The first of the mothers has given birth. Soon the first of the orphans will arrive. Another act begins in the yearly drama called kitten season.

Like animal shelters everywhere, our local animal shelter struggles from spring through fall to care for an overwhelming number of cats and kittens. This year will be no different. With a relatively mild winter behind us, many feral cats will have two or even three litters this breeding season.

So will many unspayed barn cats and pet cats whose owners have not taken them to the veterinarian for this necessary surgery.

Our shelter's experience in 2003 shows the important role that foster caretakers play in saving the lives of unwanted or orphaned kittens. At one point our animal shelter had more than 20 litters in its care, with several more arriving every week. Thanks to the efforts of a dozen foster caretakers, our staff members handled 414 feline adoptions, the most our shelter has had in a single year.

Foster care helps kittens in several ways. For very young, orphaned, kittens, it provides the around-the-clock care they need. Older kittens can be left alone while their caretakers are at work.

Bobbie is one of many foster caretakers who successfully combine the tasks of caring for older kittens with the demands of a full-time job. She began fostering some 20 years ago and continues to foster for the animal shelter from spring through December, all for the reward of knowing that she is helping to save kittens who otherwise might not survive.

Even with the best of care, some kittens do not thrive. Bobbie remains philosophical, remembering the advice she was given years ago by a veteran caretaker who told her, "Save the ones you can and don't dwell on the ones you can't."

She estimates she has helped several hundred kittens. She points out that people who cannot foster can help in other ways, by donating money or supplies to the animal shelter, and by encouraging others who have cats to get them spayed and neutered.

Kittens benefit greatly from the individual attention they receive in foster homes. It socializes them, bringing out their friendly and playful qualities, preparing them to become wonderful housepets. It also increases their appeal to potential adopters. A purring, friendly kitten gets adopted more quickly than one who has not learned to be comfortable around humans.

Foster caretakers usually care for kittens until they are eight weeks old, returning them to the animal shelter so they can be made available for adoption. Thanks to Bobbie and others like her, love and hope have taken them that far. At that point, what they need is the good luck to find a good home.

Learn more about this author, Ina Winslow.
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