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Kitten Foster Essentials
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items Thinking of signing up to foster kittens for an animal shelter? Check out my recommendations to get started as a kitten foster!🐾
Sections
3
Foster Kitten Supplies
Food & Treats
Mom & Babies
Foster Kitten Supplies
Things that will have you ready for fostering kittens!🐾
Most shelters you foster for are able to give the supplies you need to care for kittens, but I like to take the burden off of them when I can. Petsmart is my go-to for food, litter, toys, treats, etc.
PetSmart: Pet Supplies, Accessories, and Pet Food - Pet Stores
Kittens and Cats LOVE soft beds like this!!
My own cats and my fosters get spoiled to that super soft material.
Kitten Beds | Elevated & Small Beds for Kittens - Target
For kittens a small to medium litter box works just fine! If you have kittens 5 weeks or younger you may need a shallow box that is easy for them to climb into.
Pro tip: you can use the cardboard boxes canned cat food comes in until the kittens are ...
Cat Litter Boxes, Pans & Trays - PetSmart
Shallow food dishes are great for kittens! Especially ones that are still weaning and learning to eat big kid food! If a bowl has steep sides it can bother their whiskers so they may not want to eat out of it.
Kitten Bowl - Amazon.com
Kittens love soft cozy blankets! Great for added warmth!
Blankets For Cats - Amazon.com
I use Tidy Cats with Glade for my own cats but for kittens unscented is usually recommended!
Shelters may also recommend the non-clumping litter.
Purina Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Litter
Soft cozy beds that give shy or nervous kittens the option to feel safe are great too!
Cute Cat Beds - Amazon.com
I cannot recommend cat scratchers enough! You need at least one of these in your house if you have cats! Plus, teaching kittens to go after scratchers and not furniture will help their future adopters as well! Many times cats are returned to shelters...
Cat Scratching Posts: Best Cat Scratchers (Free Shipping) | Chewy
A pet playpen like this is fantastic for fostering! If you only plan on fostering one kitten at a time a size M will work fine. If you plan to foster litters of kittens, or a mom and babies, I recommend L or XL for sure! You also want one that mentio...
Cat Playpen - Amazon.com
Whatever size playpen/playpens you get, find a mat that matches the diameter so it fits the bottom!
Octagon Dog Playpen Mat - Amazon.com
Even cardboard scratchers like these are great to have for kittens. Many come with catnip to sprinkle inside for a little razzle dazzle!
Cardboard Cat Scratcher - Amazon.com
You can use regular bowls for water but cats and kittens love water fountains too! They encourage cats to drink more water which helps their kidney function. Many pet playpens are made with a hole for cords to come out of, so it’s possible to put one...
Amazon Best Sellers: Best Cat Fountains
Food & Treats
These are worth having on hand!
This stuff can literally be a life saver when it comes to sick kittens or picky eaters!
Tiki Cat Baby Thrive High Calorie Supplement Kitten Food ...
Kittens usually LOVE this stuff! I buy it when I have pickier eaters. Of you are fostering a mom & kittens, the Royal Canin Mom and Baby Cat is great!
Kitten Food - Free Shipping - Chewy
This is what most kittens 6 weeks + love to eat and great to keep in stock!
Purina Fancy Feast: Kitten Food - Amazon.com
Doesn’t hurt to have treats on hand! Be sure to follow the age and serving guidelines!
Kitten Treats - Free Shipping - Chewy
Always check with your local shelter first before you order more food for your foster kittens! Ideally you want to feed them the same dry food. You can change their food but it has to be done gradually as recommended on the package and by the shelter...
Hill's® Science Diet® Kitten Dry Cat Food - Chicken
Mom & Babies
Fostering a mom & babies is actually pretty easy because mom is doing most of the work! But you’ll want to make sure she has a quiet, calm, and safe space. I recommend having these things to get started!
You will want a L or XL playpen for a mom & babies. That way you can put a larger cat bed, her litter box, and food and water in there.
Even if babies are nursing just fine, be sure to weigh them daily to make sure they are gaining weight!
Xl Pet Playpen - Amazon.com
This is the best stuff for a mom & babies in my opinion! And some shelters may be able to provide this. But Petsmart puts it on sale sometimes and that’s when I buy it!
Royal Canin Mother And Babycat - Amazon.com
You will want to have kitten bottles on hand in case any kittens are not nursing as they should! You may have to syringe feed in some cases so if you take on bottle babies, please make sure to have someone at the shelter give you some instructions an...
Kitten Bottles - Amazon.com
You will want a soft cozy cat bed, large enough for mom and babies to fit in it. You don’t want steep sides because when the babies start crawling around they need to be able to get back in!
Cat Beds, Furniture, Blankets & Kitten Beds | PetSmart