During kitten season (early Spring through early Fall), we are often overwhelmed with the number of kittens coming into the shelter everyday. Through the foster program, we are generally focusing on kittens who are from just a few days old up to about 8 weeks old. Some are with their mom, but most are not. Because kittens this age are medically fragile, it’s essential to get them quickly into foster homes.
What we provide
Matchmaking: It’s important to us that you have a positive experience. We’ll do our best to match you with kittens who will do well in your home.
Training: We will provide you with all necessary training for bottle feeding and socializing and will equip you with the tools you need to help your kittens thrive.
Support: We’ll provide all the supplies* you need, medical services, guidance and ongoing support.
*With our limited resources, we’d appreciate any ability to provide supplies yourself, but can continue to provide supplies for as long as the kittens are in your home if you need that support.
What we need from you
A safe place for the kittens: Kittens will need to be kept in a small, safe place, like a bathroom, apart from any other animals in the home. Depending on the age, the kittens will remain in foster for approximately two to nine weeks.
Communication: It’s important to keep our foster coordinators updated on how your kittens are doing so we can provide all necessary support.
Transportation: We’ll look to you to bring the kittens to OAS every two weeks for vaccinations, and possibly more frequently if the kittens become ill.
Medical support: It’s not unusual for kittens to require medical treatments such as antibiotics or eye ointment. We’ll provide training on this.
To foster a kitten, please fill out the Kitten Foster Application.
For questions about kitten fostering, email catfostering@oaklandsanimals.org.
