Two cat parents share their tips for successful fostering on National Kitten Day.

July 10th is "National Kitten Day," which honors young cats, and during "kitten season," animal shelters urge people to become foster families to alleviate overcrowding.

Two seasoned kitten foster parents shared their experiences and insights on the process with Planet Chronicle Digital.

Linnea Gomez, of Greenbelt, Maryland, explained to Planet Chronicle Digital in a phone interview that fostering involves temporarily housing cats and kittens in search of permanent homes.

"You are temporarily caring for them and introducing them to prospective owners while assisting in finding their permanent homes."

For about two-and-a-half years, Gomez has been fostering cats with the organization A Cat's Life Rescue. Since she began, she has fostered 43 kittens, admitting that it was an "accident."

"Gomez stated that she loves animals and cats, particularly a friend on Facebook who posted a desperate plea for help. The friend had a kitten that she couldn't foster due to its older age and feral nature, and she was considering letting it go because she believed it could be domesticated."

Gomez's garage was invaded by a 4-month-old hissing, angry kitten for a couple of weeks.

"By the conclusion of that, we had become the best of friends, and I was captivated," she stated.

Tina LeBaron of Ellicott City, Maryland, is also involved in fostering cats with A Cat's Life Rescue, as she shared with Planet Chronicle Digital in an email.

"He and I were best friends, and I was hooked."

After her daughter suggested it, she began fostering kittens because they already had a dog and an older cat, and thought it would be beneficial for the kittens to socialize with dogs and children. Their older cat, Stormy, was also adopted from another A Cat's Life Rescue foster home.

In a short time, she and her family have fostered "about 13 cats." Currently, they have two cats ready for adoption.

""Our first group consisted of five kittens, which was a learning experience," she said."

Raising kittens who had lived outdoors was a new experience for LeBaron and the cats.

"Fostering kittens from areas where they were eating trash or food was scarce teaches you how different each kitten's personality is."

‘Never know what they’ll like'

LeBaron advised that a foster kitten should have food, medication, kitten-sized litter boxes, and "a lot of toys" available.

"You never know what they'll like," she said.

Cat trees are useful as hiding places for kittens.

"Sometimes, it's equally important to recognize what you don't need, too," she stated. "Kittens are known to be curious or elusive when they're in new surroundings, and if they haven't been socialized to a home, they often choose the most unusual hiding spots."

Starting to foster cats led me to discover the variety of cat playpen designs available.

Gomez has been exclusively taking care of kittens because her house is smaller and they require less space than adult cats. She currently has three foster kittens named Pastina, Macaroni, and Ravioli.

"I keep them in a bathroom," Gomez said.

She has two resident cats, including Fable, a "foster fail" whom she adopted directly from fostering.

Gomez stated that unlike his brother Ballad, Fable does not enjoy being around his foster siblings and must be kept apart from them.

The kittens are loved by Ballad, who wants to engage with them. He's like their uncle.

Fostering kittens is 'doing a service'

Both Gomez and LeBaron agreed that the biggest myth about fostering kittens is that people will be tempted to keep them all.

LeBaron stated that while he enjoys assisting everyone, based on their personalities, some may not consider his house the ideal match.

Seeing kittens get adopted by others is difficult, but after doing it a few times, it becomes easier, according to Gomez.

As you observe the happiness of people and their cats in their new homes, it becomes clear that the effort is worth it.

Gomez stated that fostering cats is "really helping out and providing a service so that they don't end up in shelters or on the street."

LeBaron stated that another common misconception about raising kittens is the amount of effort and time required.

She told Planet Chronicle Digital that the common misconception is that being a parent involves a lot of physical work and socializing, which can be resisted by children.

LeBaron stated that comforting kittens can help win them over, even though it can be a lot of work, especially initially.

As the kittens become more comfortable, taking care of them becomes easier, she said.

"Any comfort you can give to the kittens helps win them over."

Although some older cats have grown accustomed to this place and consider it their permanent residence, all three of them quickly adjusted to their actual forever homes within a week and have been content there, she stated.

Raising baby animals can be incredibly cute, said LeBaron.

"Just as much as permanent cats can teach fosters, fosters can also teach permanent cats," she remarked, citing an example of an older cat she fostered teaching her cat Tiramisu how to open containers by dropping them.

"Watching the kittens learn is also great," LeBaron said. "For example, our fosters were fascinated by a ladybug and observed it for nearly an hour."

LeBaron advised anyone considering providing a temporary home for kittens or cats to go ahead and do it.

"You can contact an organization to express your interest and they may provide you with the required items and assist you in setting up. If you're not satisfied, you can discontinue."

Gomez believes that although fostering kittens may seem intimidating, it is more doable than people realize.

"I love fostering kittens," she said.