Having up to ten kittens roaming around the house may seem like a dream to some, but for junior Erika Barrett and her family, it is a reality that came with their op-purr-tunity to foster kittens.
Barrett and her family began fostering cats in 2012 through a nonprofit rescue organization called Classy Cats. The organization spays/neuters all of the rescued cats before being adopted in an attempt to reduce the number of homeless cats. Since they’ve began fostering, Barrett and her family have fostered about 50 kittens.
“We [the Barrett family] had some friends who fostered kittens and we always thought it was a great idea,” Barrett mentioned. “I wanted to start volunteering, so my sister and I looked up places to foster kittens and Classy Cats was the best option.”
In addition to the kittens they foster, the Barrett family owns four cats and two dogs. Because they had experience with animals of their own, they were prepared for the work and commitment that fostering kittens required.
“The youngest kitten we have fostered was two weeks old and we ended up adopting him,” Barrett explained. “Our family is great for fostering because the kittens get experience with dogs before they’re adopted. At one point we had ten kittens, not including the four cats that are ours. It was pretty crazy.”
The Barrett family’s passion for fostering kittens doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. They regularly find themselves putting in late hours to take care of newly born kittens.
“Sometimes we foster kittens who are only a few weeks old so we have to bottle feed them,” Barrett said. “We take turns getting up in the night to feed them, but it’s definitely worth the lack of sleep.”
Fostering kittens isn’t easy, but to Barrett, the work is rewarding. Nurturing the kittens and giving them a good place to grow creates a special bond between her family and the foster animals.
“One of the hardest things of fostering is having to give them [the kittens] back when they’re adopted. We usually have them for a couple of months so [in that time] they become a part of our family.”
Last year, Classy Cats adopted out more than 250 cats with the help of many foster homes, including the Barrett family.
“Through fostering I have learned that it is very important to be responsible with your pets by having them spayed or neutered,” Barrett said. “There is a big problem with stray animals and by fixing your pet you can reduce the number of animals without a home.”