The Animal Foundation Seeking Fosters to Bottle-Feed Kittens
On March 6, 2019, KSNV-TV Channel 3 (NBC) reported on how The Animal Foundation is preparing for spring kitten season by making a plea for fosters to help care for the tiniest of kittens who need to be fed every few hours, depending on their age.
Alyssa Dazza, Feline Program Manager for The Animal Foundation, explains that when a mother cat is not around or able to care for her kittens, those who are newborn or less than four weeks old will require extra-special, round-the-clock care, which includes bottle feeding. Neonatal kittens don't know how to go to the bathroom on their own, so they need to be stimulated as if the mom would do it, and they need to be kept warm because they can't regulate their own temperature until they reach a certain age. Dazza also advises that people who find kittens first observe them from a safe distance to determine if the mom is going to come back. If in a few hours the mom still hasn’t returned, then it’s a good idea to remove them and try to care for them or bring them to the shelter.
Potential fosters apply here.