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In the News: Tails of Marin

By Carrie Harrington

Volunteers Needed to Take Care of
Neonatal Kittens

It is officially kitten season, the frenetic time of year when animal shelters across the country are flooded with orphaned kittens. In anticipation of the annual baby boom, we're looking for volunteers who can provide a temporary home for neonatal kittens during their first few weeks of life until they are old enough to enter the adoption program.

Fostering orphaned kittens allows shelters to maximize the number of animals they can rescue. Last year, more than 300 kittens spent time in a foster home through the Marin Humane Society foster program. No matter how dedicated our staff, we can never duplicate a family's home and care. Having foster parents readily available allows us to save more lives.

It's often said that fostering kittens is like being a grandparent - lots of love and enjoyment without the lifetime responsibility. Which isn't to say that fostering kittens is an easy experience. It's fun and deeply rewarding, but also challenging.

Sharon Nielsen of San Anselmo has been fostering newborn kittens for the Marin Humane Society for more than 15 years. "Fostering neonate kittens has been an incredible experience for me," Nielsen said. "It requires a lot of work, but the joy and satisfaction I get makes it all worthwhile."

Nielsen began fostering for MHS in 1992 after she responded to a call for foster parents in the Marin IJ. "There was an accompanying photo of a volunteer surrounded by tiny kittens, and I thought, 'I can do that'."

"It was overwhelming at first, holding those babies in the palm of my hand and realizing that they were so dependent on me for survival. But the payoff comes soon when you start to see their ears wiggle as you teach them how to drink from a bottle. You delight in seeing them instinctively use the litter box for the first time and watching them take their first tentative steps to explore the rest of the house. And you marvel when they start eating solid food."

Foster parents are responsible for bottle-feeding and socializing newborn kittens and administering medication as needed. Other duties include daily weigh-ins, baths and nail trims. The Humane Society furnishes all necessary supplies and provides routine and emergency veterinary care.

For some volunteers, fostering is a wonderful way to experience the joy of having a companion animal in the home without making a long-term commitment. Others already have animal companions of their own, and are willing to make extra space to care for a temporary visitor. And some consider fostering a flexible option as they cannot volunteer to do specific shifts during certain times of the day.

While it is true that foster parents get attached to their animals, they also find a special joy in sending a pet to a wonderful new family. "Returning them can be one of the hardest parts," says Nielsen. "But sometimes I get an immediate exchange - a brand new batch of babies - which leaves no time for sadness. Plus, it's great to know that my now healthy, happy, sturdy, and slightly spoiled little ones are now in the hands of the Humane Society who will be making sure that they all find new homes."

For more information about becoming a foster parent for neonatal kittens, call Samantha Pascoe, MHS foster care coordinator, at 506-6235.

Carrie Harrington is the communications manager at the Marin Humane Society, which contributes Tails of Marin articles.

Tails of Marin appears every Saturday in the Home & Garden section of the Marin Independent Journal