cats are vaccinated and indoor-only, you can introduce them and let them interact while supervised after 10 to 14 days if everyone is symptom-free and medication-free. 

All fosters must be at least 18 years old.  Any adults who will help bottle or syringe feed and/or medicate kittens will need to take the online training and virtual feeding practice so that they are also fully-trained fosters. While kids can't help feed or medicate, they can always help with other tasks, especially socialization!

Basic supplies list:

• Heating pad without an auto-shutoff feature*

• Digital scale that weighs in grams (most kitchen scales will work!)*

• 10cc syringes (available for free at the nursery)*

• Bottle w/ extra nipples (only for kittens who do not have canine teeth yet!)*

• KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer, only for bottle-fed kittens)*

• Premium quality, kitten-specific wet and dry food*

• Kitten-sized litter box (cardboard trays, like those that canned food comes in, make excellent disposable litter boxes!)*

• Non-clumping litter*

• Blender (for making syringe gruel)

• Secure pet carrier -- transporting kittens on a leash, in a box, or in your arms is NOT allowed

• Table sugar, corn syrup, or liquid dextrose (in case of Fading Kitten Syndrome)

*These items are included in the foster supply kit, available at the nursery for $50, and can also be purchased individually if you don't need the whole kit.

While fosters are generally expected to keep their fosters until adoption, temporary emergency placements and babysitters are needed frequently. These short-term opportunities are included in our regular plea emails, so keep an eye out! You can also email bb-foster-pleas@austinpetsalive.org with your availability so that we can keep it in mind as more placement needs arise.

If you have short-term availability on a regular basis, please consider joining our overnight foster rotation! You must foster at least 2 litters before joining, but we could really use your help!

We send out “foster plea” emails every evening, and sometimes during the day, especially if we are trying to place moms or kittens with a deadline. These emails usually include all of the relevant information we have about the kitties as well as a photo. To offer to foster one of the litters in a plea email, just reply to the email. Fosters are added to our mailing list when they are approved to foster.

There are always more kittens needing us than we can fit in one email. You can also see all of the kittens needing fosters by checking out our Plea Overflow Spreadsheet! 

We always want to set our fosters up for success and a big part of that is matching each foster with kittens that will be a good fit. We will be the first ones to admit that caring for neonates isn't always easy, and that is especially true for your first few foster placements. This is why we generally recommend starting with a smaller group of older kittens; for example, we would consider a pair of 6-week-old kittens to be a better fit for a new foster than a litter of 4 newborns. We also take each foster's unique circumstances into account, since work schedules, foster setups, and general lifestyle play a big part in determining what type of fostering will work best. Of course, we can't see the future, and any neonates have the potential to throw us a curveball and require more care than expected, but our coordinators will do their best to find a great fit for you.

There are a few types of foster opportunities that we need most urgently- check out our page on urgent needs to learn more!

We operate as a foster based nursery, meaning all of our kittens (including moms) come from a different shelter.  Once we have a foster committed to fostering a group, we will arrange transport from their current shelter to Austin Pets Alive! Many of our kittens come from Austin Animal Center, our local municipal animal shelter, but we also receive kittens from all over the state, and sometimes even from other states! 

Due to the distance, some transports can take days to arrange and we ask fosters to be patient with us while we arrange a volunteer to bring us the kittens. Additionally, this is why sometimes we will ask another foster to take a group of kittens whose foster is no longer able to pick-up same day. Without the ability to house kittens at the nursery all of our animals must go home same day since they cannot receive the care they need  overnight at the nursery. 

This can vary quite a lot! It will depend primarily on the age of the kittens you take home. We encourage fosters to keep a litter until they are adopted, which usually happens within a few weeks after the kittens turn 8 weeks old. For example, if you take home 7-week-old kittens, you could theoretically have them for as little as a week! But if you take home 2-week-olds, you're going to have them for at least 6 weeks. 

The timeline for adoption also depends greatly on the needs of your kittens. Kittens with special needs or health conditions, such as kittens with incontinence issues, can take significantly longer to adopt out. 

If you are unable to keep your kittens for the length of time it will take for them to get adopted, we can help you arrange to transfer them to another foster. We need a significant heads-up to pull this off, so please give us at least a week's notice if at all possible!

In short, no, probably not. We almost always require kittens in the Neonatal Program to be fostered in groups of at least two to ensure that kittens learn appropriate behavior from each other and become well-socialized cats. If a kitten does not have biological siblings, we will find one or more buddies around the same age & size. If either or both of the kittens are coming to foster from the shelter environment, you will need to observe the 10 to 14 day isolation period before combining them. 

To be an appropriate match, kittens must be within about 1-2 weeks of age, and similar weight. Unfortunately, this means your resident kitty will not make a good replacement for a same-age buddy! If you do not have the ability to take on a second kitten, we will place your foster kitten with another foster that does have that ability once everyone is past their quarantine.

We operate as a foster based nursery, meaning all of our kittens (including moms) come from a different shelter.  Once we have a foster committed to fostering a group, we will arrange transport from their current shelter to Austin Pets Alive! Many of our kittens come from Austin Animal Center, our local municipal animal shelter, but we also receive kittens from all over the state, and sometimes even from other states! 

The first place to turn is almost always your mentor! When you foster any kitties in the Neonatal Program, you will be assigned a mentor.  They are reachable at bbfostermentor@austinpetsalive.org. They are extremely kind, knowledgeable, experienced fosters who are able to answer questions and provide resources about all sorts of things, from "I found a flea on my kitten" to "what if I want to adopt one of my fosters" and everything in between! 

Your mentor will reach out to you within the first few days with a welcome email full of useful info. If you need anything before then, you are more than welcome to reach out; no need to wait for them to email you first!

If your foster kitties are experiencing any symptoms of illness, please fill out this Google form to notify the nursery staff. You always have our support in keeping your foster kittens healthy, and there is no question or concern too small! We recommend bookmarking that form for easy access when things come up.

Of course, we also have emergency support. Our clinic and it's emergency line are staffed 24/7 and we encourage you to call if you have urgent concerns, especially outside of the nursery's normal business hours. Their phone numbers are:

 512-466-0720 (9am–7pm) or 888-733-8840 (after hours) 

Yes! Both the Neonatal Program and Cat Program have Facebook pages. There are also a couple other specialized pages for fosters. Some of these pages may only be available to you once you're fostering animals in that particular program.

APA! Neonatal Fosters

Austin Pets Alive! Cat Fosters

Austin Pets Alive! Ringworm Cat Fosters

APA! Major Medical & Hospice Fosters

APA! Incontinent Kitty Adopters & Fosters

Babysitters for cats and kittens in the neonatal program must be approved and trained neonatal fosters. If you are going to need a babysitter, please email bb-foster-pleas@austinpetsalive.org one week in advance with the following information:

1.  Start-date and end-date for the babysitting gig (i.e. drop-off and pick-up dates)

2. What your kittens are eating (are they bottle babies, independent eaters, or syringe gruel kittens or a nursing mom and litter) 

3. Any current medications 

4. A cute photo for our foster plea. 

We will add them to our foster plea and let you know once we have found a babysitter. 

Please Note: Babysitters are often found at the last minute. Please don’t panic if it takes us a few days to find one. We always have backup solutions in place, so your kittens will have someone to take care of them!

Fosters ARE NOT PERMITTED to take their neonatal fosters out of town with them! If you will be travelling for any length of time, you MUST request a babysitter.

If you foster a pregnant cat, you will be able to name her kittens. Once the kittens are born, we will assign you a litter letter/number combination, and the kittens’ names will start with that letter. 

All other cats and kittens are assigned names by the staff.  The Neonatal Program uses the hurricane naming system plus a litter number to make it easier to identify neonatal litters in our program. That's why your kittens have numbers at the end of their names! The first litter of the year is A1. Once we get to Z1, we start over with A2, and so on. Our last litter of 2020 was D44. That means we intaked 1,122 litters last year!

Sometimes! We find that it works best to start out with one litter so you can become familiar with kitten care and APA! procedures. Once you have a litter under your belt, you may be able to foster up to two groups at a time, though this will be at staff discretion. A “group” is a litter of kittens, a mom and her litter, an adult cat, or a pair of bonded adult cats. You will need to have enough room to keep your groups separate from each other as well as any resident pets. Moms need to be kept separate from all other animals the entire time they are in foster. Kittens can be introduced to other cats and kittens following a 10 to 14 day isolation period if they are symptom-free and not on any medications. 

We love dogs, but unfortunately...no. Since even friendly dogs can unintentionally injure kittens, we ask that you wait to introduce your kittens to dogs until they have graduated to the Cat Program. At that point you may introduce them, if your dog is cat-friendly, and allow them to interact while supervised. Pregnant or nursing moms need to be kept separate from all other animals the entire time they are in foster.

We understand that emergencies and circumstances arise that may mean you need to move your kittens before they are adopted. However, foster kittens cannot simply be returned to the nursery or clinic. Just like we rely on fosters to step up for kittens the first time, we count on fosters to step up if you have a family emergency. Always give us advance notice if at all possible. Please email bb-foster-pleas@austinpetsalive and let us know when you need the kittens moved, what your kittens are eating (are they bottle babies, independent eaters, or syringe gruel kittens or a nursing mom and litter), and any medications they are on. Please also include a photo for our foster plea. 

Unfortunately, no. While we very much appreciate the enthusiasm for saving lives, the risk of spreading disease when fosters have animals from two organizations at the same time is too high. We would hate for an illness to spread from our animals to another organization's animals (and vice versa). If you do foster for another organization between APA! litters, please be sure to disinfect carefully before your next APA! litter (as you would do between two APA! litters). It is also very important for you to let us know if a litter you are fostering for another organization tests positive for panleukopenia or has calici. 

Bottle babies (up to about 4 weeks, or when all four canines have erupted) need to be fed KMR (kitten milk replacer). Once the kitten's canine teeth are fully in, they need to be fed premium canned kitten food mixed with water until it is applesauce consistency (and blended if the kitten is being syringe fed) and premium kitten kibble. Kittens may not be interested in kibble at first, but you will still leave it out for them at all times so that they can learn what it is. The nursery usually has excess food, especially cases of canned food, so please reach out if you would like to pick up a free case!

ALL kittens need to eat 5% of their body weight at each feeding.

For bottle babies, that's every 2 to 3 hours during the day (6 overnight).

For syringe gruel kittens, that's every 4 to 6 hours during the day (8 overnight).

For kittens who are eating on their own, or  "gruelies", they need to have fresh food put out at least every 6 hours. They must be provided enough food at each feeding to eat 5% of their body weight. They also need a bowl of kibble and bowl of water available at all times.

Kittens have weak immune systems, and illness is very common. It is highly likely that your kittens will experience mild to moderate symptoms of illness and infection such as diarrhea, upper respiratory infections, or ringworm at some point. This is one of the reasons why they need our help!

Most of the kittens who come into our program come from shelters outside Austin, and because our nursery is closed, we need to have fosters lined up before we can bring kittens into our program. We almost always have limited health information about kittens until they arrive and we are able to examine them. Moreover, most illnesses also have incubation periods, so kittens that appear healthy may develop illnesses once they are in foster. For these reasons, if we match you with kittens who arrive with mild to moderate symptoms or develop them in foster, we need you to continue to foster them and treat them –- with our help of course! Exceptions include kittens who arrive with more serious illnesses or who unexpectedly test FeLV+ on intake.

Ringworm is very common in Texas. We can do our best to match you with kittens that do not appear to have ringworm, but if they arrive with ringworm or develop it once they are in foster, we would need you to continue to foster them and treat them -– with our help of course! Have a look at our ringworm resources for fosters for more information about fostering kittens with ringworm HERE.

We recommend making sure your resident cats are current on their core vaccinations, and in fact, we require them to be current on their vaccinations if you would like them to interact with your foster kittens. Although the risk of transmitting illness to your resident cats is not zero, you can minimize it by complying with our isolation period requirements and practicing good sanitation (washing hands, not sharing items between foster kittens and residents, cleaning frequently, etc.). If you still have concerns, consider keeping your foster kittens separate from your resident cats the entire time you have them.

Kittens can receive their routine FVRCP vaccines, routine dewormer, flea prevention and microchip at the wellness clinic *. If your kittens need to be seen for any other reason or if they are sick, please do not bring them to the wellness clinic. You will need to contact either the medical clinic (for issues already being treated by the clinic) or the nursery (for non-urgent issues and refills of medications prescribed by the nursery). 

* The wellness clinic is a drive-up clinic held in front of the Medical Clinic at APA!’s main campus at 1156 W. Cesar Chavez every Saturday from 9 am to 11 am. You do not need to make an appointment, but it helps the volunteers plan if you sign up here the day before. Animals will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis! To check in, please look for a volunteer in a bright orange shirt. Your kittens will be seen in your vehicles. 

Please contact the nursery med techs using this form. If you have photos or videos of the issue, please include/email them.

All APA! cats and kittens are tested for FeLV at intake. Cats who test positive for FeLV are separated from those that test negative. 

At APA! we have made the decision to not routinely test for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). This is due to the nature of FIV- it is only spread through deep bite wounds or mating, and will not spread between cats who groom each other, share a litter box, or even scratch/play-bite each other. Therefore, it does not need to be a factor in placing our kitties. In fact, FIV was only discovered in 1986- if you owned cats before then, it is possible that you owned an FIV cat without ever knowing it!

Please start Fading Kitten Protocol immediately. Once you have have the kitten wrapped in the blanket and heating pad and have begun giving the sugar-water/Karo syrup drops every 3 minutes, please call the clinic at 512-466-0720 (9am–7pm) or 888-733-8840 (after hours) and let them know you have a fading kitten. They will instruct you to continue Fading Kitten Protocol and will give you further instructions for when the kitten is out of the fade.

It's ok to just let her have them where she wants to. If it's not in a safe place or if the kittens are at risk of getting cold (for example, because she is giving birth on a hard surface), you can try moving the kittens over to the nesting box during breaks between kittens. Moms will often continue giving birth in the nesting box when you do this, although she may decide to move them back. You can also just move the heating pad over to the location she chooses. 

Generally, it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing. Although kittens are usually born every 10 minutes to 1 hour, moms can take longer breaks between kittens to recover and care for the present kittens before continuing the labor process. They can even go up to a day between kittens, but this is very uncommon. As long as mom is not actively pushing, is resting comfortably, is alert when roused or is caring for kittens actively, and has pink gums, then there is generally no need to be concerned.  

If she has had contractions and has been actively pushing for 30 minutes without producing a kitten or if she appears in distress (see also “What specifically do you mean by ‘in distress?’”), please call the emergency line (512-466-0720 (9am–7pm) or 888-733-8840 (after hours)). 

Signs of distress or problems that warrant a call to the emergency line include having contractions and actively pushing for 30 minutes without producing a kitten, stopping pushing despite having contractions, contractions becoming weaker, mom feeling hot to the touch/running a fever, extreme weakness to the point of being unable to lift her head or stand, a kitten stuck in the birth canal, extremely foul-smelling discharge, large amounts of pooling blood, or pale gums. You should also alert the clinic if mom has gone 48 hours without eating or drinking. It is helpful for the clinic to know her personality (whether she is friendly, scared, etc.), what food you have been feeding (brand(s) as well as wet, dry, or both), and where you are keeping her and what parts of your home she has access to. If you see any of these signs of distress, please call the emergency line (512-466-0720 (9am–7pm) or 888-733-8840 (after hours)). 

Yes, it is common to see some panting for a few days after a mom gives birth. There is no reason to be concerned unless you notice panting in combination with other issues (see also “What specifically do you mean by ‘in distress?’”).

Cats can still look pregnant for some time after they have given birth, so it’s hard to know for sure whether she has finished giving birth or is taking a break. Moms can even go up to a day between kittens, but this is very uncommon. As long as mom is not actively pushing, is resting comfortably, is alert when roused or is caring for kittens actively, and has pink gums, then there is generally no need to be concerned.  

If she has had contractions and been actively pushing for 30 minutes without producing a kitten or if she appears in distress (see also “What specifically do you mean by ‘in distress?’”), please call the emergency line (512-466-0720 (9am–7pm) or 888-733-8840 (after hours)). 

If you believe that your mom has not delivered all of her but is not in distress or showing signs of contractions, please submit a medical request to the clinic. They will most likely ask you to bring her in by the following day for a quick exam. 

It can sometimes take a little time for kittens to find their way to the “milk bar,” especially if mom is still in labor and is changing positions frequently. Once mom appears to be done, or if she is taking a break, the kittens should find their way to her and start rooting around for a nipple. It’s a good idea to leave them alone for the most part and just check in on them occasionally. They usually figure things out, but their weights will let us know if they don’t. If you notice that a kitten frequently seems lost or heads in the wrong direction, you can go ahead and weigh him to get a baseline weight, try to put him next to a nipple when you catch him going the wrong direction, and email your mentor for further instructions. 

Yes, it is common for moms to move their kittens to a place they consider safe. You can try to move the kittens back to the nest or set up multiple nests to give mom options. Ultimately, though, she’s going to put them where she wants them. You will need to move the heating pad to the location she picks to ensure that the kittens have a heat source at all times. Sometimes moms split their kittens up into two groups in two different locations. If your mom does this, please let your mentor know, and we can lend you an extra heating pad. 

Moms stimulate their kittens to go to the bathroom by licking their backside since kittens are unable to eliminate on their own. They do this instinctively. Occasionally it can take a couple days for first-time moms’ maternal instincts to kick in, but there’s generally nothing to worry about unless you notice that the kittens’ bedding is soiled or smells. If you do notice soiling, please send a picture to your mentor for further instructions since soiling can also be an indicator that the kittens have diarrhea. 

Once your kittens go up on the website, they are available for adoption. Our adoption team will forward you all adoption inquiries they receive through our website about your kittens. Please answer these emails promptly, in the order in which they are received. You will be responsible for setting up virtual meet-and-greets with potential adopters, which can be done over Facetime, Zoom, or similar platforms. 

If the potential adopter decides they would like to move forward with adoption, they will follow the instructions in the initial e-mail they received from the adoption team. They will schedule an adoption appointment with an adoption counselor, which will prompt the adopter to complete the adoption application. Please note that adopters must meet kittens before scheduling an adoption appointment and completing the application! 

At the adoption appointment, the adoption counselor will go through all of the relevant information and requirements with the adopter, and the adopter will pay the adoption fee. They will also pay a refundable $100 surgery deposit for any kitten that has not been spayed or neutered. At that point, you can coordinate with the adopters to have them pick up their kittens(s) from you. You will receive a confirmation e-mail from the adoption team, generally that same evening. It is still ok for adopters to pick up their kittens(s) if you have not received the confirmation e-mail, but the adopter will need to show you proof that they have completed the contract and paid the adoption fee and surgery deposit, if applicable. Please do not transfer kittens to adopters without seeing proof that they have completed the adoption and paid the necessary fees.

Check out our page all about adoptions!

Yes, absolutely! Feel free to advertise your kittens on NextDoor, Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms. Many fosters even create dedicated social media accounts for their fosters. The form you will use to submit kitten bios has room for you to provide links to Facebook and/or Instagram accounts so the links can be included in your kittens’ website bios.

It is common to get multiple inquiries for the same kitten. Please answer emails in the order you receive them and offer to schedule meet and greets. Feel free to let potential adopters know that there are several people interested. Adoption applications are processed in the order they are received, so not necessarily the first people to email you or the first person to schedule a meet and greet. Once an application has been approved, the kitten will be taken off the website.

Our process is designed to prevent all of our internal biases from unintentionally affecting the families we adopt to. We’re all, as humans, really really prone to judging each other, and there’s lots and lots of data to show that that doesn’t actually help cats find better homes—it just unintentionally slows down the process of kitties finding homes, and makes it harder for loving families who don’t look like we imagined the perfect home to adopt. For these reasons, APA! adopts out pets first come, first serve to qualified adopters.

As far as questions you should be asking adopters, the answer is: very few! Please leave the “interviewing” to the adoption counselors, who have received special training. The purpose of meet & greets is for potential adopters to get to know the kitten. Adoption counselors take care of the hard stuff.

If you have genuine concerns about a particular adopter, we definitely want you to share them with us! We really do look into each one before we decide whether we want to move forward. Our process isn’t designed to put cats in any home that will take them regardless of whether they love the cat—just to make sure that we don’t allow any personal or societal biases get in the way of animals going to good homes.

Absolutely! Fosters always have “first dibs” on their kittens, but still need to go through the official adoption process. Family members or friends can also adopt as long as they live within 100 miles of APA! and go through the official adoption process. Kittens must stay in your possession until the adoption is completed.

If you have interested adopters who have missed out and are upset, feel free to direct them to our Cat Matchmakers at cat-matchmakers@austinpetsalive.org. They will help make sure that people don’t miss out on kittens over and over and over again.

Adoptions MUST be officially approved & all fees/deposits must be paid before a kitten can go to their new home. When animals are adopted from foster homes, the foster MUST wait to receive word from APA! staff that the adoption has been finalized- any hand-offs before that point are not permitted. Once the adopter has been approved, please transfer the adopted animal as soon as possible, and notify APA! staff if there are any delays in transferring care.