Pets of the Week
Animal Welfare Society seeking foster homes for homeless kittens this spring
KENNEBUNK - Why would anyone choose to give up a spare bedroom or bathroom and provide around-the-clock care for a litter of orphaned kittens, knowing that each one will leave to become someone else's beloved pet in just a matter of weeks?"Nothing is more rewarding than seeing the kitten that you put so much time and care into find that perfect, loving home," said Jocelyn Layman, who has been a feline foster parent to more than 30 kittens so far.
Spring means the beginning of "kitten season" in southern Maine, so the Animal Welfare Society is hoping that many more volunteers like Layman will step forward to provide foster homes for homeless mother cats and kittens in the coming weeks.
Foster parents agree to take these needy animals into their own homes and care for them - feeding, medicating, grooming and playing - as if they were their own pets until the felines are ready to find permanent homes through adoption at AWS.
In 2005, AWS provided foster care for close to 600 kittens, and over 90 percent of those kittens were adopted from the shelter into permanent homes.
Requirements for a foster home include a separate heated room to house the animals away from other pets and household noise; a time commitment of between 2 and 10 weeks, and the ability to bring the kittens to the shelter during business hours for booster shots.
Interested individuals must first become an AWS volunteer, and can then focus on fostering after completing a short application and training session. After the application is approved, AWS will provide all the needed supplies as well as information and support via phone and in person.
Karen Robinson, an AWS animal care senior technician and foster mom to over 35 kittens, noted that one of her most memorable foster experiences occurred when a gangly, scrawny kitten entered her home and became the "ugly ducking" that turned into a swan.
"He became best friends with my Mastiff and was later adopted by my brother," Karen said. "He's the most beautiful cat now, and I helped him in those first few critical weeks."
AWS cautions that foster parenting is not for everyone. Orphaned kittens require bottle-feeding every 2 to 3 hours and as they grow can be destructive to clothing, carpets, plants and any items that make entertaining toys.
For the foster moms, though, it is worth it.
"Saving the sick ones is so heart warming," Layman said. "I've lost some kittens for one reason or another, and you always grieve for them. Don't set yourself up by thinking that fostering is 100 percent pleasure. Focus on the ups, not the downs."
So who is an ideal AWS foster parent? Retired seniors or individuals with a job that requires frequent travel who cannot make a life-long commitment to a permanent pet can enjoy having "temporary" pets for a few weeks or months at a time.
Parents who want to teach their children about the pet overpopulation problem and the requirements of pet ownership may find fostering an excellent way to determine whether the family is ready to commit to a permanent pet and if the kids are really ready to take on the responsibility of pet care.
In anticipation of more than 600 new mouths to feed in 2006, AWS proactively launched the fourth annual "Project Kitten" campaign in March to raise public awareness of the cat overpopulation problem and generate much-needed donations of supplies for feline foster parents, including Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR), dry and canned kitten food, cat litter and toys.
"The volunteer foster care program fills a critical need for several hundred mother cats and their kittens as well as for the shelter," said AWS Development Director Brian Winslow. "Often these kittens are too young or sick to be adopted when we first see them. The foster program is a vital transition, providing a nurturing environment for them to develop and grow strong enough to find a permanent home."
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the AWS foster care program will have an opportunity to meet volunteer foster parents like Jocelyn Layman and Karen Robinson at the AWS Kitten Shower on Saturday, May 20, from noon until 3 p.m. at the shelter in West Kennebunk.
For more information on the AWS foster care program and "Project Kitten," contact Katie Dolloff at 985-3244 or visit the AWS website at www.animalwelfaresociety.org.
