Small & Mighty Organizations

We are in the process of establishing a new nonprofit animal rescue. I have lots of experience fostering neonatal kittens. I volunteered in several county shelters to learn every step in every department. I have also fostered with small and large rescues across the country.   

One of the areas challenging me is establishing an adequate budget.  I want to make sure we are able to supply all materials necessary for our fosters. It's great when fosters are willing to purchase their own supplies. However, I want to make sure we do make the supplies available for every foster. 

What supplies do you include in your foster kits for bottle babies, weaned, pregnant & adult dogs & cats?  For example, for each two week old foster kitten, how much formula do you supply (or budget for)

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rosalie hathcock
Board Member
Little Lives Animal Rescue
GA
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Our basic foster pack for kittens is

• Saline solution 
• Swabs for eye cleaning
• Puppy pads (actually human incontinence pads!)
• Dry kitten food (6 weeks +)
• Wet kitten food (weaned, ie 6 weeks +)
• Litterbox
• Litter
• Flea spray (Frontline)
• Deworming pills
• Fortiflora sachets (7 per kitten)
• Bowls
• Blanket
• Bed

For neonatal and under 6 weeks:

• powdered kitten milk (Royal Canin) - usually we give 2-3 cans and then resupply as needed
• wet food for weaning  and mothers (Royal Canin mother & babycat, ProPlan Healthy start or Petite Balade mother & babycat)
• dry food - we give them later if needed, often the kittens still aren't ready for it when they come back from foster
• liquid wormer (sometimes)
• extra incontinence pads
• baby litter trays if we have any 

For adults, it's almost the same list as the kittens, but with a spot on instead of a spray and adult foods:

• Adult wet food
• Adult dry food
• Flea spot on
• Saline solution 
• Swabs for eye cleaning
• Puppy pads 
• Litterbox
• Litter
• Deworming pills
• Fortiflora sachets (7 per cat)
• Bowls
• Blanket
• Bed

For pregnant cats, we don't usually put them to foster (and most are feral and given a spay abort) but if we do, it's the adult list with a lot of mother & babycat wet food and high quality adult wet and dry food (and instructions for how much to feed), plus items for weaning. 

On the  list, we have a few things that we give from  donated items -  litter boxes, bowls, blankets and beds.  We don't budget to buy those new and the litter is generally clay litter from donated supplies that we don't use in the main rescue rooms as we use mainly wood pellets.

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Bettina Vine
Animal Health Director
The Kitten Connection
Peniche, Portugal
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