Kim Madill with two foster kittens This guest blog post comes from Kim Madill, who explains how she became a foster mom to 129 kittens for C.A.R.E.S. cat shelter in Langley, B.C. Yup, I’ve fostered 129 kittens so far. I had already been volunteering at C.A.R.E.S. on Tuesday mornings for about 10 years, when in 2016, I heard that they needed a foster home right away for a litter of 8-week-old kittens. Pregnant cats and kittens can’t be with the general population of adult cats so they have to be fostered outside of the shelter. I said that I had a tack room in my barn that was safe and I could take the kittens home for a few weeks until they were ready to be adopted. I didn’t change the room very much, just put in some litter boxes and toys and let the kittens climb on my horse saddles. That first batch of kittens was named Watson, Weston, Winston, and Wilson. Little did I know that they would start a whole new career for me. I enjoyed it so much that I said “of course” the next time I was asked to foster and I started converting the room into what is now affectionately called the “Kitty Palace”. My husband helped me install new baseboard heaters to keep them warm in the winter, shelves for climbing and sitting in the window, and I accessorized with large cat trees in each corner of the room, cat tunnels, cat beds, and cat toys. Of the 129 kittens that I have fostered, some came to me happy and healthy and only needed a few weeks to grow big enough to be adopted; others came to me from sad situations and needed some nursing care and TLC; others came to me scared and shy and needed lots of love to get comfortable with humans. At other times I got the pregnant mom and she gave birth here. I started a log book to remember each of the litters and it is fun to come up with names for them. The most I’ve had at once is 10 and that was complete chaos! Even though some kitties require extra care that can take up a lot of time, the reward of seeing them recover from their health issues or lose their fear of people is worth it. My latest little foster guy named Bernie was 3 months old when surrendered to C.A.R.E.S. because he needed hernia surgery. His previous owners refused to pay for it even though they made a profit from selling his littermates! Fortunately he recovered beautifully while at my place and was just adopted this past weekend into a loving home. I’ve had lots of friends stop by for play dates with the kittens and I have dubbed that “Kitten Therapy.” No matter how bad a day someone has had, watching half a dozen kittens zoom around the room or cuddle up in their lap, makes everything better. Once the kittens are old enough to be spayed/neutered, they go to the C.A.R.E.S. adoption center at PetSmart in Langley. I feel anxious until they find their forever homes. I love it when someone I know adopts one of them and I get to keep in touch as the kitten grows up! People often ask me if it is a lot of work, and also difficult to give the kittens up when they are ready for adoption. The answer is “yes” to both, but it is 100% worth it. Kim Madill, a purrfectly happy Kitty Fosterer C.A.R.E.S. Canadian Animal Rescue & Extended Shelter Note: An earlier version of this story, “122 Kittens,” was published in the society’s newsletter, Cat Tales, in fall 2021. I’m grateful to Kim and C.A.R.E.S. for sharing their stories here. Kim's "Kitty Palace" Some of Kim's foster kittens Kim's latest foster, Bernie
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If you have got not thought of giving your cat tunnels to play in, or if you are not assuming your kitty would enjoy. However, you must consider the best cat tunnels. In fact, several consultants suggest obtaining your feline friend a minimum of one tunnel that she will use to wrap, play, relax and nap whenever she desires.
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