Handbook Intro
Thank you for fostering with Tiny Kitten Coven! As a foster based rescue, we are so grateful to every one of our fosters, who provide a safe space to cats and kittens while they wait for adoption.
This foster manual is a guide to all things Tiny Kitten! Be sure that you keep the manual on hand (electronically) so that you can reference it when you have questions!
Disclaimer: As a participant in the Amazon Affiliate program, we earn from qualifying purchases. All links to amazon products in this handbook are affiliate links for Tiny Kitten Coven. Know that if you do purchase amazon products through the links in this guide, Tiny Kitten Coven will get a small percentage back to put towards helping more kitties.
About Us
Tiny Kitten Coven’s mission is to promote welfare and rescue for cats and kittens in the Southern California area with a focus on vulnerable, at-risk, neonatal kittens. We save kittens off the euthanasia lists at high kill shelters in LA and Riverside counties, and we take cats from dangerous situations off the streets. Tiny Kitten Coven provides medical care and socializing for kittens until they’re able to be fixed and adopted out to forever homes.
We also participate in TNR (Trap Neuter Return) efforts to spay and neuter all feral and community cats so that they are not endlessly producing kittens in overpopulated colonies that become sicker over time and lead to more cat suffering. Tiny Kitten Coven has traps to lend out for TNR efforts, and works to educate the community on the importance of such programs.
Every foster situation is different and depends on the needs of the cat. Sometimes you will be fostering a cat for a few days, a few weeks, or occasionally a few months. We have a need for all lengths of fosters. Some common foster situations/needs that Tiny Kitten Coven has:
Raising small kittens (bottle babies, weaned kittens, or kittens with a mom) until they are healthy, socialized, and adoptable (1-12 wks)
Raising teenage kittens until they are healthy, socialized, and adoptable (1-4+ wks)
Caring for an adult cat as they recover from a spay or neuter, or another surgery (1-2+ weeks)
Giving medications over a longer treatment, or helping a cat recover from a more serious injury or illness (4 weeks to 6 months)
Housing an adoptable kitten or cat until they are able to be matched with their adopter and go to their forever home! (4+ weeks)
Ways to Get Involved at Tiny Kitten Coven
Apart from fosters, we always need transporters, event volunteers, TNR volunteers, photographers, admin support, social media support, and other help!
If any of those areas interest you, please apply on our website or email us for more information! Any time at all that you can give is appreciated, even if you can only transport once in a while or only TNR every other month, we’d love to have you!
Follow Tiny Kitten Coven on Social Media and tell your friends about us!
Spay/Neuter Protocol for Cats and Kittens
Caring for your foster before spay/neuter
No food after midnight. Water OK.
If your kitty develops URI or other symptoms before the appointment, contact your foster coordinator immediately so they can assess and reschedule as needed.
Caring for your foster after spay/neuter
When cats/kittens come home they often act completely normal, but do not be alarmed if your foster/s show signs of having had anesthesia. They may be extra skittish, sleepy, vocal, have difficulty walking, or be uncomfortable around littermates or other animals. They may even lash out so use extra caution when handling. Just keep them calm and comfortable as best as you can and they will be back to normal soon. You may want to keep fosters in a small crate or carrier for a short period of time as they fully wake up from the anesthesia. Littermates with excessive growling at each other may need to be temporarily separated, generally for no more than a few hours before they will calm down.
Feed your cat or kitten when they come home, but be sure to not let them eat too much at once to reduce the chance of vomiting. Start with approximately a tablespoon or two of food each, even for adult cats.
Offer water, but especially in a crate or pen, do not allow cat/s unsupervised access to water for the first few hours if possible to avoid risk of getting the incision site wet. Once they’re fully functional post-anesthesia they can and should have constant access to water as usual.
Most of the time cats are given anti-inflammatories and pain control as injections at the time of their surgery, but in some cases you may be given oral pain meds to administer for a few days. If this is the case, make sure that when you receive the meds at pickup, you ask or are told when to start the first dose
Monitor the incision site 2x daily for any redness, swelling, discharge, or other signs. Notify your foster coordinator or a vet immediately if you notice any issues. Take photos if possible.
Monitor whether the cat is licking at their incision excessively. If so, use an e-collar for adult cats, and for kittens fashion a DIY one out of paper plates or bowls.
For 48-72 hours, try to avoid letting the cats or kittens jump, run, or wrestle with other animals. Supervise interactions between newly fixed fosters and your own animals. Allowing littermates to play and wrestle as usual is fine, but contain to one room or area as much as possible. If only part of a litter is fixed, you may want to separate them from their other siblings for 24-28 hours to avoid any rough play or licking incisions.
After 5-7 days, expect cats to be ready for adoption. Boys usually bounce back faster than girls, and kittens faster than adult cats.
Tiny Kitten Coven Standards
As a foster you are expected to, at minimum:
Check your cat over once a day to look for any health problems. This is especially important in young kittens, cats just off the street, or cats recovering from illness or injury. You’ll want to check their eyes, ears, nose, gum color, coat/skin daily. Ensure they are eating, drinking and using the litter box.
Infant kittens: (below 6 weeks, or frail kittens of any age) should be weighed twice daily using a baby scale or a kitchen scale
Older kittens (6 weeks - 6 months) should be weighed once daily
Adults should be weighed every week or every other week if possible
Clean water should be provided at all times, ideally in a bowl that is metal, glass, or ceramic.
Fresh food provided daily (dry and/or wet, or formula, depending on your foster’s diet.)
Scoop litter boxes 1-2x daily OR MORE!
If your fosters are integrated with your cats, you will need one litter box per cat + one in the home. So for 3 resident cats and 1 foster cat, you will need 5 litter boxes. In a separate foster room, this is more flexible to the individual cat or group of cats’ needs.
Administer medications as needed
Aim to spend 1-2 hours per cat or cat group daily petting, grooming, playing, or generally socializing with your fosters.
Clean the bedding often. With young kittens you will probably need to change the bedding in their “nest” daily. If needed, see if TKC can lend extra bedding for high laundry foster situations. Expect to sweep, mop, and/or vacuum floors frequently. Expect to wash cat dishes frequently as well. This reduces the chance of infection or spread of illness.
Cats and kittens (6+ weeks) generally need their nails trimmed 1-2x a month. Make sure your foster’s nails aren’t getting too long. If possible, trim them yourself.
Keep track of your foster’s medical record and note when they are due for vaccines, dewormers, or other medications. Always keep the medical record with your foster when they move to a different foster, even temporarily.
Do Nots:
DO NOT let your fosters outside! Be aware that many former stray cats may try to get out. Secure screens on windows or doors, or only allow a cat in a room with an open window with supervision, even if the window is screened. Secure any dog doors if you have a dog so that the foster cats do not have access to them. Be careful when opening doors around your fosters. Tiny Kitten Coven adopts cats as indoor only, and part of the purpose of their time in a foster home is allowing cats to get used to being indoor-only. Secure catios are fine. If TKC does find out that you have been letting your foster outside on purpose, you will not be asked to foster again. If a cat does accidentally get out, notify the rescue immediately. Tiny Kitten Coven can advise, and likely set up humane traps around your home to recover lost cats. If we need to lend you traps, there is a fully refundable deposit required to borrow TKC traps.
Don’t feed your cats any table food or let them lick your plates. Know that cats are lactose intolerant and can only have milk or cream in cartoons. Especially no chocolate, garlic, onion, or any other foods that are poisonous to cats. Even if the food you have is cat safe, be sure that you are not teaching cats bad behaviors such as begging for human food that their future adopters may not want to give them
Beware of poisonous plants. Never, ever have lilies in the house with a cat as even a tiny amount of pollen can cause them to go into renal failure. Find the list of toxic and non-toxic plants from the ASPCA. For information on other toxic household items, check this page from the AAHA.
Be careful of electrical wires in your house as kittens (and sometimes adult cats) do not know better, and can chew through wires and hurt themselves. Whenever possible remove access to electrical wires, especially live ones. Otherwise, consider purchasing cord protectors designed to protect pets and wires, or coat wires in something like bitter apple spray.
Supplies
When we are able to, Tiny Kitten Coven provides all necessities you will need for fosters, except for litter. Here are some guidelines if you prefer to purchase your own, or need something we do not have available.
Food:
For kittens, the important thing is just to try to stick to one brand and flavor for as long as possible, because changing foods too much can cause kittens to have upset tummies. We also like to get kittens entirely on dry food as soon as they are able to be (usually about 7-8 weeks,) because this can help if they have diarrhea.
Tiny Kitten Coven recommends Iams dry kitten food for weaned and weaning kittens ~8 weeks of age and up, as well as kittens 5-6+ weeks that are just learning to eat dry food. It is preferred to other brands for young kittens because the kibble pieces are smaller and easier for them to eat. Royal Canin used to have the smallest kibble, and is still a good option, but changed their formula to a larger kibble. We recommend wet food brands of either Royal Canin Mother and Babycat (for kittens and nursing moms,) Weruva Chicken Hydrating Pate (best for picky kittens), or Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters (good for picky eaters, and for kittens struggling with the transition from pate to dry food.) Other brands are also fine as long as your foster is tolerating them. Chicken flavor is preferred. Nursing moms should be fed kitten food.
For unweaned kittens, we recommend Breeders Edge (same as Shelter’s Choice), but PegAG KMR is good as well and some kittens may even prefer it. We generally advise sticking to the formula your foster starts out at, or transitioning very slowly over the course of multiple days.
For adult cats we recommend Iams Cat dry, and wet food of any brand, though you should try to be consistent with the same brand and flavor.
Purina’s various lines of food are all solid choices for wet and dry, especially Purina One. Other brands you like are also fine as long as your foster eats them and does not develop diarrhea.
Tiny Kitten Coven does not support feeding cats any raw food or commercial cat foods that are “raw food” based to our cats, as we go by the AVMA guidelines, which recommend against this for cats of all ages.
Litter:
For brands of litter, we recommend whatever type works for you personally. For kittens below weaning age (5-6 weeks) pellet or non-clumping litter is best, as kittens can ingest large amounts of litter before they know better and this can make them ill if the litter clumps. Pellet litters such as Feline Pine (or a cheaper alternative, often you can find pine pellets in bulk as horse bedding at tractor supply stores,) a paper bedding such as Fresh News, or another similar brand are great options. Non-clumping clay litter can also be used if necessary. Sometimes, this is the only type of non-clumping litter that a nursing mama cat will accept.
Clay clumping litter, such as by Fresh Step, Cat's Pride, Frisco (Chewy brand,) or Scoop Away are always a solid choice for adult cats and older kittens (6+ weeks.) Cats tend to prefer unscented litter. There are several environmentally conscious options available as well, if you prefer. Some of these include Tofu litter, corn litter, walnut litter. Do not flush soiled litter no matter what it says on the packaging. It is against CA law due to risks it poses to wildlife and marine life along the coast.
Litter boxes:
Litter boxes should be the appropriate size for the cat, or number of cats, that you have. Large litters of kittens will need a large litter box, scooped often, and/or many litterboxes to use. Remember the rule to have one litter box per (adult) cat + 1 extra available.
Kitten litter box, regular litter box, larger litter box, giant litter box
Toys:
Sometimes the best toys for cats and kittens are the cheapest ones, including trash! Old toilet paper or paper towel rolls are great, as are plastic lids to old containers and bottles. Like with any plastic toy, make sure that your foster/s are not chewing through these and ingesting any plastic. Cheap springs, crinkle balls, rolling balls, little fabric mice, and DIY toys are also great options. You can spend a lot of money on toys, but you certainly don’t have to to keep your cat entertained!
For kittens or cats that can be a little bitey, you may want to use a quality kicker toy (amazon, amazon, DIY) so that you can redirect them to bite and kick the toy any time they attempt to nip your hands or arms.
Furniture:
Cat scratchers are great to allow cats to use their natural instinct to scratch, and preferably on something that is not your personal furniture! We recommend scratch posts or cat trees for adult cats. For young kittens (<8 weeks,) try to stay away from cat trees that are too tall as kittens can fall and become injured before they learn how to jump safely. LINKS
Cardboard scratcher, cage scratcher, basic cat post, cute kitten scratcher, cat tree
Bowls:
We recommend that you use metal, ceramic, or glass bowls whenever possible. Metal bowls are the safest and can be bleached easily between litters. Plastic bowls can harbor bacteria, so if you use these you must clean them extra thoroughly and often to avoid causing irritation to the foster cat’s skin.
Metal Bowl set, Elevated bowl set, Cage bowl, basic bowl
Cages:
Of course we like to have our cats roam in as much space as much as possible, but cages can be provided when available if they are necessary for situations where you have a cat in quarantine, have a cat that may not get along with other animals and needs to be separated, or have an injured cat on cage rest. Ensure the cage is big enough for a litter box, a bed of some sort (cardboard box with an old towel works great,) and for the food/water to not be spilled.
Condo, Large Dog Crate, Small Crate, Enclosed Playpen, Open Playpen
Bedding:
Cat beds can be fancy, or as simple as a leftover cardboard box with a blanket or towel in it. For young kittens (below 4 weeks) you will want to use blankets vs towels as much as possible as young kittens cannot retract their claws and kittens can get their claws stuck on towels more easily. For adult fosters, you may not need anything special and your foster will simply claim a spot on your couch or bed!
Crate pad, cozy box, round bed cute kitten bed
Scale:
If you are fostering young kittens, you will need a scale for weighing them. Kittens should be weighed twice daily if under 6 weeks, and once daily between 6-16 or so weeks. This is necessary to monitor their health, and so that you will know when your fosters reach the weight that they can be spayed/neutered (2 lbs.) Baby scales or kitchen scales work well for this. Human scales generally do not as they are not good with small amounts of weight.
Bigger scale (good for older kittens, adult cats), another bigger option, small gram scale for neonates. Can put the neonates in a food bowl or other small container for weighing.
Nail Trimers:
Human nail clippers work too, but the pet specific ones can be easier to use. This is the sort of thing you want to look for, any brand will do.
How to trim your kitten’s nails or cat’s nails
Flea Comb:
Tiny Kitten Coven generally flea treats cats at intake when old enough or when they have fleas, but occasionally fleas are excessive, kittens are too young for flea medication, or there are other reasons you may want to comb your cat’s fur with a thin comb.
Medical or Other Supplies:
Depending on the foster situation and the types of fosters you tend to take, this can vary. If you are taking kittens or medical fosters of any age, it may be a good idea to keep oral syringes in 1ml and 3ml sizes and other items that do not expire quickly on hand so that you have them when you need them.
You can use an oral thermometer made for humans to take your fosters’ temperature. This is especially important in young kittens, who may decline quickly without much warning.
Quarantine
It is important to quarantine any new foster animals away from your resident animals or from other fosters. The recommended quarantine period is 14 days, especially for younger kittens or for cats that have just come into rescue from outside in colonies.
Quarantine means keeping fosters fully separate from your other cats for the quarantine period, in a separate room where contact through/under the door can be minimized. Many cat illnesses are airborne, so a separate room is necessary to avoid spread.
Always wash your hands before AND after interacting with new fosters during the quarantine period. Make all other people in contact with your fosters do the same. Young kittens especially are frail with very little immunity and can become very ill very easily, and could catch something from your own animals that you didn't even know your cats were carrying, or from outside . You should wait until kittens are vaccinated for FVRCP and FeLV tested (4-8 weeks of age) before introducing your foster kittens to other cats, or mixing foster litters.
Ideally, apart from washing your hands you will also change clothes/socks/shoes and tie back long hair before or after interacting with cats in quarantine, to avoid spreading kitten germs to your resident cats or to the home in general. You can have bigger clothes you pull on over your regular clothes to accomplish this. You could also purchase medical grade gowns and booties. This is especially important for cats with a known URI or other issues, who are definitely contagious.
Once your foster cat is out of quarantine, you can introduce your foster cat to your own animals.
How to Quarantine Kittens - Kitten Lady
Keep your Pets Safe When You Foster - Best Friends
How To Introduce Fosters To Your Animals
Tiny Kitten Coven requires that all resident animals in the foster home be up to date on vaccines at your vet's recommendation. FVRCP is especially important for resident cats in foster homes for their own protection, and is given once every 3 years to adult cats. We recommend that dogs receive all vaccines as well, at your vet's recommendation.
We do require that all animals in the household be spayed/neutered, to reduce problematic inter-cat behaviors in the foster home.
Introductions should always be done S L O W L Y. There are some cats that you can just throw together and they will be friends, but this is rarely the case. Cats need time to figure each other out and to set boundaries. This is especially important if you are new to fostering and your resident animals are not used to having fosters around yet. After a few litters, most (but not all!) resident cats will get used to the constant in and out of kittens.
Introductions between animals should be done on the most neutral territory possible, and include not only lots of supervision in case animals need to be separated, but also plenty of positive reinforcement when animal interactions go well (or simply don't go badly!)
Expect introductions to take up to or occasionally more than 14 days before a foster and your cat may be fully comfortable with each other, especially unsupervised. Most kittens are good with other cats, but some cats will never be good with other cats.
How to Introduce Cats to Each Other - Best Friends
Introducing a New Cat To Your Household - PAWS Animal Society
Introducing Foster Pets - Petfinder
Introduce New Cats to Your Home - Humane Society
Fostering Kittens if you have Cats - Kitten Lady (video)
Introduce A Dog and Cat - Animal Humane Society
Introduce New Cat to a Dog - PAWS
General Safety
Always be careful with playing with or picking up fosters. Learn to read cat body language so that you know when to pick up a cat and when not to.
Be aware that, except in the case of nursing feral moms or spicy kittens, while all of our cats are classified as “friendly” in order to be in the rescue in the first place, some are still very new off the street and shy or scared. Even a cat that has lived indoors their whole life can become reactive in a stressful situation such as a car ride. Always be cautious when handling cats.
How To Read Your Cat’s Body Language : Better Vet
Cat Body Language : Cat’s Protection UK
Understanding Feline Body Language : Humane Society
Understanding Cat Behavior : PAWS Chicago
Do’s and Don’ts of Handling Your Cat - Feliway
Humane Handling - 4 Safe and Effective Holds - ASPCA pro
Be A Cat Friendly Caregiver - CatFriendly.Com
Respectful Handling of Cats - American Association of Feline Practitioners
Cat Handling Manual - Helping Hands Humane Society
Note: It is fine to scruff a cat when necessary for medical care or safety of yourself or other animals, however, adult cats should always be supported from below as well, not lifted solely by the scruff. It is also stressful for most cats and should only be done when necessary.
Cleaning
General Cleaning Between Fosters
You will need to clean between each litter or group of cats to minimize the chance of any contagious illness spreading either between fosters or to your own cats if you have them. Certain contagions can remain active on surfaces for a year or longer.
Recommended materials:
Bleach
Rescue disinfectant (or another brand of activated hydrogen peroxide)
Tiny Kitten Coven can provide this upon request
General cleaning recommendations for a foster room:
Launder, with bleach, any blankets, towels, cat beds, or other washable items the cat touched.
Litter boxes and scoops should be sanitized with bleach or Rescue disinfectant. Never reuse litter between fosters.
Metal, plastic, or ceramic dishes should be sanitized with a disinfectant like bleach or hypochlorous acid. In the case of panleuk or ringworm, it must be bleach. Items like scales, nail trimmers, flea combs, etc can be sanitized the same way, or with Rescue.
Cat trees can be vacuumed, sprayed with Rescue, and steam cleaned if possible.
Toys will need to be tossed if they cannot be sanitized using one of the above methods.
The floor should be vacuumed, swept, and mopped between litters. If you have carpet, you will need to steam clean in the case of ringworm, and may be unable to foster in the area again in the event of panleukopenia.
Especially in the case of known infectious illness, hardwood floors should be mopped with rescue or bleach. Carpets should be steam cleaned. Walls should be wiped with Rescue or bleach. Be sure to sanitize any door handles, lightswitches, or other commonly touched objects in the room.
In the case of panleukopenia, all supplies that cannot be fully bleached need to be discarded. Consider discarding everything as panleukopenia can be deadly.
For ringworm or calicivirus, toss anything that can’t be bleached fully or sanitized with Rescue (laundered with bleach, OR soaked with Rescue for 10 minutes) but everything sanitizable can be reused. Sunlight is also effective against ringworm for sanitizing cat furniture, cages, etc so putting them outside for a few hours is helpful. Be sure to rotate the objects every hour or so so that the full object receives sunlight, including the bottom.
Sanitization In Animal Shelters
Ringworm Protocol
If you notice any suspicious lesions (bald spots, fur thinning, crusty spots) on any of your fosters, alert your foster coordinator immediately, or have the cat checked by a vet. You can check the lesions under a blacklight if you have one available, but be aware that not all ringworm glows under blacklight, and everything that fluoresces under blacklight is not necessarily ringworm. Diagnosis will have to be made by an experienced rescue, or with a vet consult if necessary.
More on identifying ringworm: PVEC Vets, Photos, Catster, Photo
If it is ringworm, you will need to lime sulfur dip (option 1, option 2) or miconahex bathe your fosters weekly for at least four weeks. If fosters had contact with your resident animals, they will need to be treated as well, and your entire home will need to be sanitized as cats can also be reinfected from a dirty environment.
Lime Sulfur
While it is called “dipping,” the method of actually dipping cats in a bucket of lime sulfur solution is no longer actually the primary recommended method (UC Davis, Best Friends Network, University of Florida) due to the stress involved and the chance of cross contamination between cats who are dipped in the same bucket. If you mix up a fresh bucket for each cat or are only treating one cat the risk of cross contamination would be eliminated, but this is still the most stressful method for the cat (and the handler!)
The best methods for lime sulfur “dips” are to sponge or spray the lime sulfur onto the cat. You can purchase a sprayer, use cheap sponges, or even use paper towels as a sponge. Just make sure that no matter what method you use, you get the lime sulfur solution on all of the fur and all the way down to the cat’s skin. You will need to do this all over the whole cat, especially focusing on the paws, tail, ears, and nose as these are common spots for cats to get ringworm. Follow the directions on the bottle, but generally you will apply lime sulfur to a dry cat and NOT rinse or wash the cat afterward.
Generally, dips are done once a week for 4 weeks. Mix the lime sulfur according to the directions on the product, which will generally be 8 oz per gallon depending on the concentrate of the product.
Miconahex Shampoo
An alternative to lime sulfur is miconahex shampoo. (Chlorhexidine shampoos alone are not effective, and must be combined with an antifungal such as miconazole.)
For young kittens (under ~6 weeks and 1.5 lbs) this is the preferred method. Lime Sulfur can be much more dangerous when licked as the cat bathes themselves, so while this doesn’t affect older kittens as much, young kittens can get dangerous diarrhea from lime sulfur and will need miconahex shampoo instead, which can be rinsed off rather than having to dry on the cat. It is also much less stinky, so ideal for kittens still nursing on a mom!
Miconahex shampoo must be left to sit on the cat for 5-10 minutes before being rinsed off in order to work properly, which can be dangerous in very young kittens. Kittens with ringworm that are younger than 1 month will likely not be able to truly start treatment until they are old enough to regulate their body temperature while being given a bath.
The advantage of miconahex shampoo is that it does not smell unpleasant, while lime sulfur smells terrible! However, lime sulfur is generally cheaper, easier to use as the process is quicker, and is tried-and-true in shelter medicine. As they are shown in research to be equally effective, unless otherwise advised it’s up to you which treatment you prefer when treating cats in your own house.
Some references for how to dip cats:
Kitten Lady: General Ringworm Advice
Austin Pets Alive: Using a sprayer
Sponge Method by Kitten School
Oral antifungals may be used as well, depending on the age of the cat and severity of the case. Sprays, wipes, or topical terbinafine cream for humans may be recommended as well, depending on the severity of the case and the age of the kittens or cats.
Each time cats are dipped, you will want to fully disinfect their environment with bleach (1:10 dilution) or Rescue. If you do not do this, cats could be constantly reinfected by bedding or surfaces in the environment, and treatment time will be longer. Sanitize floors, walls, dishes, furniture, litter boxes, toys, bedding, and any other items. Be sure to disinfect carriers too if you use them during this period. Anything non-living, such as cages, furniture, carriers, litter boxes, etc, can be effectively sanitized by leaving out in the sunlight for 1-2 hours. Make sure the sunlight (uv rays) are able to hit every part of the surface of the object, which may require rotating or flipping it after an hour. Cloudy days may require more time for objects to be fully sanitized.
Always wash your hands with soap and water after touching ringworm cats, to prevent yourself or other animals from getting ringworm. Do not use bleach or rescue on your skin (or a cat’s skin!) as this can be dangerous. Soap and water should be sufficient, and if you are still concerned, or if you or anyone in your household interacting with cats is immunocompromised, wear disposable gloves when in contact with ringworm fosters.
After dips are complete, assuming your fosters have no active or new lesions, cats will enter “clean quarantine,” which is a period of 2-4 weeks where fosters are observed to ensure no new lesions crop up. After this period, cats are released to adoption.
Potentially Exposed Cat:
Ie. same foster home but not in direct contact
4 weeks of lime sulfur dips/miconahex baths 1-2x per week
Potentially dose with terbinafine tablets, 2 weeks.
Exposed Cat, no symptoms:
Ie direct contact with cat with active lesions, such as kittens in the same litter or adults loose in the same room
4 weeks of lime sulfur dips/miconahex baths 1-2x per week
Potentially dose with terbinafine tablets, 2 weeks.
2 weeks of “clean quarantine” after active treatments are finished, to ensure no new lesions appear
Active Lesions:
4 weeks of lime sulfur dips/miconahex baths 1-2x per week. Could be more than 4 weeks if lesions persist into late treatment.
Potentially dose with terbinafine tablets, 2 weeks.
2 weeks of “clean quarantine” after active treatments are finished, to ensure no new lesions appear
How to dip:
Dip cat according to bottle or instructions above
Put cat in clean, pre-sanitized carrier or cage
How to clean environment:
Clean environment thoroughly- rescue spray all floors, walls, furniture, etc. Scrub litter boxes and bowls, hides, toys. Change bedding completely, and launder old bedding with bleach on your washer’s longest, hottest cycle.
Once the environment is clean, put cats back into clean environment.
Quarantine for Foster Home:
IF your personal household (cats, dogs, humans) may have been exposed by the ringworm fosters, you are in quarantine for 28 days past the last possible date of exposure.
For example, if your ringworm positive fosters were out in your house, or if there was any chance of cross contamination on clothing or other items, you will need to quarantine your household for 28 days from that last date fosters were out, or the cross contamination may have happened.
If significant risk, treat all animals with lime sulfur dip as well, and you will need to deep clean your entire house. This includes all floors, furniture, walls, doors, curtains, shelves, and absolutely anything else ringworm positive cats may have come into contact with.
If you cleaned, treated your animals, and have seen no ringworm lesions on any members of your household after 28 days, congratulations! You made it out of ringworm quarantine!
Oral Antifungals
Terbinafine (prescription) can be used. Itraconazole Treatment may be prescribed instead.
Shelter Medicine Guide: Ringworm in the Foster Home
Shelter Medicine Guide: Treating Ringworm
Humane Society of the US Ringworm
American Pets Alive Ringworm Methods
Panleukopenia Protocol
Symptoms:
Anorexia
Vomiting (may be frothy and/or yellow)
Diarrhea (may have mucus or blood)
If kittens exhibit any of the above 2, test with IDEXX Parvo test (false negatives common, even if neg, quarantine as if panleuk until proven otherwise)
Test vomit or fresh stool if possible, take from the sickest kitten if possible. Anal swab can be used also.
Fevers (or very low temp)
Lethargy
Extreme weight loss
Pale gums (anemia)
Dehydration, muscle wasting
GI Pain
Neuro symptoms, wobbliness/seizures
Medications:
Cerenia 1 mg / kg (0.05 ml / lb) - 1x / day | 3-5 day
SubQ Fluids LRS 10 ml min per lb - Every 8-24 hrs as needed | 5-7+ days
this study recommends 80-90 degree fluids for temps 103 or below, room temp for above 103.5
Clavamox 10 mg / kg, can go up to 20 mg / kg especially if temp drops. | 2x / day 7 days
Fenben (0.25/lb), Ponazuril(0.3/lb), or both as needed | 3-5 day course of each, can do one at a time
A/d Food - as needed | ~3 days
Mirataz - small dot - 1x/day as needed | ~3 days
Probiotics Benebac - | every other day, optional fortiflora on off days
Pedialyte - every 3 hrs as needed, or kittenlyte | 5-7 days
High Cal Supplement, such as ½ tsp per kitten of this stuff -1x daily (optionally can split dose) | 3-7 days
PetTinic - 0.1 ml / lb - 2x daily | 3-7 days
B12 (or complex) injections - 0.1 ml / lb - once every other or every 3rd day (can do oral supplements in between if keeping down) | 3-7 days
Pepcid - 2.5 mg (¼ tab) for 1 lb kitten, 2x per day | 5-7+ days
Karo - 0.25 per lb each feeding. Use more with pale gums, lethargy, temp drops. | ~7 days
Baby food, Tiki Thrive, Weruva chicken, anything super palpable that they may eat on their own
https://www.denverkittens.org/post/panleukopenia-protocol
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QvkCbggFYX2XyQ7JCVWIV7W0DZ-0_GHr2YTHFtmC6nM/edit?tab=t.0
https://ivcjournal.com/making-sense-of-feline-panleukopenia-fpv-testing/
https://www.vettechprep.com/_pps/UAIYOPFOVSJGGCAW7329.PDF
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/feline-panleukopenia
Common Medications and Dosing
Check with your foster coordinator or vet before starting a new medication with a cat if you have not been given a confirmed dose and are unsure about the particular situation.
Pyrantel 0.1 ml / lb, Every 2 weeks, 2-3x, every 2-3 wks
Drontal ¼ tablet 1.5-1.9 lb, ½ tablet 2-3 lb, 1 tablet 4-8 lb, 1.5 tablet 9-12 lb, 2 tablets 13-16 lbs - Every 2 weeks - 2x, q 2 wks
Panacur / Fenbendazole -0.25 ml / lb - 100 mg / ml - 1x/ day 5 days
Never give your foster anything prescription or over the counter that has not been approved by the rescue, an approved vet, or both.
Fading Kitten Protocol
Fading Kitten Protocol:
Step 1: Warm Kitten
SLOWLY warm the kitten, about 1 degree per hour. Wrap in a towel or blanket (or 2, if thin.) Place on a heat pad, warmed rice pack, or use a blow dryer set on the lowest setting.
Never warm a kitten with your own body heat as kittens need to be warmer than we are!
Step 2: Get their blood sugar up
Do this by placing karo syrup on their gums with a syringe or Q-tip.
0.05-0.1 ml every 3 minutes until stable.
Can use nutrical gel or honey in a pinch, best to have karo on hand
Step 3: Hydrate
SubQ fluids (make sure they are the right temp!!) or oral fluids if tolerated. Can use small amounts of unflavored pedialyte via a syringe IF the kitten is able to swallow. Can use water if pedialyte is not available.
Step 4: Get them eating
Do this if possible, and especially if starvation was at least partially the cause of them fading. Otherwise, this step is less important and it is most important to get the kitten otherwise stable using steps 1-3, and then to a vet to address any issue that may be treatable.
You will probably go back and forth between the first 3 stages. Know that every kitten cannot be saved by this or any other intervention. It is simply something to try if a kitten is in crisis for an unknown reason, and most effective if kittens are crashing because they are underfed from recently coming in from a bad situation.
You can also read more about FKP basics here from Houston Pets Alive
Parker Protocol, a specific version of FKP for fading kittens, can be read about more in depth here.
Neonatal Kitten Care
Formula for bottle feeding kittens:
Source: Kitten Lady
Kittens should always and only be fed a kitten specific formula such as Pet AG KMR or Breeder’s Edge Foster Care/Shelter’s Choice. Kittens should never be fed cow’s milk or goat’s milk. Cow’s milk has too much lactose for a kitten to digest, and both cow’s milk and goat’s milk are inappropriate nutritionally for kittens, and if fed is likely to result in a failure to thrive (death) of the kitten.
Kittens MUST be fed in the proper position, not held on their backs. Formula should be warmed to around 100 F. Both KMR and Breeders Edge are mixed at a 2:1 ratio, so 2 parts water to 1 part formula. Be careful to mix out any clumps before feeding to kittens.
KMR powder can be stored in the fridge once opened for about a month, or the freezer for up to 6 months. Once powder is mixed with water, it should be refrigerated after 1-2 hours out and any leftover formula discarded after 48 hours. For Breeders Edge, powder can be stored for up to a year outside the fridge. Once mixed with water, it should be refrigerated after 1-2 hours and any leftover formula discarded after 24 hours. Ideally, with any formula, try to mix up only as much formula as you will use in 12 hours and clean the container you are using to mix up formula with soap and warm water every 12 hours.
Overfeeding kittens can be very dangerous, so be sure to use the above guide and keep your kittens fed the right amount!
Kittens with a Mom
For kittens with a mother that is nursing them, you may not need to supplement feed with formula at all. If you do, assume the kittens will be getting most of their nutrition from their mother unless provided with evidence otherwise (ie the mother cat is not producing milk at all, kittens dropping weight rapidly.) Simply feed via syringe the amount the kitten will easily take, once they start turning their head and refusing food, as long as their weight is not also dropping, assume they are full. Try stimulating them to potty after supplemental feedings with a tissue, but mom will usually take care of this so they may not have to go at all.
Most kittens that are not orphaned will not take well to the bottle and will need to be fed using a syringe. Most orphaned kittens will get used to suckling on a bottle and take that after a few tries/feedings.
Kittens with a mom should be kept in a warm room 72-75F or slightly higher, as the mother cat will tolerate. Mama cats should be provided with a “nest” which can be as simple as a cardboard box on its side, or a crate with a towel placed over it. You may need to be changing the bedding in the nest daily or almost daily as it gets soiled. You can layer bedding in the nest with puppy pads so you can remove one layer as it gets soiled and have a fresh one underneath. This reduces stress on the mother cat as the bed will still smell more like her and her kittens, but will also be clean.
For kittens under 2 weeks of age, it is best to minimize interaction with other animals including humans. Even if the mama cat allows it, kittens this young should not be interacting with your own animals or with any other fosters. Kittens should only be handled by as few people as possible at this stage. Once kittens are over 2 weeks of age, they can interact with more people. You may choose to wait until kittens have had their first vaccines and been felv tested before letting them interact with your resident cats.
Young kittens are very fragile and a common cause of death in young kittens is getting chilled, stressed, or having their natural sleep rhythm disturbed. For kittens under 2 weeks, and especially kittens with their eyes still closed, only wake up kittens for medical reasons such as weighing or bottle/supplement feeding, and try to limit this care to a time when the kittens are awake on their own whenever possible. Put the kittens back to bed and on a heat source as quickly as possible.
Newborn kittens should weigh around 100 grams, and gain 5-10% of their body weight every day, or 100 grams each week. When they are below 6 weeks or otherwise fragile, you must weigh kittens at least twice daily to ensure that the kittens are gaining weight appropriately. It is normal for kittens to stagnate or have a slight weight loss from one weighing to the next occasionally, but each day on average they should be gaining. If they are not doing so consistently, interventions may be necessary.
At 3-4 weeks of age, kittens may show interest in mama cat’s food, and you can let them eat from her dish. Make sure to continue feeding mom a LOT of food so she has enough calories to continue nursing, too! This is why nursing moms need kitten food. By 5 weeks of age, healthy kittens should be weaning onto wet food. If they are not, you can try more actively trying to encourage them to eat wet food by offering it to them on your fingers or on a baby spoon. By 8 weeks of age, they should be able to eat mostly dry food.
With a mama cat, during the whole time that she is nursing the kittens, keep an eye out for any postpartum health problems such as mastitis, prolonged bleeding, weight loss, failing to produce milk, and any signs of pain, lethargy, or infection.
Bottle Baby Kittens
Bottle baby kittens depend on you for everything their mom would usually provide, including feeding, heat, and keeping them clean! Follow the feeding guides above, but keep in mind that every kitten is different, and they won’t follow the guide exactly. Go by weight primarily to determine how much to feed at each meal, rather than age.
Orphaned kittens need to be stimulated to use the bathroom at each feeding, until 3-4 weeks of age when they are able to do this on their own. Once they are able to go on their own, place them in the litter box after feedings so that they understand where to go. For bottle babies, you can stimulate kittens as you would usually do after each feeding, but once they are around 3 weeks old, try doing this over the litter box. You can also bury soiled tissues under the litter to get the smell on the litter box so kittens understand that this is the bathroom. If kittens poop outside the litter box, try placing and leaving it inside the litter box for about a day.
Kittens need to be kept warm at all times, ideally in a small enclosure that is well kept warm (such as a bin with a heat pad,) or in an incubator with a thermostat. Make sure that if you are using an external heat source like a snuggle safe disc or a heating pad, kittens are able to wiggle away from the heat source to regulate their body temperature if they become too warm. Kittens under 1 month need to have access to the heat source at all times between feedings, and be put back on the heat as soon as possible after feedings.
You may need to change the bedding daily or every couple of days to keep it clean as kittens have accidents, or just generally soil bedding. Young kittens, especially bottle babies, are very prone to infection, so cleanliness is important!
For kittens under 2 weeks of age, it is best to minimize interaction with other animals including humans. Kittens this young should not be interacting with your own animals or with any other fosters. Kittens should only be handled by as few people as possible at this stage. Once kittens are over 2 weeks of age, they can interact with more people. You may choose to wait until kittens have had their first vaccines and been felv tested before letting them interact with your resident cats.
Young kittens are very fragile and a common cause of death in young kittens is getting chilled, stressed, or having their natural sleep rhythm disturbed. For kittens under 2 weeks, and especially kittens with their eyes still closed, only wake up kittens for medical reasons such as weighing or bottle/supplement feeding, and try to limit this care to a time when the kittens are awake on their own whenever possible. Put the kittens back to bed and on a heat source as quickly as possible.
Newborn kittens should weigh around 100 grams, and gain 5-10% of their body weight every day, or 100 grams each week. When they are below 6 weeks or otherwise fragile, you must weigh kittens at least twice daily to ensure that the kittens are gaining weight appropriately. It is normal for kittens to stagnate or have a slight weight loss from one weighing to the next occasionally, but each day on average they should be gaining. If they are not doing so consistently, interventions may be necessary.
At around 3-4 weeks, you can begin litter training bottle babies. You can do this by setting up a small litter box in their environment with pellet or nonclumping litter and stimulating them at feedings as you usually would, but by holding them over the litter box. You can bury soiled tissues so that they learn to use the box by smell. At this stage, cardboard litter boxes made out of the boxes wet food cases come in work perfectly. You can also by small litter trays.
At around 4.5-5 weeks of age, kittens will either show interest in wet food offered (you can try mixing formula into the wet food to entice them,) or can be started on “meat bottles” which is formula with some canned kitten food mixed in. You can make this at a ratio of ⅓ cup formula powder, ⅔ cup water, and 3 oz canned food. Make up less at a time for small litters or singletons (2 tbsp powder, 4 tbsp water, 1 oz canned food.) After kittens get used to taking this from the bottle or syringe, they should graduate to taking the same mixture out of a bowl or off of a baby spoon. You can then slowly increase the amount of canned food in the mixture until they are fully on canned kitten food.
Video guides:
Kitten care by week per Kitten Lady:
National Kitten Coalition Flier
National Kitten Coalition Webinar
Further Reading:
Shelter Medicine - A Guide to Raising Unweaned Underage Kittens - Birth to Eight Weeks
Kitten Lady - Kitten Care (SO much good info on her site and youtube chanel!)
Bottle Baby Kits:
As supplies are available, Tiny Kitten Coven will provide
Any other medications required
Bottle or syringes & Nipples & Bottle brush
Starter supply kit of:
Cardboard litter box
1 gallon bag of pellet litter
Toys
You should expect to buy:
Additional blankets as needed
More puppy pads, litter, tissues, baby wipes as needed.
Bowls (can be from dollar store or can use disposable paper plates)
You are also encouraged to buy any of the above supplies if you plan to foster frequently! If you do, remember that if you use the TKC amazon affiliate links in this handbook we get a small portion of the profits to help more kitties!
Other good items to have on hand:
Gerber Chicken and/or Tiki Thrive
Unflavored pedialyte (unless kitten lyte was provided)
REScue disinfectant wipes, concentrate, or both. Alternatively bleach.
Treats (like churu and temptations) for 8 weeks and up
Nail trimmer (do not trim young kittens’ nails before they retract, around 1 month)
General care
Administering Basic Medical Care
How to give liquid medications
Helpful Vancouver Vet - How to Give Liquid Medication
Kitten Lady - Oral Medication for Kittens (good tips for understanding small doses!)
How to give Pills
Kitten Lady - 5 ways to give a pill
Helpful Vancouver Vet - Pill Tutorial
How to give SubQ (subcutaneous) Injections:
Cats Only Vet Hospital - SubQ Injections at Home
Cats Exclusive Vet Center - SubQ Injections
Basmi FIP - SubQ Injections - FIP specific
How to give SubQ fluids:
Kitten Lady - more recent kitten SubQ fluids
Kitten Lady - older video for kitten SubQ fluids
American Association of Feline Practitioners - How to Give Fluids
Bow Tie Vet Guy - SubQ Fluids At Home
Trimming your cat’s nails
Kitten Lady - trimming kitten claws
Healthcare for Pets - trimming cat claws
How to Use Dental Wipes
Pilot Knob Animal Hospital - Dental Wipes
Sydney Animal Hospital - How to Clean Cat’s Teeth
How to Take a Cat’s Temperature:
Parker’s Paws Animal Hospital - How to Take a Cat’s Temp
Greener Pastures Vet - How to Take Animal Temp
Best Friends Animal Society - Kitten Temperature
Emergencies
Signs that a kitten is having a veterinary emergency and needs to get to a vet ASAP:
Unresponsive or unconscious
Labored Breathing
Drooling profusely
Fever (over 103F)
Profuse diarrhea
Incessant vomiting
Abnormal gum color such as pale pink, blue, or yellow
If your cat shows any of the above signs, contact someone for immediate advice.
Non-urgent medical issues
A new limp in a cat or kitten
Diarrhea that is new, consistent, or worsening
Cat not eating or drinking, or cats not using the litter box for more than 24 hours in kittens or 24-48 in adults
URI symptoms (sneezing, discharge from eyes or nose, coughing)
Any skin lesions or bald patches
Excessive scratching, overgrooming
If your foster is showing any of the above signs, contact your foster coordinator or vet.
Common Cat Illnesses
Know that kitten mortality rate is as high as 10-30% even for non-orphans. Pneumonia, hypothermia, dehydration, infectious disease, hypoglycemia, birth defects, parasites, or birth trauma are all common. Signs include decreased activity and failure to gain weight. Sometimes kittens, especially very young ones, show no signs at all before declining.
Vitals-
Neonates:
Body temp ranges from 95-97, by 7-14 days, will rise to or close to 100 degrees.
For the first two weeks of life, a kitten’s heart rate is generally 200-300 bpm
Respiratory rate is 10-18 breaths per minute.
Newborn kittens, if healthy, start at ~100 grams and gain 10 grams per day.
Older Kittens:
If temperature falls below 97 or rises above 103, seek help
200-300 heart beats per minute
Respiratory rate is 24-42 breaths per minute
Gain 1 oz per day (on average)
Cats
Normal- 101-102.5F (Seek help if below 99 or above 104)
160-240 heart beats per minute
Respiratory rate is 15-30 breaths per minute
Stable weight (or slowly gaining, if started underweight)
Common Problems
Conjunctivitis
For neonates, eyes can become infected before opening. Watch for any bulging of the eyelids or any discharges. Kitten infections can go downhill FAST so watch closely, and contact your foster coordinator at the first sign of any concerns.
Older kittens with eyes open may show signs of eye infection such as runny eyes, crust around eyes, red eyes, and swollen or discolored eyes in severe cases.
To treat either- use warm compresses (warm water and a cotton round) to clean out eyes, and get eye antibiotics such as gentamicin if necessary.
Diarrhea
Kittens especially are prone to diarrhea. This may be from normal things like weaning or another recent change in diet (such as coming from the streets into a foster home,) or a more serious reason like external parasites, virus, bacteria, or stress.
Diarrhea must be monitored to ensure that the kitten does not become dehydrated. If kittens have diarrhea that is severe (VERY liquid and/or high volume,), lasts longer than 3-7 days on a new stable food, is off color (especially green or white,) or contains blood or parasites, contact your foster coordinator or vet.
If older kittens or cats are having diarrhea, eliminate wet food and treats from their diet. Feed only the same kind of dry food and see if diarrhea resolves. Contact your foster coordinator if it does not.
Diarrhea chart 1, Diarrhea chart 2 (both illustrations, not actual photos!)
Vomiting
Not generally serious unless it happens continuously. Kittens can vomit due to changes in food, medications, parasites, stress, or viruses.
If a kitten is vomiting multiple times or multiple littermates are vomiting or
If a cat vomits multiple times in a day that is not hairball related, or multiple days in a row, contact your foster coordinator for advice.
Dehydration
Dehydration can be dangerous, especially for small kittens. Learn to check for dehydration by tenting the skin between a cat or kitten’s shoulders. You can also feel their gums. If the gums are “sticky” or “tacky” instead of slippery, the cat or kitten may be dehydrated and require supplemental hydration.
Vaccine Reactions
Vaccine reactions such as pain at the injection site or a slight decrease in weight, appetite, or activity for 1-2 days after injection are completely normal. This is because your foster’s immune system is busy building antibodies to protect them!
These are very rare but if you do notice any more severe symptoms like lethargy, severe vomiting or diarrhea, cats becoming unresponsive, any swelling, or having difficulty breathing, contact your foster coordinator.
Contagious Illnesses
URIs (Upper Respiratory Infection)
Very common in cats and young kittens. Symptoms include sneezing, eye or nose discharge, congestion, loss of appetite (due to fever or lack of smell from congestion), fever, lethargy, dehydration.
URIs are usually mild in adult and vaccinated kittens, but can be devastating in young kittens.
Treatment for viral URIs is generally to isolate sick cats from healthy ones, watch for secondary infection (pneumonia- symptoms include difficulty breezing, coughing, crackling in lungs,) and do your best to keep the cat or kitten warm, fed, and hydrated.
Young kittens especially may need to be treated with antibiotics for secondary infection. Eye drops such as gentamicin will be used if eye discharge or redness is significant. Gentamicin can also be put in the nose to help clear congestion.
Offer the yummiest, smelliest food possible (Gerber baby chicken food, churu treats, tuna, etc) to encourage eating. Supplement fluids with SubQ fluids as needed.
Clear eye and nose discharge with warm water and cotton balls or clean cloths as needed.
Home vaporizers, or putting the cat in the bathroom while showering (no exhaust fan, close doors and windows) for steam treatment can be helpful for decongestion. Nebulizers with plain sterile saline can also be helpful.
Common types of URI (generally impossible to definitively differentiate by symptoms alone)
Panleukopenia (FPV) - one of the more dreaded cat illnesses as it is very deadly in unvaccinated cats (ie young kittens.) Vaccinated, immunocompetent cats are generally very safe.
Main symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea, as well as fever, lethargy, dehydration, and loss of appetite.
Spread between cats is easy- either through direct contact or indirect spread via clothes/hands/objects.
Shed virus can survive for a year or more in the environment.
Treatment includes intensive care of hydration, antibiotics, and other interventions to support the cat until they can fight off the virus.
FIV and FeLV
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that has a high risk of spread between cats.
FeLV+ cats must be housed separately from FeLV negative cats, as spread can happen with sharing water bowls, toys, co-grooming, or potentially with minimal contact through droplets. Younger cats are at higher risk of catching FeLV from affected cats. FeLV cannot be spread to other animals or to humans. FeLV virus dies on surfaces when dry, generally after ~2 hours.
TKC always tests for FeLV to avoid spreading to healthy cats.
There is no specific treatment except to manage secondary problems. FeLV cats must be adopted out as only cats, or to someone with only other FeLV+ cats.
Cats with FeLV have a shortened lifespan, often only 2 years from the time they acquire the illness. FeLV can cause profound anemia, immune suppression, can be associated with the development of certain cancers. Other complications are possible. However, some cats encounter none of these complications and live long and happy lives despite the FeLV.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is another retrovirus that can make cats more likely to acquire other types of infections.
FIV is often referred to as “feline AIDS.” It has a low risk of spread to other cats, as it can generally only be spread through deep puncture wound bites by an infected cat, or between kittens and their mother. It cannot be spread to other animals or humans.
There is no specific treatment.
TKC does not routinely test for FIV because of the low risk of spread between cats and the high chance of FIV cats living fully normal lives. FIV cats can be adopted to normal, multicat households.
Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) is a common virus in cats that often causes asymptomatic infection. In a very small percentage of cats, the FCoV mutates into what is known as Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP.)
Initial symptoms of FIP can be vague, such as weight loss, fluctuating fever, decreased appetite, lethargy. Cats may develop a “wet” or effusive form (accumulation of fluid in abdomen or chest) or “dry” form of FIP (no fluid buildup, possibly other signs such as organ inflammation or lesions, or ocular involvement.) Incoordination, seizures, or dementia may be signs of neurological FIP.
FIP used to be an almost sure death sentence, but is now able to be effectively treated with a new antiviral called GS-441524. Treatment involves daily subQ injections (or occasionally a pill form) for 12 weeks minimum, followed by a 6 week observation period, after which bloodwork is done one final time to ensure the cat has fully recovered.
Parasites
Internal Parasites:
Tapeworms look like grains of rice in stool or on anus. Treatment with drontal, 2 treatments two weeks apart, should eliminate tapeworms.
Roundworms look like spaghetti (in litter box or vomit.) Drontal kills roundworms and hookworms with 2 treatments.
TKC treats all cats with drontal or pyrantel on intake to ensure against these and other parasites.
Various other worms or organisms like giardia, coccidia, and more can cause illness in cats. Treatment varies but TKC will generally use albon, fenbendazole, flagyl, ponazuril, or other medications on a case by case basis. Transmission to humans in a foster home is rare, but transmission to other animals is possible. This is another reason to do a 14 day quarantine and ensure that cats are healthy before mixing with resident animals, especially if foster/s have just come in from living outside.
External Parasites:
Fleas
Causes frequent scratching, visible fleas or flea dirt found with or without flea comb.
Topical and oral flea prevention can be given over 4 weeks of age.
For under 4 weeks of age, daily brushing with a flea comb and daily bedding changes is necessary. Laundry or vacuum all exposed areas as possible.
Flea baths can be done on kittens or cats who are old enough to get wet, using blue Dawn dish soap (or another non-irritating, pet safe shampoo.)
The most important thing to do if you give a flea bath is to remember to start by making a ring with soap around the kitten’s neck. This keeps fleas from escaping the bath by hanging out on the cat or kitten’s face.
DO NOT bathe a cat for 24 hours after topical flea treatment is given!
How to Give Flea Bath - Kitten Lady
Kitten Lady - Fleas (text & vid)
Ear Mites
Parasites that live in ear canal. Characterized by black “gunk” found inside ears. Requires every 2 week regimen with Revolution (or similar med) for 1 month. Tresadem ear drops may also be recommended.
Cats may scratch ears excessively, develop bald patches, or even scratch open skin, and/or they may shake their head a lot.
Fading Kitten Syndrome (FKS)
Fading kitten syndrome is not an actual illness itself, but a catch–all for an inability to diagnose a specific illness that ends in death of the kitten.
Watch for lethargy or difficulty breathing.
Risk factors include low birth weight “runty” kittens, being unable to nurse properly, being abandoned by the queen, or hypothermia, disease or malnutrition of the mother, fleas or other parasites.
Treatment: see more on Fading Kitten Protocol below
First Aid
Burns-
Cover w loose bandage and get vet care
DO NOT use ice or any ointment
Electric Shock
Seek vet care. Severe shocks can lead to cardiac arrest, pulmonary edema
Watch for infection
Choking
Kittens may cough, gasp, become frantic
Hold in towel, look in the back of throat. Use a flashlight if needed.
IF you can detect the item, remove with dull tweezers or a spoon handle. (Hands are likely too big)
Bee Sting
Put ice on sting
Find and remove stingers with tweezers and a magnifying glass
Clean area, consider antibiotic ointment
Watch for anaphylaxis, throat swelling, blood pressure plunge. These will need emergency vet attention.
Fractured Limbs
Apply a temporary splint with pencil, tongue depressor, cardboard. Wrap gently with cloth or gauze so the limb can’t bend.
DON’T wash open fractures
Get to a vet ASAP
Poisoning
Signs = excessive salivation, vomiting, loss of consciousness, seizures
If applicable, read label if directions for poison swallowed
Call a vet and seek care as soon as possible. A vet will induce vomiting
Do not try to induce vomiting yourself - only under vet care
How to Socialize Feral Kittens and Shy Cats
The younger a kitten is, the easier they are to tame. Truly feral adult cats should generally not be tamed, but returned to their colony through a TNR program. Shy adults that are not truly feral can be worked with and adopted out.
With young kittens, taming can be done very easily simply by handling and playing with kittens essentially normally. Older kittens may need more patient work, and/or to be separated from any littermates or other cats before they can be effectively worked with. Cats are the hardest, but shy cats can be worked with to increase their sociability and thus their adoptability! Keep in mind that some cats may never truly be cuddly, but the goal is to reduce fear so that they will be happy living indoors around normal human activity.
Whether a cat or a kitten, the most important things are patience, routine, and more patience! You will want to isolate them to a small area of your house, ideally where their hiding options are limited (ie a box for hiding, not under the bed) so that the cat has a safe space but is pushed to interact with you more. Hand feeding wet food, treats, and especially churu is a great way to make cats and kittens associate humans with good things. Some things that can be useful include leaving on television, radio, or similar so that kittens or cats become used to human voices and other noises.
Kitten Lady Step by Step Guide to Socializing Feral Kittens (video)
Kitten Lady Helping Feral Kittens Become Friendly (text)
Cat Socialization - Alley Cat Allies
Socializing Shy or Feral Adult Cats - Austin Pets Alive
The Emotional Side of Fostering
Fostering can be incredibly rewarding. Watching kittens you raised grow up, watching shy cats learn to trust humans, or watching a sick kitty you nursed back to health become healthy and adoption ready are some of the best feelings in the world! Plus, playing with cute cats and kittens all the time is great therapy in general! While fostering is so rewarding, it can be hard to say good-bye as well. Remember that “good-bye is the goal,” plus, you get to say hello as much as you have to say good-bye!
Know that Tiny Kitten Coven closely vets adopters and does our very best to make the best matches possible between cats and adopters. Your fosters are in good hands, and are sent off to good, loving homes where they will be treated well and appreciated! Tiny Kitten Coven also will take back cats if the family becomes unable to care for them in the future, so you can know that your foster cats are protected for life.
Some fosters prefer to take breaks between fosters, or throughout the year, which can help with compassion fatigue. Some fosters find the constant in and out of fosters, looking forward to the next cat or group, more therapeutic. You’ll have to figure out which is right for you.
Grieving Loss of Foster Kitten - Kitten Lady
How I Cope With The Emotional Side of Fostering - Kitten Lady (video)
Saying A Good Good-bye: Practical Strategies to Help Families Through Foster Care Transitions - Zoe’s Animal Rescue
Tips for Letting Go When Your Foster Cat Is Adopted - Petfinder
How To Say Goodbye to Your Foster Cat - Preventative Vet
All the Emotions You’ll Feel While Fostering - Rescue in Style Blog