Foster Friday: Nurses Needed
Foster Friday: Nurses Needed
This week on Foster Friday…calling all nurturing types! URIs or “upper respiratory infections” are a common problem for cats housed in a shelter environment, so we like to send those kitties to foster homes to speed their recovery time. A foster home can be the perfect environment for a kitty who is feeling a little under the weather and needs some TLC, but how do you set up for success when fostering cats/kittens with a communicable illness? Start by choosing a room that can be easily spot-cleaned and disinfected – if you don’t have a dedicated foster room, a bathroom can be ideal.. Furnish it with food and water dishes, a cozy bed, and a litter box. Your foster kitty will need to be isolated from any other animals until their URI is cleared, so you’ll want to include some creature comforts and enrichment items that can be easily cleaned and disinfected – washable toys or disposable toys made of toilet paper rolls or paper egg cartons. You can run a humidifier throughout the day to help ease your foster kitty’s congestion, or (if the cat is living in your bathroom) you can let the shower run with hot water for 10-15 minutes at a time throughout the day.
Sick kitties are often especially appreciative of companionship, so don’t be shy about spending time with your kitty – just make sure to wash your hands and wear a different set of clothes when interacting with your foster cat so that you don’t accidentally share any germs with your resident pets. Scrubs work well and are easy to change into and out of when it’s time to feed, medicate, clean up after, or just spend time with your foster kitty. Fostering sick kitties may seem like a daunting task at first, but if you take preparation one step at a time you can provide a loving, safe, cleanly foster home for a kitty in need!
Moon, Sky, and Solar here are in our care but would LOVE a foster to call their own while they recuperate from a URI! If you are interested in learning more about our foster program fill out the quick form here, and we will follow up with you with next steps to coming on board as a foster.
