Niche Based Foster Training: An Action Program for Vulnerable Kittens

A $15,000 grant funded a Niche Based Foster Training Program that prepared foster parents for the specialized care neonatal, weaning, and immunocompromised kittens required. Bi-monthly workshops combined lecture with hands-on practice in bottle feeding, administering fluids and medications, and safe tube feeding and thermal support, giving fosters the chance to build confidence before taking a critical-care litter home. Each foster who completed training received a matching kit stocked with the supplies covered in class, from heating discs to nebulizer units, ensuring what they learned translated directly into the care they could provide.