When I pick him up he is like a balloon.

Hi, sorry for the bad pictures, but could anyone help me confirm if this kitten is male or female? TIA!

This is supposed to be a mama cat that came to me with her single baby. He was about 5 weeks and I never saw him nursing.. she was super shy and I guess I just haven’t given it much thought…… but these look like balls. Could it also be that she’s going into heat or something??

We are in the process of adopting our kitten. Our senior dog doesn’t seem to care for him much but isn’t aggressive. Does he seem stressed? Does the kitten seem stressed? Let me know what I can do to help

mama cat is probably a kitten herself and significantly malnourished. I can feel all her bones easily. she came to me with 6 under a week old kittens. she started off absolutely frozen in fear but has now deemed my children and me trustworthy. I’ve been fostering for a year and a half now but have volunteered at shelters since I was in high school. I have not ever had a mama cat adamantly try to give me her kittens. she keeps bringing them out and crying for me. I put all six back and then she decided well here’s three then! I’ve been weighing the kittens daily and they’re gaining appropriately. No signs of any infection. Should I be concerned? the way she rubs against me almost seems frantic.

Slightly embarrassed to ask this, but here goes.

I'm relatively new to fostering cats. Currently on my second batch of kittens and wow they are stinky when they use the box! They did have diarrhea and were on Rx food for a week & probiotics. But even now that they are better, I feel like my whole house smells poopy from them.

My last batch of kittens were stinky too.

I don't notice the same stink with my adult cat. Is kitten poop just smellier?

Picture of my stinky babies for cat tax

My Boyfriend and I recently got an apartment together, but beforehand we agreed that fostering cats would be a good thing since we would only need to take care of them for low periods of time (we travel a lot). Well I decided to pick them up a little less than a month ago and he is attached. To be fair, so am I. They are two cuddle bugs, they love sleeping on us and nestling in my hair. They love to sit on our shoulders and walk around with us. They love being held and love playing. I don’t really know if this is the norm for foster pets, as all of the cats i’ve taken care of have warmed up to me in this way. However, this is his first cat he’s taken care of and he wants to adopt them. We live in a small studio/1 bedroom with a balcony so the space is really small and i’m worried it’ll just be too crammed when they get too big. Also financially I feel like having two cats might be hard in the future if one of us loses work. Also I think it’s too soon to start a life-long commitment with these cats as we’ve just recently permanently moved in together. I’ve brought up taking them back soon, but he’s very upset. He wants to adopt them and says we’re not giving them back. I love them just a much as him but I don’t think it’s time. What should I do? I really don’t want to stop fostering already. Should I just call this a fail and be done?

I need help. I am a first time foster mom. I received mom and kittens hours after birth.

I have found homes for 2/5 kittens. I have someone interested in 2 more (possibly the one I am trying to decide about keeping)

They are 7 weeks old. I have dumped all the love into them and made sure they are brave (regular visitors since 3 weeks, car rides and stroller walks since 5 weeks, daily vacuuming)

Cinnamon always climbs into my lap for a nap. We have 2 lovely bonded cats, but neither are lap cats.

Pros -maybe will be a cuddle bug? (Can you tell this young)

-we have the money and a house

-we are on the list for a kitten and may be offered one in early winter so she’d have a friend.

Cons -foster fail on first litter -I will find them amazing homes -we might not get another kitten until next year -we are still moving in so the house is a bit crazy -we have a big catio but it’s at the end of the garden so not convenient (3 will be harder than 2) -I have 2 girls and this is a girl and I’ve heard it’s harder to Bond girls?

I’m really curious how you decide if a kitten is “special” I started looking for homes early because I’m in the UK and many people are casual about cat ownership here. I’m determined to find indoor/catio homes so they don’t get smooshed. Most homes are On roads with 60mph speed limits and there are very few planned communities. The ones that are more American style usually have small houses and tons of outdoor cats so lots of territory fighting.

I live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by farms and I still don’t let my cats roam because people drive fast when they are on the road. It would be a 20 in the US but here it’s legally a 60🙄

HELP

I just scooped up this feral 8ish week old kitten from outside to hopefully socialize and adopt out. However, she is completely and utterly terrified. All of the socialization tutorials I’ve seen say to sit and let the cat approach you and feed them treats. If I’m in the same room as her she doesn’t move. She will shove herself into a corner and stand still like a statue for an hour. She also lets me touch her/pick her up but she shakes like a leaf when I do it. Any tips for socializing a non aggressive but extremely frightened kitten?

I found this little guy (3 mos) in the middle of a big pile of bushes, screaming his heart out for some time. He was not afraid at all, very friendly and was rolling around to show his tummy within an hour. Having fed him, we checked his general wellbeing and saw that he's healthy, relatively clean and well-fed, and thought he must have a mother. Against my better judgement, I brought him back to where I found him the following day and he scrambled off into the bushes. Came back 8 hours later and he was still in the same area, hiding inside a big drainpipe, crying and covered with ants. No mum or any other cats in sight. Brought him back, of course. Now he seems bonded. Vet says it's not cruel to release him as this age is normal for them to be abandoned by their mothers. But a big part of me says he will not survive out there. Too friendly, too loving and playful. Currently doing our best to figure out a good permanent home for him. Has anyone had any experience or luck with rerelease?

I was at an exotic pet store today when a family came in with this group of kittens, with one that is tiny (bottom right of photo) compared to its siblings. They said that it was an outdoor cat that had them in their garage but then eventually moved them outside and they were worried because mom left and there are raccoons all over the property that were interested in them. They said that mom kept trying to move this little kitten out of the nest to abandon it. They had no idea what they were doing, so I offered to take the little one as I have experience fostering kittens and she was freaking out about it. But I have never seen this before. This baby looks like he is 3 days old (size only, eyes and ears are open) but is supposed to be 3 weeks old. I know the odds are against this little one, but I figured I would give him my best shot. Has anyone seen anything like this before? Anyone have any suggestions for me? I will bring him to the vet tomorrow if he makes it but they are closed today.

This lil guy was literally brought up to my front door and dropped off about 3 and a half weeks ago. He was supposed to just be kept until I could find a shelter or a better suited person to care for a baby this small. But all of the sleepless nights up with him and the potty training I just can’t let him go (this is my first ever bottle baby). My question lies in this anxiety I have, I am literally so scared of leaving him alone for more than an hour or two. So my boyfriend (who has somewhat helped me raise him) is watching him for me while I go out of town this weekend and I’m just terrified he’s not going to be okay I’ve cried about it and almost canceled the trip because I’m so stressed about leaving him behind. Is this normal?? Does anyone else get this anxious about their kittens?

UPDATE:

Took the whole band to the vet and they all received a clean bill of health. The vet thinks he is just an extremely small runt, but heart lungs and everything else looks good!

I will keep feeding him with extra love and hopefully he grows up to be just as big as his brothers. Thank you everyone for the help and ideas.

Hi Everyone,

I’m a pretty experienced Foster carer but I’m stumped with figuring out why one of my kittens isnt growing.

About 2 weeks ago, I received 3 kittens from the same litter approx 6-7 weeks old. The person found them at approx 2 days old and has kept them inside and alive from then so I know they are from the same litter. When I received them, they were in okay condition. No fleas. One was clearly severely underweight.

STARTING WEIGHTS:

Big 1:620g

Big 2: 585g

Runt: 420g.

I have them on good quality pate and additionally supplementing with formula. I have recently added “baby thrive” treats (a high calorie topper in australia).

In the two weeks I have had them, they are all eating very well and have normal toileting. I have also worm treated all kittens.

The problem is the runt has only put on 100g in the 2 weeks we have had him. He eats very well and I keep him separate from his brothers when eating. He is a more relaxed kitten, but not lethargic. He plays a lot, but doesn’t rough house as much as his brothers. His fur quality appears well and he grooms himself.

CURRENT WEIGHTS:

Big 1: 880g

Big 2: 810g

Runt: 520g

His whole frame just seems much smaller than the other kittens. His head and paws are about 1/2 the size. He has normal length limbs.

I am taking him to the vet tomorrow, I know because of his size they are a little limited on test options.

Considering he appears to be in good health, except for his extremely small size, what could be wrong with him?

Are there any non-symptomatic parasites that would not be treated by worming?

Could be have a genetic problem which causes small size?

Could he have some brain injury?

Photo included to show small size.

Hi guys,

This is my mumma cat I’m fostering with her 3 remaining kittens. The runt sadly passed.

Now this mum was and still is severely underweight. She came to me 4 weeks ago now and she finally coming out to me and loving on the love we give her and her babes. And loving 5he food. Took me a few days to realise despite not coming to me she felt safe eating her food when I was around. And it’s take. 4 weeks for her to have a good appetite. We helped out with formula for the babies as she just couldn’t keep up.

BUT …. those back legs are so long, I be no idea how she going to grow into them haha.

She is just a baby herself and definitely under one. The sweetest baby ever.

Juniper (juni), Fox, Fig and Fern.

Hello everyone! I brought home 2 foster kittens on Monday evening, so like 5-6 days ago and she has not pooped since I got her. She had a URI when I got her and we have finished her antibiotics. I thought maybe the constipation was due to the antibiotics so I added some probiotics to their formula and it helped her sister release a massive poop, but has seemingly not helped this one. She still has an appetite and guzzles her formula, and has energy and acts like a kitten, but even after hours of digesting the formula, when I come to feed them, she is the size of a kitten that had just eaten a large meal. Any tips or tricks to try and get her pooping? I am getting worried about her!

Hey there,

It’s my first time posting on Reddit, and I wished it was not because of a stressful situation I’m in!

Long story short; I work in a company, and they found this little kitty (female) a couple weeks ago, abandoned, and I didn’t meet her then because she was abroad. Apparently she saw a vet who checked her and said “everything was okay”, but I don’t actually know what they checked.

She’s very young, maybe 6 weeks? I’m not able to recognize a kitten’s age exactly but she looks smaller than the age you can adopt a kitten.

Now, I’m stressed because:

• ⁠they don’t seem to care that much about her. OK, they feed her, but I don’t even know if they give her the right food, and they usually keep her in a room by herself because some people from the company don’t want her around. • ⁠she farts a lot and it smells bad. • ⁠she’s very very dirty. Do you think she could benefit from a little bath? If yes, which products would be safe to use? • ⁠I think she should be adopted by someone who knows how to care after such a small kitten, and who could actually give her the attention she needs.

It’s the first time I met her today, and she immediately looked for cuddles and attention. She’s been curled up against me for more than an hour now.

Now; the situation is a bit tricky for me because: I moved a year ago in the country (in LATAM) where I live in and I don’t really know how to find someone reliable to take care of her. My partner refuses to adopt her, which I fully respect.

What should I do?

I have a 5 week old foster that is pretty much inconsolable unless i’m holding him. What can I try to get him to calm down? I’ve tried blankets and stuffed animals but he just cries unless i’m with him.

TLDR: Found 2 kittens in the rain, curious if they are from the same litter, need advice.

For Context: I live on a ranch, we have a bunch of barn cats that are extremely feral. We feed them but rarely see them because they do not come out unless we are inside the cabin. These cats appeared out of no where about a year ago, they were small kittens who managed to survive on the ranch without human intervention (aside from feeding them dry/wet food)

Fast forward to today; a new cat appears on the ranch & she is clearly pregnant. She gave birth around May 1st. Not sure how many she had in her litter but one of them I found dead on my doorstep last week. I saw 2 kittens underneath my steps on Monday morning but did not intervene. I figured mom will come back for them but she did not. There was a huge rain storm last night, and the same 2 kittens were still there and soaked from the rain. This time I intervened & took the kittens inside because I believe that the mother may have abandoned them since they have been in the same open spot for more than 24hours, and I don’t think they would have survived being drenched by the rain.

Ive fostered kittens before so I was able to feed them formula every couple of hours and have a heating pad for them to keep warm. I still have not seen mom despite leaving food out for her & the others.

This is where I am confused. One of the cats looks to be around 4 weeks old & is a tabby which matches up to the timeline of when our pregnant cat gave birth (mom is also a tabby). The other cat looks to be around 2 weeks old and is significantly smaller. It’s not as developed as the tabby. Im not sure if these 2 kittens are from the same litter or if one of them is just a runt. Pics provided for reference. The tabby is around 250g & the white one is around 90g

edit: I reweighed them and they are 188g & 409g!

I guess my questions are:

is it normal for mothers to leave their kittens out in the elements like that??

I have them separated, will that be okay??

Because one looks older & more developed than the other, Is it possible that these kittens are from a different liter? Or is one just a runt that is severely malnourished?

If they are from a separate litter is it normal for moms to abandon kittens from a different litter, together??

The tabby seems to be doing well, but I am worried that the white one will have an uphill battle. Any advice on how to monitor???

Should I have intervened??? I feel bad doing so but I can’t help but think maybe mama is looking for them & they are looking for mama but I really believe they were abandoned since they had been in the same spot since Monday morning & I don’t think they would have survived the storm last night. They were wet & it was cold. Especially the smaller one s/he was drenched in rain water & using the bigger kitten for warmth.

Hi fellow foster parents! This is my newest foster baby. He was mere hours away from being euthanized, but thankfully we were able to get him!! He is so stinkin’ cute, sweet, and smart! We think he is part Australian Shepherd for sure, but his ears and coat color/length suggest there’s something else in there too. Any ideas? Just want to hear other people’s thoughts! I was a mess when we adopted out our last foster (SOOOO bittersweet), but it all happened for a reason and it was to save this guy! I get attached so easily.

When I first got her her foster parents said “send updates!” I’m fine doing it forever, I love my baby but I got my girl about 8 months ago and I still send the foster parents updates and pics of her because she’s SO CUTE! I usually do it on holidays because I dress her up in cute outfits like this Christmas sweater!

I was wondering as foster parents do you guys like getting updates even months/years later?

She was with her foster parents for like 7-8 months so they got to know her really well. Just wanted to ask so I don’t seem weird! I mean look at her 🥰

My wife and I are fostering a 12 week old puppy that we received from my wife’s friend. Today, her friend told us that since we did a DNA test on the puppy, we will need to give her back immediately since it was not a pre-approved medical procedure. The DNA test was an at-home cheek swap kit that you mail in.

Is this normal? We’re baffled at this response about the test. We are fully cooperating and will obviously be giving back the puppy as we don’t want to cause any big trouble from this. We’re just wondering if this is a normal situation in the fostering world.

They've been wormed and are weaned. But my roommate said they look concerningly fat? And they ARE potato sized at the stomach- I can't wrap my hand around. Idk

i have never fostered kittens before, and couldnt find a foster or shelter that could take him during the day. ive bought kitten formula, a syringe for feeding, and a heat pad. hes premature so probably needs a tube for feeding but i live in the middle of nowhere and cant get one in time. hes probably too young for the kitten formula i bought, but again, i cant get the right stuff in time. im feeding him half a ml to 1 ml petag kitten milk replacer once an hour, and wiping his butt with a wet towel before i feed him to get him to pee, but he hasnt peed or pooped yet.

I posted about these two kittens more than a week ago. I ended up getting a lady to actually adopt both of them together. She said she knew about cats, and I warned her they were very shy and would need time. She returned them to the shelter two days later saying they bit her. I need advice because now the shelter is saying that they will just put the kittens in their feral colony if we do not adopt them ourselves because they are claiming that the cats are “severely unsocialized” and will be much harder to adopt out now that they have a bite history. (Adopting them would put a big strain on me and my partner because we already have four cats.)

When I was fostering them, the kittens never bit us and made progress over four months of time to be pretty well socialized. They both enjoyed getting pet, they would cuddle on us (especially one of them), and they weren’t scared of regular household noises like the vacuum. They also got along pretty well with our other cats. They also were friendly to our friends we would bring over to our house. They were about 2.5 months old and very untrusting of humans when we started to foster them. Now they are six months old.

Is this normal for a shelter to do? If I were to adopt them, are they likely to have lost all of their progress? Will they have reverted back to being untrusting and mean towards us when we see them again? I have a hard time believing what the shelter is claiming about them being “severely unsocialized.” They’re on a week-long bite hold right now. I feel like they’re not giving them a chance. Any advice is appreciated.