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Bottle babies
Bottle babies
Orphaned bottle babies (newborns to 3-4 weeks) are our greatest need when searching for fosters. They require the most care since they must be fed 6 times a day, with one feeding overnight. The length of time between feedings gradually increases as kittens get older, so by the time kittens are almost ready to transition to gruel, they only need to be fed 5 times a day, with one feeding overnight
Gruel kittens
Gruel kittens
Orphaned gruel kittens (roughly 4 to 6 weeks) need to be fed 4 times a day and do not need to be fed overnight. Kittens at the younger end of the range who aren't eating on their own yet need to be syringe fed until they can gain weight from eating on their own. They should be eating on their own from about 6 weeks onward. Kittens at this age are such fun to care for since they are learning how to play, eat, and be a cat.
Why are there so many orphaned kittens?
Why are there so many orphaned kittens?
Orphaned kittens are at high risk for euthanasia due to the constant care they require. The very youngest need to be fed every 2-3 hours, with one feeding overnight, which many people and shelters, aren't able to do. We try our best to find fosters for all kittens ranging from bottle babies to 8 week old kittens.
Each age range comes with its own challenges and rewards. We want all fosters to feel comfortable with the level of care their kittens require, so we have created a short summary for each group.
Quarantine
Quarantine
Kittens coming from a shelter environment must go through a 10-14 day quarantine period apart from all foster animals and resident pets. Even if the kittens look healthy, we need to make sure they are not incubating any illnesses. We strongly recommend quarantining in an easy-to-sanitize area such as a bathroom.
Healthy bottle babies up to 3 weeks old are an exception. They can be added to a nursing mom, or single bottle babies can be paired up.
Single kitten syndrome
Single kitten syndrome
In our experience, kittens do better in pairs or groups. The Neonatal Program requires all of our kittens to be fostered at least in groups of two. If you offer to foster a single kitten, we will look for a buddy in the same age and weight range once the quarantine period is over. We understand not everyone can take large litters, so if you are unable to take a pair, we can send you kittens who are not able to have buddies due to medical reason or kittens who need to complete quarantine. Once quarantine is done, we will do our best to match them to a kitten their age and free you up to continue to take more single kittens!
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