Since my last post was about kittens and kitten season, I spent much of my weekend napping. The other parts I spent eating, and in between I pondered kittens. I specifically pondered how you can prepare yourselves for the season. Picture this scenario:
::phone rings::
You: Hello?
Friend: Hey, you. I’m calling because I found three kittens. They’re only three weeks old. Should I take them to my local open-admission shelter?
You: No! Call a no-kill shelter first.
Friend: I did, but they’re full and said that I need to foster them. I can’t do it.
This, dear reader, is where you have a chance to be a hero to three little tiny lives. This is where you can say:
You: I am prepared for this! Thanks to Crepes, I have everything I need! Bring me the kittens and I will foster them until they’re ready to adopt!
Great answer! You are now a super hero.
Here’s a list of a few things you’ll need to prepare yourself to give this life-saving answer:
- A heating pad without auto off. Baby kittens need to stay warm, so a heating pad is essential. Place it under HALF the box so they can get away if it gets too warm.
- Kitten Bottles. If they’re under six weeks old, you’ll need to feed them with bottles every few hours.
- KMR powder. Powdered versions are easy to keep in your kitten kit.
- Canned kitten food for older kittens (around four weeks as you begin to wean).
- Pee Pads. They line the box and help keep the kitten area clean.
- Towels. Kittens are messy. Wash them daily (the towels, not the kittens.)
- Hand Sanitizer. Until you know the kittens are healthy, sanitize and wash after EVERY handling, especially before petting your own cats.
- A smock. This goes with the hand sanitizer. Cuddle kittens while keeping your own clothes clean.
- Sandles. These are to be worn only in the kitten room to keep your feet clean and to stop you from tracking any viruses through the rest of your house.
- A tiny litter box. Grease trap aluminum pans for your grill work great and are the perfect tiny size. Use a clean one and throw it out when it’s dirty
- A little food scale and bowl to weigh tiny ones or a baby scale to weigh larger kitties
- Plain clay litter
That’s what we keep in our kit here so that we’re always prepared, just in case!
UPDATE: We updated our list per some great suggestions from Random Felines, a blog that’s all about foster kittens and a lady behind it who does great work as a foster mom!
Now get out there and be a kitten super hero!
Love,
Crepes.
PS. Did I miss anything in the kit? What do you keep in yours? Tell me in the comments!
Oh my we haven’t had a kitten around here since Shoko was one. I applaud all your efforts to help the less fortunate kitties.
Kitty kisses,
Kali
Crepes, Great list for the humans. Just make sure to double check all experation dates (especially on food items) before use. I go through my pet supply box every month when I give out hearworm meds. I also use the disposable feeding syringes. I find it is easier to use one handed. Kittens can (and should be) wiggly.
The last time the head peep took care of kittens was almost 20 years ago, when a litter was found on the roof of her office building. When it happens, you just act.
What good info! We hope more humans will be willing to foster.
stock…grate post two day N thanx for sharin theeze tipz…..even tho we R all seniorz ….cept for toona who iz middle aged … N we wont bee havin wee kittehz oh R own…. one can never bee two pree pared…thiz iza grate chex list !!! ♥♥♥
🙂
I haven’t had to care for kittens in a long time… if I got that call, I’d probably do it though. Now that I have a proper crate anyways. Last Spring, I tried saving some baby bunnies in my yard from an armadillo that tried to eat them. That was pretty tough…
We’re kinda of failed fosterers but it would be different with young kittens. Geat list and the most important ingredient is patience, calm and love. What are sandles? I prefer the mini-plastic litter boxes or disposable. Some cats don’t like metal. Vetericyn is my first-aid go to and Rescue remedy (alcohol-free) for everyone.
a plastic tote or tub to keep wee ones near that heat source. A second one to put them in when you clean out the first one.
When I have orphaned kittens I often have to give them baths quite regularly. I do my best to get food and litter off them with wet face cloths, which I have a stack of because they have so many uses, but that often only goes so far.
I also can’t get a kitten to nurse off a bottle to save my life, so I have a plethora of needless syringes to feed young kittens.. also good for giving medication if need be.
I like saline wash or colloidal silver to help flush out the eyes and or nose if there is any discharge.. or a piece of litter stuck in there.. Also good for flushing out ears if there is debris in there. along with another face cloth 😉
toys.. just like you don’t want to mix your clothing you don’t want to mix toys.. and bowls.. and a litter scoop..
My human has never fostered, and she says this is a great list to have onhand in case “anything happens!” MOL – seriously, she wants to foster a pregnant mom someday so she can help raise the kittens from scratch and hopefully make them super-socialized.
Wes can’t foster. Mes too nasty, especially around babies. The last baby wes had here was Jo Jo and truth be told, mes thinks she is so furry nasty to mes as mes was furry, furry nasty to hers and was not ever allowed to bes in the same room with her alone.
Kisses
Nellie
great list. we would add a couple of things: kittens as young as 4 weeks will start eating canned food, so people shouldn’t freak out about the bottle baby thing. a decent scale to monitor kitten weights so you know they are gaining. clay litter only since kittens will try to eat everything (we normally switch ours at about 7 weeks to the scooping stuff). oh…and you MAY have to wash little kittens daily. MOL
What a great list for a kitten kit. It’s always good to know what you need and to be prepared.
–Purrs (and wags) from Life with Dogs and Cats
This is a purrfect kitten kit, Crepes and Alana!
This is an excellent kitten kit, Crepes and Alana! I’ll share. 🙂 Thanks for the great tips!