The Feral Foster Mom

26/03/2022

These four siblings have been with me for almost three weeks. They are a bit older than feral kittens I usually foster but we had all hoped they could be rehabbed. They came from the same area as Buddy so they are probably related. They certainly have a very similar temperament to Buddy, if that sort of thing can be passed on genetically!

So far everything is going well which makes me think they probably had some exposure to people early on. The first one you see in the video has gained a lot of confidence while the other three still prefer to keep their distance. I'm sure they will make wonderful pets, they just need a home that is quiet and be shown a lot of patience. They are enjoying life in my kitten room with lots to play with, regular food and water and nice places to sleep. 🦊🍲🛌🧸

05/03/2022

For me, this is what fostering is all about ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤎

27/02/2022

These are four kittens that arrived today and they are definitely not feral. This level of activity and their lack of fear on day one is how I know. They just needed a safe place to be for a couple of weeks so the rescue can have them spayed/neutered, vaccinated and deformed before they go up for adoption. I was happy to make my kitten room available to them. Three boys and one girl, they are SO cute and so fun! They were born on January 2 and will be ready for their surgeries once they are all 8 weeks AND a minimum of 2 lbs. If they are under 2 lbs when they reach 8 weeks surgery will have to be postponed until they reach the minimum weight.
I'll try and live stream them often as they are so fun to watch 💖

26/02/2022

These beautiful babies went to the adoption centre on Tuesday. It wasn't easy to take them as they were all so scared and I was quite attached to them. Avi was with me for more than two months! But "goodbye" is the goal of fostering as it means I've done right by them, made sure they were healthy, well socialized and ready to be part of their own family. I was glad they were able to go together so they could keep each other company and give each other support. I've been visiting them every day and they are doing well.

Momma loves you Buddy, Surrey and Avi. Have a wonderful life.

10/02/2022

Buddy is making good progress but it is very slow. That's ok, he can take all the time he needs. He is such a sweet, gentle cat. Here I talk about signs of stress that you will often see in feral cats and kittens that you may not see with your own family pets. It's important to be aware of these so you don't mistake them for something else. The solution is to just keep providing them with a calm, quiet environment where they feel safe and have places to hide and perch. And keep up with the Purritto Technique on a regular consistent basis and watch for signs of progress.

07/02/2022

The "Purritto" is possibly the most important technique in the process of socializing feral kittens. I held Buddy tonight for almost two hours and he had a couple of big sighs. Once I could tell he no longer wanted to be held I put him back in the kitten room.
He made good progress but no purring yet. Once he does then I know I've won him over!

05/02/2022

Dog crates are so useful when fostering kittens. They are particularly great for people who want to foster but don't have a room that they can give up to devote to kittens.
If you are going to use one for feral cats and kittens remember to keep the top and 3 sides covered with a blanket. They like the feeling of being able to hide from danger and to them humans represent danger. The blanket will give the kitties a chance to feel more secure, allowing them to relax. Ferals need to be able to relax and be calm in order to socialize them. It is much harder to make progress with a kitty that is in a constant state of fear.

05/02/2022

Hard to believe that just 6 weeks ago this little girl had been living outside in a semi-industrial part of town born into a feral colony. She has come a long way from being the timid and frightened kitty who avoided human contact. Now she is a lovely cuddlebug who is going to make her new family so very happy. 😽
Saving feral kittens, one baby at a time!

04/02/2022

Avi had been at the vet for the past few days due to her sutures coming undone again! She is back now and all is well. The vet thinks she was having an allergic reaction to the dissolvable sutures. Now she has the old style sutures in which will have to come out in about 5 more days.
It's so important when fostering feral cats and kittens to keep them close by for several days to monitor their recovery from any surgery, even a simple spay or neuter.
Once the sutures are out Avi should be ready for adoption. Yay Avi!

04/02/2022

Our sweet foster kitty Buddy enjoying the top cubby in the kitten room 😻 He is incredibly sweet and gentle but it is hard to tell if that is his personality or if it's because he is still so scared. He was rescued from a feral cat colony so it is a big adjustment for him. He will have lots of time to adjust and be given cuddles to help him learn that he is safe with humans.

03/02/2022

Enjoy a tour of my kitten room and find out why I designed it the way I did. And no it isn't empty. The kitties were all hiding in cubbies!

31/01/2022

We welcomed Buddy to the kitten room a couple of days ago. He was trapped at a feral cat colony and came to me really scared. But it's amazing, he is incredibly gentle and I've been able to handle him no problem. Surrey has done a good job helping him to settle in. What else are friends for! 😽

27/01/2022

Arnica has been adopted!
I'm so happy for her, she is going to have a great life with her new family. Her mum fell in love with her spunky personality - she was too much to resist! Her name is now Penelope and I think she is going to rule over her dog brother Clarence.
Thought you might like to see a photo of her from the day she was trapped. She was so dirty and full of matts. Such a transformation from a scared kitty to a real cuddle bum.
Goodbye is the goal of fostering and it is so rewarding to see any cat but especially a feral go to their forever home. 😻💋🏠
Have a great life little one!

26/01/2022

It is so important to be checking incision sites post surgery. Poor little Avi had to go back to the vet this morning because the incision from her spay surgery opened up yesterday. This is quite unusual given that her surgery was a full 5 days before that. You can never be sure until it is fully healed!
I didn't want to show you a photo of what that looked like as it was quite the sight. Here she is all sutured up again and enjoying some good cuddles on the couch with me. She deserved some special time tonight after everything she has been through the past few days.
Sweet Avi is such a love. Whoever adopts her are going to be so lucky! 😻

25/01/2022

Meet Surrey and hear all about her story. She and Arnica are cuddling so nicely together, so sweet.

24/01/2022

Enjoying some cuddle time with Avi. She is SO sweet! Avi doesn't move around in your lap like her sister Arnica does. She prefers to just stretch out and soak up all the love. Not sure you can hear because of the sound quality but she was purring the whole time.

23/01/2022

After all that growling, hissing and spitting at me earlier today I wanted you to see that Arnica really is a sweet, cuddly kitten. She was with me on the couch for about an hour purring the whole time. I think she could have stayed all night if I let her! 😽

22/01/2022

Avi and Arnica are recovering nicely from their spay surgery and they have company! Another kitten joined them yesterday and you'll get to meet her. There was some tension when they were first introduced and that can happen when kittens don't know each other, especially older kittens. But there is a product that can help called Feliway. It can be used to help with all kinds behaviours that indicate a cat isn't happy. I forgot to show you what the diffuser looked like plugged in but you can find more information on their website.
https://www.feliway.com/ca_en

20/01/2022

The babies are back from the vet 👩‍⚕️ after being spayed and vaccinated. They aren't too happy, poor girls, it is always a bit traumatic especially for ferals. 😞 But they are back in the kitten room enjoying some quiet time to recover. 🛏💗

19/01/2022

CATNIP! 😺🌿🎉 I always introduce my foster kitties to catnip. Watch Arnica and Avi enjoy it for the first while playing with me.

19/01/2022

AlleyCATS Alliance is the rescue that I've been fostering for. I chose them a for a whole bunch of reasons but one of the primary ones is that they help cats and kittens that other rescues won't. Hard to believe that a rescue would turn away an animal but they do. Sometimes it is for totally legitimate reasons such as lack of space, don't have a suitable foster home or lack of funds. But sometimes its because they just don't want to take the "hard cases".

Here are some fantastic success stories from 2021 that show just how dedicated they are. I do include the story of the cat that had to be euthanized as a success because it was much better that he be relieved of his pain than to continue to suffer. Sadly he was abandoned by his owner instead of taken somewhere for help when something could have been done to save him.

They are heros for the forgotten felines and I'm so thankful for all their work. I will gladly continue to foster for them for many years to come!

16/01/2022

Since you didn't get to meet Avi in the other video, she can be shy, here she is!

16/01/2022

Thought you might like to meet the two kitties I'm fostering at the moment, Arnica and Avi. They were trapped in a semi-industrial part of town. A kind man who works at one of the warehouses was really concerned about all the cats and kittens and he contacted the local cat rescue that I foster for. These girls came to me on December 17 and have made a LOT of progress in just a month.

16/01/2022

15/01/2022

15/01/2022

15/01/2022

15/01/2022

Welcome to my kitten room! I've been fostering for my local cat rescue for years and have always wanted to bring more people into the rescue world. Now that I have a dedicated kitten room I thought it would be fun to share what I've learned about fostering and socializing feral cats and kittens through a video series.

It's so much fun and so rewarding to see a frightened feral turn into a sweet and cuddly love bug. Like Avi, who I am holding at the start of this video. When she arrived a month ago she was so scared she pooped herself when I tried to touch her. Now she cuddles with me while hanging out on the couch watching TV. She was a bit anxious as I was holding her as she wasn't used to my voice being so loud. I use a soft, quiet voice with my fosters. But I will post another video soon of her and her sister Arnica. Stay tuned!