It’s one of the cutest holidays of the year—National Kitten Day! In honor of the big day, we’re encouraging our supporters to consider kitten fostering. Did you know that kitten fostering literally saves lives?

Summertime is the height of feline breeding season, otherwise known as kitten season, when shelters across the country are overwhelmed with kittens coming into their care. Now more than ever, shelters need YOUR help. Whether you choose to be a “classic” kitten foster, a neonate/bottle baby foster, a medical foster or a ringworm foster, your support is invaluable to shelters needing a pair of extra hands. Not sure which category would suit your lifestyle? Here’s a breakdown to help you figure it out!

General kitten fosters care for kittens between four and eight weeks of age primarily during kitten season. These kittens can eat on their own but may be in foster if they are still too young for adoption, are more susceptible to disease or need more socialization. Their fosters can provide the socialization and care they need to be adopted.

Younger kittens, otherwise known as neonates, rely on their foster caregivers for round-the-clock care and bottle or syringe feeding. Sometimes, we ask fosters to care for both the kittens and their nursing mothers until their kittens are old enough to be separately placed in foster homes—usually at eight weeks of age.

The ASPCA is currently in urgent need of neonate fosters.  

Medical fosters give kittens a chance to decompress outside of the shelter while they rest and recover. A common medical condition in young kittens is feline upper respiratory infection, also known as URI. URIs are similar to the common cold in humans and are only contagious among cats. Fortunately, once treatment is started, URI signs will typically resolve in 7-10 days. 

Ringworm kitten fosters care for, you guessed it, kittens who are recovering from the fungal infection commonly known as ringworm. We count on our ringworm fosters to help treat infected kittens with baths and oral medication—it’s cuter than it sounds! Once cured, these kittens can go on to find loving homes. Though it may sound daunting, people often say that ringworm kitten fostering is much easier than they expected. Take it from experienced ringworm kitten foster, Caitlin!

The ASPCA is currently in urgent need of ringworm fosters.