Everyone loves kittens right? Right. But kittens take a lot of work. That may seem obvious but seriously kittens require a lot of work before they become adoptable little balls of adventure that you get to chase around and play with. Before we get into this, if you're really interested in fostering kittens or just interested in the process itself I recommend checking out Kitten Lady on YouTube. She's very experienced in fostering kittens and is great at giving instructional videos for those who find kittens and letting you know how you can help even if you aren't fostering.

The most important thing to know is why kitten fostering is so important. Until about four weeks kittens can't go to the bathroom on their own or start to be weaned off of formula. Most shelters don't have the money or staff to stay overnight for feedings and checkups. Unfortunately, most shelters only have until the time they close for the day to find a foster home and often these kittens get euthanized. It's really up to the community to take on these kittens and foster them to an adoptable age.

So if you find a kitten, or kittens, outside don't grab them immediately. Nobody is more equipped for raising kittens then its mama cat. If you don't see a mama cat after a few hours or one of the kittens is sick or the mama is sick, or otherwise unable to care for her litter, you can go ahead and pick them up.

So for the first three weeks of life kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature. So they have to be kept in a small area, you honestly don't need that much space, and layer the bottom with blankets and something that creates warmth. This could be something called a cuddle safe that you can find here for four dollars, or even a sock filled with rice that you microwaved. The kittens won't know. They'll be warm and that's what matters.

You can also get a Snuggle Kitty it's a stuffed cat that has "fur" and a synthetic heartbeat. Also, fake fur for the kittens to cuddle in is also good. These aren't necessities but they can provide kittens some comfort when they're newborn. If you are interested or find yourself fostering a lot these might be good investments to make.

You could take the kittens to a vet and make sure they're healthy, even if they look healthy. Of course, follow any instructions the veterinarian gives you and make sure that they are experienced with kittens.

If you've found these kittens outside there is a chance they might have flees. In which case you need to give them a flee bath. If the kittens are especially young this can be dangerous because kittens do not have the ability to regulate their own body temperature until about three weeks and not completely until seven. Here's a good video on giving kittens flee baths. Watching someone experienced do and explain is better than reading it. Be sure to purrito the kitten afterward and make sure their body temperature gets back to normal before feeding them.

Young kittens need frequent feedings, until five or six weeks old they need a small amount every few hours.These may seem daunting but the cat only takes a few minutes. Feeding kittens is very important. Never feed a kitten cow milk, soy milk or any dairy or dairy alternative. Don't feed them baby formula or even cat's milk. Get something that says that it is kitten formula. Be sure to get a kitten bottle and a few nipples as well. You'll probably have to cut the hole yourself, this allows you to experiment a bit because young kittens will only be able to take a small flow of formula.

If the kitten is fussy or having trouble eating or latching to the bottle you're going to need to do a bit more work. If it is serious take them to the vet. A kitten that won't eat is a serious problem. But they might just be fussy you might need to hold their head steady or wrap them up. You can try brushing their fur with a toothbrush, which would remind them of a mother's grooming. Remember the kitten doesn't know what you're trying to do, be patient and try to work with them.

Here is a chart that explains kitten feedings by age and weight. As they get bigger the feedings will be needed less frequently. Be sure to be weighing the kittens regularly to follow their progress through their weight gain.

Weaning kittens onto wet food is an important step to making them adoptable. Here is a good video on how to do it. Be prepared for a bit of a mess, but it's probably not as messy as you might think. Just be sure to invest in some newspaper.

Kittens zero to three weeks old cannot go to the bathroom on their own. Its mother would lick their genitals to get them to pee and poop and if they are orphaned kittens after a feeding the foster career will have to stimulate the kitten to relieve themselves. You can use a soft tissue and gently rub at the genitals until they go. Wipe them down with an organic unscented baby wipe and, of course, wash your hands afterward. After following the instructions on the kitten formula container make sure it's the right temperature- eight seconds in the microwave should do it. Test it on your own skin first, if it's too cold or too warm for you it's not the right temperature for the kitten. Feed the kitten belly down, not on their back.

This is probably the most undesirable part of fostering kittens but it all pays off as you get to watch them grow up and become healthy and strong and eventually be adopted out into their forever home.

Kittens instinctively want to cover their waste so when they're around four weeks old you can start to litter train them. You'll need a box, it's best that you get a small shallow box that they can actually get into. It shouldn't be covered and can literally be a cardboard box that you can just throw out later. You'll also need litter. It's recommended that for kittens you should use unscented and organic litter because kittens put everything in their mouths, much like human babies.

When the kitten starts going to the bathroom, without stimulation, it's time to start litter training. You can put them in the litter box and stimulate them, so they associate the smell and sensation with the litter box. You can even show a kitten whose having trouble with it another kitten whose getting it. Kittens are born in litters and learn from each other as they grow up.

Many of those who foster kittens will not put kittens up for adoption before they are spayed or neutered, for assurance that the animal will be spayed or neutered. The importance of spaying and neutering cats cannot be overstated. While everyone loves kittens there are more than enough kittens in the world and not spaying or neutering your cat can lead to unplanned litters of kittens. For kittens, it is generally safe to have them sterilized at 8 weeks if they are healthy.

After eight weeks, if the kitten is healthy, spayed or neutered, and successfully weaned onto wet food and litter trained it is ready for adoption. There are many ways and resources in getting the word out about an adoptable kitten, you can make a web page, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and maybe even try letting your local shelter know that you have an adoptable kitten so they can put in on their website too.

This is an important part of the process. It's what you've been leading up to and preparing for. Finding your kitten a forever home might be hard by your a foster carer and once you find that kitten a caring home, preferably one that has a cat already, you are prepared to take on more kitten and help find them forever homes too.

If you are interested in fostering kittens, understand that there's so much more about it than I can write here. Make sure to go to kitten workshops= check to see if there are any near you. Go to your local shelter and see if they have any information. You can also register with your local shelter as a kitten foster, so when they receive kittens they know that they can count on you to lighten the load. There's also YouTube. Here are Kitten Lady's youtube channel again and her website both of which can provide you with even more information and on her website there's a place to donate so even if you can't foster kittens but you want to help out you can. I hope you've learned something or at least have an appreciation for those who foster kittens.

And here's one last kitten picture because you've earned it.