Advice for Other Cat Carers 187
Cleaning
Recognition of its own scent can help to make a place feel familiar and safe to a cat. Care
should therefore be taken not to remove this scent during cleaning. Thorough cleaning
should only take place if the cat is to be housed elsewhere or has left the centre.
● Remove soiled patches in litter trays 2–3 times daily. Clean the tray completely
2–3 times a week.
● Only change or wash bedding if it is sufficiently soiled that it could be harmful to
the cat’s health, e.g. if it is soiled with faeces, blood, vomit or spoiled food.
● Ensure that there is plenty of bedding supplied in the pen so that if some needs to
be removed, there is still some left that contains the cat's scent.
● Do not clean areas where the cat has deposited scent by rubbing. These areas may
be recognized as a brown/black slightly oily mark.
The reader is directed to Gourkow (2016a,b) as a source of information on advising
catteries and shelters, and for this section.
Foster Care
Short-term care in a home environment can be an invaluable alternative to shelter
housing or cattery accommodation, especially for:
● Cats that are unable to cope with being in a shelter or cattery, or are difficult to
handle or assess when housed in a pen.
● Kittens that require early socialization and habituation in a domestic environment, which
they are much less likely to receive in a shelter environment (see Chapters 5 and 8).
● Cats that require more intensive individual care than it is possible to provide in a
cattery or shelter, for example: cats with chronic health problems; elderly cats;
pregnant females; or cats with behavioural issues that can only be fully assessed
and dealt with in a domestic setting.
● Cats whose owners are unable to care for their pets due to illness (see for example
http://www.cinnamon.org.uk)) or who are victims of domestic abuse (see for example
https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/care/petretreat; http://www.pawsforkids.org.uk)..)
Compiled with reference to Halls, 2017.
In most cases the fostering organization will pay for food and other necessities such
as cat litter and veterinary care. Therefore, fostering can also provide an opportunity
for people who are unable to keep a pet long term, or those who have financial
restrictions, to enjoy the benefits of pet ownership.
Ideally cat fosterers should:
● Have no other cats or dogs, or young children.
● Other pets and young children, even if friendly and well behaved, may be
perceived as threatening by a cat that is new to the home and may already be
in a distressed state.
● The exception can be if fostering a kitten that requires socialization with other
animals or people, in which case it is imperative that the fosterers’ animal(s)
and/or children are calm, friendly, well-behaved and familiar with kittens.