One of the items on my bucket list is to foster. Lately, I’ve been thinking about fostering and how to get my husband on board. Since we already have three dogs, I know he’ll say no to another dog right now. However, thanks to Nashville pet photographer, Mandy Whitley, I have a new plan: Kittens! While the cuteness factor is all I need, Mandy explains some of the mechanics of fostering.
From Mandy: “Over the years, we’ve fostered dozens of puppies, dogs, kittens, and cats — and I believe it’s one of the best ways we can help animals find forever homes! Fostering is such a needed service, and it provides so much for the animals (and us!), including a warm and inviting home, food, and tons of love.
That’s why I wanted to share some information on fostering cats and kittens, especially since it’s kitten season.
Although it may seem like a big undertaking, fostering pets is really easy. Some people choose to integrate the kittens right into their entire home, but since we have three dogs and a grown cat, we choose to keep them separate from our animals.
Here’s how we do it!
My husband and I both work from home, so we set up a large dog crate in my office complete with a litter box, food, water and a small box for them to chill out in until they get used to being here (kittens love to hide).
Then, while I’m working during the day, we let them run around and play in my office. We don’t like to leave them unsupervised because kittens are notorious for chewing cords. So when I leave the office for the day, they go back in the crate. They have just as much room in that big crate as they would in a cage at the shelter, and tons of extra playtime.
And we, in return, get adorable kitten snuggles and laughs from all their antics – what is better than that!?
When you foster through an animal shelter, you will normally only have them until they weigh enough to be adopted. If you foster with a rescue group, you might have them until they are adopted by a family, so that sometimes takes much longer. This is certainly something to consider when deciding who to foster with.
As a foster pet parent, you are also responsible for transportation to the vet or shelter for their medical appointments. The group you foster with will typically provide everything else: food, litter, and medications if they need them. And of course, if you are willing to give some or all of these supplies yourself, it’s a huge help for the shelters!
All of the images in this post are of kittens we’ve fostered along the way. I promise it’s an amazing experience — we’re hooked!”
Sometimes people say that couldn’t go through the emotional pain of saying goodbye to a foster pet. I get that, there was probably a time I felt the same way. However, fostering gives you the ability to adopt that pet or let it go into another loving home. If there weren’t fosters, so many pets wouldn’t make it out of a shelter.
If you aren’t sure how to start fostering, Mandy suggests reaching out to your local shelter.
Have you fostered before?
Follow Mandy Whitley Photography on Instagram. Find a pet-friendly photographer near you.
About Mandy Whitley Photography: Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Mandy specializes in photography for pets and their people.
Such beautiful photos and so lovely to hear that you are enjoying fostering the kittens, I hope they find new homes with a life full of love.
Oh my goodness! They are soooo cute! Your pictures are precious. I hope they all find the perfect homes.
OMC These are totally EPIC!!! WooHOOOO I adore these pictures!!
These photos are absolutely amazing! I so want to foster kittens, but my apartment is just too small. I’m hoping when I up-size this will be a possibility.
That sounds like a good plan!
Your photos are always so breathtakingly beautiful. These kitties are so cute and adorable!!!
Awww I love all these kittens. I just started volunteering again close to home at a local low cost spay/neuter rescue and couldn’t be more happy to help. Next step, fostering! These faces warm my heart! Thanks for sharing this kitten post! LOVE
I don’t think I would ever Foster while I still have the girls, because they do get stressed the changes in the household. However, this is definitely an idea for the future.
Yes, I’ve fostered before. I think we might wait until we have a yard to foster again though. It’s not really feasible to separate animals at our house.
Oh my gosh girl this post made my morning so much better maybe it’s saying other cute fuzzy faces or maybe it’s the fact that you’re such an amazing human being for doing this for these little babies this is incredible I think you’re absolutely amazing great post XOXO
Oh, my goodness! They look like little angels in these BEAUTIFUL photos. I work with/photograph kittens for rescues – I know how much energy they really have MOL. I hope you can convince your husband to foster. We have been working with a foster cat and it warms my heart to see her progress. Good luck!
My in-laws foster cats. They also take in older cats (not kittens), which means they take longer to get adopted, or sometimes aren’t adopted at all. I think it’s an amazing thing that they do, because some of these animals will probably never get adopted – they end up with a lot of cats that have a problem (there is one with only three legs) but they are still sweet cats. They have nicknamed their house The Island of Misfit Cats and I love visiting there!
They are precious! Such a wonderful thing that you are doing.
Oh my heavens–they are just the cutest little things!! I love kittens and I would LOVE to foster one day…but I think I’d end up wanting to keep them all! <3
I am dying of cuteness overload!! I love kittens and all of mine have been rescues/fosters. I would take every single kitten, if I could.
Fostering animals is such a kind and caring thing to do. You clearly have a big heart. I love the thought of helping out animals until they find their forever home, but I know it’d be heartbreaking to give them back!
So cute!! I’ve never fostered kittens or dogs – kittens because my fiancé is allergic and dogs because we are limited to having 2 where we currently live. I have fostered a few rabbits though. I’m kind of notorious for being a foster failure lol. I fall in love and end up keeping them. After we move and I can keep more dogs I’d love to foster senior and special needs dogs, but I have a feeling it won’t last long because I’ll probably just end up adopting them. I might not be so cut out for fostering haha, but I totally give credit to those who are.
I think that a foster fail is a big success too!
I would love to foster but cannot at this moment as my studio is too tiny but one day will although my biggest fear is I would become a foster failure LOL. Great post and happy to see you talking about kittens also although I love all your posts
O.M.G. This is so cuutee, and wonderful photos as always. I haven’t fostered before but I would love to in the future when my living arrangements will allow it.
I’ve been fostering for 16 years and love it. Mandy is right in that keeping them in the cage part-time is still far better than they would get at a shelter.
As for wanting to keep them all, when you have an entire litter of kittens by the time they are ready to be neutered they are pure mayhem.. As much as I love them, I am ready for them to go back and get smaller less mayhem-y kittens.
Wonderful photos! I haven’t heard of anyone fostering kittens, such a great idea. I’m glad you are enjoying it. My husband hates cats, so I don’t think fostering kittens would work for me.
Oh my gosh, these kittens are the CUTEST!! I love every one of them. What a wonderful post, fostering definitely saves lives – each foster saves two lives; the life of the one you foster and the life of another pet you’ve made room for at the shelter by fostering. I want to foster again badly, but my husband isn’t on board with more fosters right now but I’m working hard to change that!
Love & Biscuits
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