5 Tips for Keeping Sane During the Summer with Kittens Everywhere

Hey everyone, Happy Summer! When I would hear those words I would just dread what I knew was going to come my way, lots and lots of requests for help with kittens and foster care. So these 5 Tips for Keeping Sane During the Summer with Kittens Everywhere will help! It didn’t take me many years to determine that February was really my most favorite month of the year. It was a time that our shelter numbers were down and foster care needs were minimal. That was our “time to breath”, catch up and take stock of how things were going.  The Summer was just the opposite. It was crazy, crazy, crazy….  Here are a few tips that I learned while working with staff and volunteers to handle the demands of the season!

1. Stay Flexible

During this period things dynamically change in a heart beat. You think you are getting 6 friendly kittens and you end up with 2 14 week old semi feral kittens. You never know what types of cats and and kittens will come in through your doors until they arrive. So be prepared for this. Have all of your resources (lists of foster homes, calendars) readily at hand so you can adjust. Make sure your intake room is ready for anything.

2. Be organized

Keep lists, lists, lists. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to go digging in my emails to find a phone number or email of someone I know who offered to foster a 10+ year old cat, but couldn’t find that information when I needed it. Use Google docs spreadsheets to organize and segment your volunteer lists if you don’t currently use a software. Prepare your fosters with the correct supplies that they will need for the kittens or cats that they care for.

3. Be Social

During the summer months a lot of foster homes have questions and need and should have support. But there is only one you! Let the foster homes work together. Create ways for the foster homes to interact. Maybe do a buddy system with more veteran foster homes with the newer ones so that they can provide self care to each other. Encourage them to take videos and pictures and show off their fostering.

4. Reach Out to Other Organizations

This one is really important. It is really important to stay in touch with other organizations to keep a pulse on how things are going for them. It is also pretty certain that some group will be hit with at least one hoarding situation and that is the time when collaborative efforts are most important. Hoarding situations usually need a team of organizations working together for successful outcomes for the animals.

5. Don’t Own the Foster Home Emergency Number 24/7

Many groups have an emergency cell phone for foster homes to call in case of an emergency. This phone should NOT be used by only one person! This is the easiest way to burnout. You can not be responsible for the ultimate well being of the cats and kittens in your foster care program 24/7. It isn’t right or healthy. This is another area where one of your veteran foster homes or other staff member can fill in. This is not optional you need to be able to take a break and even if that phone doesn’t ring it is still on your mind.

How do you manage the craziness of the Summer Kittens? Share you thoughts on our Facebook page! I would love to hear your tips.

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