YES! You can absolutely still foster with the neonatal program even if you work full time. Here are two great options for you to consider.

• You can foster pregnant cats or nursing mamas & their kittens! Fosters for kitty families need to be able to fulfil these requirements:

• 1. You must be able to weigh the kittens and refresh their food twice a day at minimum. If the kittens are not gaining enough weight by nursing and/or eating on their own, you must be able to supplementally hand-feed the kittens at least twice per day.

  2. You must be willing/able to keep mama and babies separate from any other pets in your home until the kittens are at least 8 weeks old. Mama cats can get very defensive of their babies, so this is best for everyone's safety! Depending on the age and number of the kittens, an average sized bathroom will likely be plenty of room for the duration of their time with you.

  3. Just like with all neonatal program kitties, fosters for pregnant cats & families must be willing to administer any meds that their foster kitties might need, and treat any non-emergency conditions that arise. 

• You can take temporary fosters during weekends & holidays! Fosters taking kitties long-term need babysitters all the time, and we also have emergency needs arise frequently. For example, if you're only available Friday and Saturday nights, keep an eye out for our Friday urgent plea and let us know if you can welcome any of our urgent kitties as weekend guests! The requirements for short-term fosters are the same as those for longer-term fosters:

  1. Orphan kittens need frequent hands-on care; every 2-3 hours for kittens who are under 4 weeks old and bottle fed, or every 4-6 hours for kittens over 4 weeks old who are eating gruel (either syringe-fed or eating on their own). Pregnant cats and nursing families only require hands-on care twice a day (every 8-12 hours).

  2. Just like with longer-term foster placements, temporary fosters and babysitters must be willing and able to treat any non-emergency conditions that may arise, including administering medications.

  3. Temporary fosters and babysitters are expected to follow the same quarantine procedures as long-term fosters- however, some babysitting gigs are for kittens who have already passed quarantine, and we will let you know if that is the case!

We completely understand that some foster families may have extra concerns about taking in kitties that may have zoonotic (contagious to humans) diseases. Conditions such as toxoplasmosis and ringworm are fairly common with neonates coming from a shelter environment, but we're happy to help you take the necessary precautions to keep your family safe. 

Our #1 recommendation for fosters concerned about these conditions is to seek out kittens who have already been through our mandatory 10-14 day quarantine. During that time, the vast majority of illnesses the kittens may be incubating will have made themselves known, so we will be able to give you a much more accurate picture of their health than we can for kittens who are brand new to our program. We need transfers and babysitters for post-quarantine kitties pretty often, so please let us know if you are specifically interested in those opportunities!

Yes, but within reason! We ask that folks with experience fostering with other organizations start with a foster kitten or litter that is a step down in difficulty/intensity from what you might have typically taken in the past. For example, if you have previously fostered litters of 4-5 bottle babies on a regular basis, (first of all, AMAZING, and welcome to APA!) we would ask you to take a litter of 2-3 kittens for your first time fostering with us. This may seem counter-intuitive, because we certainly want you to help us with larger litters in the future. However, the APA! Neonatal Foster Program has requirements that may be different and potentially more demanding than those of the program(s) you have experience with. We want to make sure you have a great experience fostering with us for the first time, and we find that easing in with an older or smaller group of kittens is a great way to do that.

You're right, they are adorable! Unfortunately, we find that starting off with the smallest & most demanding of our kittens can lead to fosters feeling overwhelmed and exhausted- for good reason! Kittens are born weighing between about 80-120g, and need to eat every 2 hours. Providing such intensive care for such tiny, delicate creatures can be a huge adjustment, especially for folks who are new to neonatal care in general. For this reason, we strongly recommend that fosters take a small group of older kittens for their first fostering experience. This provides an opportunity to get used to the responsibilities of fostering neonates without losing quite as much sleep!