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Starting in May, the need for pet fosters increases dramatically. We like to call it "kitten season", but it may as well be puppy season too. Pet fostering is a very rewarding thing to do, but it does require a bit of work, and the desire to help small or underage animals. This spring, our first call from the S.P.C.A for fostering kittens came on a Thursday morning.

Most of the "kill" shelters were full of kittens and the S.P.C.A could only pull out kittens that they could place in a pet foster home. Of course we said "yes" to fostering kittens, we didn't care how big or small the litter, or the age of the kittens. We just said let us know when and where to pick them up.

On the way to the shelter to pick up the litter of kittens, we stopped to purchase kitten food. We selected some soft canned kitten food, and some dry kitten kibble. When we are fostering kittens, we only try to feed them the best brands of kitten food. We also do not like to change the food during their stay with us, kittens have very sensitive little stomachs, and frequently switching their food makes them have diarrhea or extremely hard stools.

The litter we picked up this time was a litter of four, two boys and two girls approximately four weeks old. As always when we are pet fosters, we forget how small they are when we first pick them up. This litter was no different, they were all around a pound in weight or less, and just starting to play with each other.

After a couple of days of fostering kittens, we noticed that one of the little boy kittens was moving slowly and seemed to be very lethargic. He was not only the smallest of the group, he was the also the least active, and just wanted to sleep all the time. We were very concerned that this little one wouldn't make it. I noticed that when he was eating, he would suddenly stop and walk away, at which point the litter mates would finish off his kitten food. We took immediate action and contacted the shelter for advise.

We decided to purchase a higher calorie kitten food and kitten Vitamins (a gel) to try and fatten him up. As concerned pet fosters we started to feed him by himself and help him eat (well, we weren't going to pre-chew the food). When he would stop eating and start to walk away, we would just point him back in the direction of his kitten food, and it was like he was eating it for the first time. It usually took an extra 10 minutes for him to eat compared to the rest of the litter. Within about 4 to 5 days, we started becoming much more lively, and he started to get that awesome little "kitten belly".

If you decide to become a pet foster, or are fostering kittens, we strongly recommend "Royal Canin Baby Cat" kitten food. The kibble is designed for kittens, its very small and soft for their little teeth. It's also nutrient rich with immunity boosters and an easy to digest formula. As active pet fosters, we noticed that the kittens really liked it, and seemed to gain weight faster than using different brands.

The hardest part about pet fostering is returning them to the shelter for adoption. We did get some really great pictures of this litter, and know that one of them went to the home of a friend. We returned this litter to the shelter on a Thursday, and within two days, we had another litter. This time we are fostering kittens that are sick and need medication.