Gemma Smith, administrative manager with the ASPCA Kitten Nursery joins Cheddar News to talk about International Cat Day and the importance of fostering kittens. 

Between Bells

Celebrating International Cat Day 

you gotta love that. Alright, well today is international Cat day. So all you cat parents out there, make sure you give your little ones a little extra treat today. And while today is international cat day, this Wednesday is also national kitten day. So in honor of that day the american Society of prevention of cruelty to Animals is announcing a huge achievement by caring for its 10,000 kitten through the A. S. P. C. A kitten nursery right here in new york city. So joining us now with some special little guest you see here is jim a smith administrative manager with a S. P. C. A kitten nursery. So welcome to the show, thank you so much for being here for kitten season is now in full swing. Right? Yes right now, what does that mean kitten season? Yes, well it's technically called feline breeding season. Okay and that's this time of year. During the warmer months when shelters nationwide are overwhelmed with homeless newborn cats. Oh wow. But you guys have a solution for that so they don't stay homeless and a lot of people I know think of you have to adopt them become full time cat parents but you say that fostering is important as well. That's correct. How does that work? Exactly. So fostering is extremely important and both fostering and adopting. Oh we're gonna switch this little, this little lovely nugget. Both fostering and adopting put shelter animals and safe and loving home and helps rescues and shelters conserve their space and resources while providing comfort and companionship to foster caregivers and fostering itself is really unique because it allows kittens just like these two to acclimate to life and eventual adoptive home. Well who do we have here and introduce us to these? Beautiful. Yes. Well you have Gandalf. Gandalf look say hi to everybody. Yes he's like I'm standing right here. I'm cuddling with me. Okay He is very all right then we have little calypso who really wants to explore. She's very intrigued by the lights of your studio. How old are they? They're seven weeks old and they've been in a foster home growing healthy and strong. They were bottle fed originally. Really small. Yeah but soon they'll be ready to get adopted. Okay. And what should people be thinking about if they're considering foster or adopted? Okay well you should be thinking about your lifestyle and the time commitment that you have to spend with an animal. And when thinking about fostering or adopting. We recommend going in with an open mind and leaning in to support of the shelter staff. They can really answer your questions and they're the expert matchmakers that can help you with the right pet. And there's a list right there of importance of fostering. If you're thinking about fostering. This is why we need you to foster a pet doesn't have to be full time. How long is a period of adoption or fostering? So fostering for kittens could be 1 to 2 weeks or a couple of months. It really depends the unique needs of the foster kittens and the A. S. P. C. A. We have foster programs in Los Angeles and in new york city and right now is the right time if you're thinking of fostering, we recommend people go to A. S. P. C. A. Dot org slash foster. And also I think it gives the people, especially parents that may have Children at home, opportunities to practice to make sure you're ready. I'm responsible enough to take care of it full time and say, okay, let's just do a trial. Well foster and then if you do well then maybe we'll adopt. Right? Yes. Absolutely. We like to call it a foster fortune. Many of our fosters fall in love with their foster animals. Let you go. No. And you know, kittens don't take up a lot of space. And a lot of shelters like the A. S. P. C. A provide supplies, training and food so that all you need is a bit of time space, a little space and some loving care to give to these animals and they're usually easier than dogs. Right? They may not play as, but they're self sufficient. So if you have to leave them for a little bit, they're good on their own. Yes. Kittens can be very playful and cats in general can um, don't take up a lot of space. So they're really good city pets. Okay, so what are the perfect type of foster parents that you guys will be looking for? You look for them to check off a few boxes. Yes. Well our tiniest of kittens need to be bottle fed every 3 to 5 hours and some kittens need treatment with medication. So we really are looking for fosters with flexible schedules that can provide those frequent bottle feedings. But we do have older kittens like these two who are eating on their own. So we also need fosters that could feed them three times a day. Okay. What about house size? Because a lot of people live in small apartments in new york city. I hear you. Well, kittens don't take up a lot of space. So luckily you could keep them in a bathroom or a small room to start because that's a lot more space than they're used to in a kennel at the shelter. Okay. Well before we go we gotta tell everybody once again where we can go if we want to foster or adopt a kitten for international. Well you're gonna go to a S. P. C. A dot org slash foster. Okay, well I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us and thank you for bringing these little beautiful little babies with us. Now there's the boys or girls. These are both boys. Both boys. Okay. I was a little fellows with us. Alright, jimmy smith. Thank you so much from administrative manager of the A. S. P. C. A. And they're everywhere you're across the country, Right? So wherever you are, you can find one near you. Yes. Check out a shelter near you. All right. Thank you so much and thank you guys for being such a good guest on our show.