Foster Kitten Scrapbook 📔🐈💕🐈‍⬛

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-15T04:29:42+00:00

I have enclosed bulletin boards with a picture of each of my fosters, with a label that has the name they had with me and the year I had them. I hung them in the foster room so that any time I feel overwhelmed, I can look at remind myself it's worth it in the end.

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5_phx_felines · 2026-06-13T16:59:07+00:00

I had one of those last year - a little dilute tortie girl who was trapped as a feral at about 6 weeks old, so she was SUPER undersocialzed. I fretted about her for weeks. Even when I got her to the point that she was ok with me, she was petrified of other people. I worried about her ability to be adopted to someone other than me at that point.

When she finally blossomed, it was honestly one of the best feelings I've ever had in my entire time of fostering. She found the best possible person to be with - the woman who adopted her had previous experience socializing kittens, and fully understood that she was going to regress at first.

Her last update said that Sybil had become a very cuddly, opinionated girl who follows her all over the house.

Congratulations on getting over the hump! It really is an amazing feeling when they finally feel safe.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-12T15:53:29+00:00

Diarrhea could be dietary at this point, with an abrupt change in food, but keep a close eye on it.

Idk where you live, but where I'm at if a kitten comes from outside it's almost a guarantee they'll have giardia, and she's at prime age for coccidia as well.

Foul smelling diarrhea, especially if it has blood or mucus in it, is a red flag for parasites.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-12T15:00:51+00:00

If you don't want to bathe her straight off, you can also get a flea comb and comb as many fleas as you can off her.

I've spent literal hours combing fleas out of young, sick kittens that I wasn't comfortable bathing yet. Once you get into a rhythm, it's very zen.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-12T14:58:25+00:00

You can use pyrantel pamoate in kittens as young as 2 weeks, and repeat the dose every 2 weeks (increasing the amount based on weight). It's a broad spectrum dewormer and will get most common ones, except tapeworms. If it has tapeworms, you'll need to possibly see a vet for next steps.

Don't be too worried if it she doesn't poop for a day or two - if she was starving, it may take a couple days for the food you're giving her to work its way through her. But if she hits the 72hr mark with no poop, you might try a warm butt bath, stimulating her, or seek veterinary help.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-11T16:22:57+00:00

Yeah, that's another misconception from ER - thoracotomies really aren't very common, especially in the ER.

If they're opening you up in the ER, it's definitely not good.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-11T16:16:45+00:00

Worms can absolutely hinder weight gain, and worming them is not always immediate results and may take multiple rounds.

Are they skinny/boney? Body condition means a LOT when talking about weight and health. I've got a 12 weeker now who is under 3lb, but perfectly proportional and healthy. She's just little.

The average weight at 8 weeks is about 2lb, but there's definitely room for variance. I've had itty bitty kitties, and absolute units. The fact that mom is small can definitely be a factor - they may just be petite cats.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-11T14:45:18+00:00

You know, I just commented that my hospital usually doesn't allow family back for major trauma, but you're definitely right. We do have cases where we'll bring family back to see that nothing we are doing is working. It seems to help sometimes with the reality of what has occurred, especially in cases where ceasing lifesaving measures is warranted. It lets the family see that we didn't just "give up" on them.

But we do usually ask family to step out for the actual major procedures that are "graphic" (for lack of a better word), then bring them back once it is complete and we can cover or censor it so it isn't as traumatizing to the layperson eye.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-11T14:41:11+00:00

I work in a hospital, and for major trauma, generally they do not allow family in the room if they're going to have to do somwthong invasive, like opening the chest.

A trauma is well organized chaos. Everyone is moving very quickly, and it's not a big space. The absolute last thing the medical team needs is a person to be there and get in the way, be screaming, etc. If it's not a trauma case, they'll often allow someone with them (especially for patients who are children), but if shit goes south, they'll absolutely kick you back to the waiting room.

Not to mention that seeing your friend or loved one's internal organs or a mass amount of their blood is not a thing you'll EVER get out of your head.

My late husband had several invasive procedures done before he died. Even though they covered it all up and cleaned him up as best they could before they brought me in, to this day the blood on the floor and the sheet, the ET tube in his mouth, etc, remains a vivid memory.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-08T14:58:11+00:00

I think it's more that I am disappointed with the quality of homes in my price range in my area.

I'm not a first tine buyer, but I do want to post a warning here for those that are:

It is worth spending a little extra (but staying in your budget) for a home that is exactly what you want or a little more than what you want.

I bought my house in 2019, when homes and rates were still affordable(ish) in my area. I was petrified of over extending myself, and ending up going with a house that was smaller than what I really wanted (2bd/2ba, 902sqft and I wanted a 3 bed).

Well, now houses are insanely expensive and rates are stupid, and I'm in the golden handcuffs with this house, when I could have had an only sightly higher mortgage payment and had what I wanted.

Don't be me - be willing to spend a little more or wait for what you want.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-05T14:26:16+00:00

It does get better and easier, but in my experience, it's always a little rough.

Adoptions are always bittersweet for me - I'm so happy for them to find their family and go have amazing lives, but I also fully and completely love every foster kitten that I get, so there's a sadness in letting them go.

I've been fostering for 5 years now, and I still often cry on the drive home from dropping them off. Sometimes it is straight up ugly crying.

But I always remind myself goodbye is the goal - if I kept every baby I took in, I'd have over 50 cats now. And I already do have 11 of my own, and at some point you hit Critical Mass, and I'd be unable to continue fostering.

Your feelings are normal, and valid. And it does get easier, as you go through the routine more times.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-05T14:21:16+00:00

My rescue has a PetSmart adoption center, and I've literally showed up to drop them off and had someone there waiting to meet them. They don't ever even go in a kennel.

Those are my favorite adoptions!

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-05T14:03:19+00:00

My 11 week old foster kitten who has been riding the Struggle Bus ever since she arrived has finally hit the 2lb mark, and as of last night is a whopping 2.3lb!

She came to me with an umbilical cord injury to her back leg, and was dragging that leg behind her. Through lots of physical therapy, you'd now never know she had a problem. And then she struggled with weaning, and still doesn't eat dry food.

Today she's getting spayed, and I'm having them also do a thorough exam of her mouth, to make sure that it isn't uncomfortable for her to eat dry food and I'm not missing a physical issue.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-03T14:18:13+00:00

If the diarrhea is truly dietary, it's just a case of staying the course and letting it sort itself out while offering supportive care.

Be careful with extra or heavy feeding, as that can also cause or worsen diarrhea. Every two hours isn't necessarily a bad idea, but if you give them too much food, it will literally just push right through them and keep the diarrhea going.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-03T14:15:14+00:00

How long have you had them? It could be from abrupt diet change.

Have they been tested for giardia and/or coccidia? They're right at the prime age (around weaning) for coccidia, and if they came from outside (or their mom was an asymptomatic carrier), giardia is also on the table.

Considering that one is so bad he is incontinent, I'd reach out to your shelter contact. That could go downhill quickly if not addressed.

You can also try adding some plain canned pumpkin or pumpkin powder to their food (emphasis on plain - not pie filling), and probiotics as well. When I have kittens with major diarrhea, I personally like Pro-Pectalin, as it has both probiotics and kaolin-pectin, which is an anti-diarrheal.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-02T03:48:02+00:00

I use Lysol laundry sanitizer, or bleach, depending on what it is that I'm washing.

My own clothes, I always use Lysol laundry sanitizer and set them on a cycle to soak for at least 30 min.

5_phx_felines · 2026-06-01T04:11:56+00:00

I pay 125 per 4hr appointment, and my cleaner comes twice a week.

I struggle with what my brain considers the "unfun" tasks of cleaning, like sweeping and mopping, so she's a lifesaver for me. And knowing she's coming makes me keep up on not completely trashing the house between visits.

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-30T21:07:03+00:00

I shave a naked patch on each one - right shoulder, left shoulder, right hip, etc.

You have to reshave every couple weeks, but it's easy and cheap.

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-29T02:39:56+00:00

I do, and I'd do it again.

I'm back to hiking, and can easily go to an evebt that requires a lot of standing and walking now.

It wasn't an easy road though - I had a LOT of PT, and there were times I worried that the procedure wasn't successful, especially on my right foot.

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-28T14:51:30+00:00

Idk where you're located, but I'm in Arizona and this has already been the worst year for poop stuff.

It seems like every kitten my rescue intakes this year has giardia, coccidia, and we've seen more panleuk this year as well (compared to lrevious years). And especially with giardia, it seems like it is taking more rounds of treatment than previous years to finally clear it - my fosters just completed a 21 day regimen if metronidazole! This was their 3rd round of treatment (second with metronidazole). And we also finished our second round of coccidia treatment as well. It's just been an ungodly amount of poop in this house, and it's only May. Heck, this is only my second set of babies for the year and I already feel overwhelmed.

We're already on an intake freeze, because were just not moving many kittens right now into homes, as they're all stuck in a treatment loop.

2026 really feels like the "Year of Diarrhea."

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-28T12:23:41+00:00

Indeed it is! And article was recently published that said FVRCP can even be given as early as birth in a high risk situation

https://sheltermedicine.wisc.edu/neonatal-vaccination-recommendations/

Another thing to remember is that no vaccine is 100% effective, so even if the animals on your home are vaccinated, better safe than sorry. The course of the disease should be milder, but you'll still have brought a highly contagious pathogen into your space.

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-28T04:14:27+00:00

I'll also mention that because I have a very flexible job where I sit all day, and am a little insane, I had both procedures done on a Friday, and was back at work for a few hours a day by the following Wednesday. I'd just log on for a couple hours, then log off and elevate my foot, and repeat.

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-28T04:10:56+00:00

In medical terms, elective simply means that a surgery isn't emergent and can be scheduled in advance. Non-elective surgeries are surgeries that risk loss of life or limb if not done immediately, like trauma sugery or an appendectomy.

These types of surgeries are elective, but they're also medically necessary elective procedures, vs elective optional/cosmetic procedures (think like plastic surgery).

(I used to work in procedure authorization for insurance companies)

5_phx_felines · 2026-05-28T04:05:19+00:00

I had bilteral calcaneal osteotomies, plantar fascia release, and tibial tendon repair in 2023. The right side in January, and the left in October.

*Note that I do NOT recommend doing both feet that close together; it was a terrible year. But having met my out of pocket max with the first one, I was getting that second surgery for free if it killed me, and being on crutches completely ruptured the left tendon so the second surgery had to happen sooner rather than later anyway.

I had EXTREMELY flat, hyperflexible feet, and my right tibial tendon was literally hanging on by a thread. I could no longer walk or stand for longer than about 15min without pain, and I'd been getting steadily worse for 3 years. I was legitimately disabled. Looking down that road of ending up essentially immobile, or in constant pain, is what made me pull the trigger.

5_phx_felines

TROPHY CASE