We have many partners who work diligently to make spay/neuter services readily available to help curb the birth of unwanted kittens. But inevitably, springtime rolls around, and we begin receiving calls from other rescue groups, a citizen who has found a mom and kittens under a porch, a person who has found an abandoned litter, and other equally sad stories. 

We help as often as we can but only within the confines of the resources we have available to responsibly care for them.  The resources we need to bring kittens to CFF are money and people.  Money can be raised through various fundraising activities and from generous donors.  The people we need are foster families. 

There are many reasons why sending kittens to foster homes is so important.  For example, being in a foster dramatically reduces their likelihood of contracting upper respiratory illnesses.  Their immature immune systems make illness much more likely even when there is no evidence of illness among the other cats in the area.  And, if multiple litters are housed within close proximity of one another, one infected kitten can share the illness with all of the others in the area. Fostering also introduces kittens to living in a home environment with all the noises, people, etc. that they will encounter once adopted.

So, what is involved in fostering?  With the support of 2 Foster Coordinators, the Sanctuary Operations Manager, and the Executive Director, foster families will provide the care and nurturing for their assigned kittens until they reach at least 2 pounds, the point at which they will return to CFF for their spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, microchipping, flea meds and adoption.  We work closely to match the kittens sent out to the preferences of the foster family.  Some want to take a mom with her whole litter while others prefer to take just 2 so they can give them lots of attention.  Others enjoy bottle-feeding neonates who would otherwise not survive as they are too young for food.

CFF provides a foster handbook, an orientation, and lots of one-on-one support so that foster families gain confidence and find the experience rewarding and fulfilling. We provide all the supplies needed to care for the babies…..food, litter, playpen, scale, thermometer, flea comb, toys, litter pans, etc.  All we ask is that the foster families keep us informed about the progress of the kittens and that the foster family has fun with the little balls of fluff. During the course of most years, we have about 400 kittens who come to CFF so you can see why we always need foster families.