Foster a Tweenie
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They’re here and they need you! Adorable kittens beTWEEN the age of 4 and 7 weeks of age – Tweenies – are already coming in to the County shelters, and Animal Services is looking for loyal, trustworthy, dedicated employees to foster these little balls of fur until they’re old enough for adoption.
Flattered yet? Good, because it’s you all who have really come through in the past for these little ones. This program started in 2007 with 36 foster parents and 125 Tweenie kittens. Last year, more than 110 foster parents cared for more than 600 Tweenies.
“These babies aren’t to be confused with the newborn kitties which need to be bottle-fed round-the-clock,” said Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson. “Tweenies are at least four weeks old but they do need to be nurtured outside of the shelter in a safe, loving home to give them every chance possible to be adopted.”
If you’re a full-time County employee, don’t worry about the amount of time you’re away from home. Once you create a safe little haven for the kittens, they’ll be OK on their own while you’re at work.
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Fostered Tweenies are adopted quickly because, well, yes, they are awfully cute, but also they’re used to being around people. Adopters have a tendency to pick out the kitties that are friendly and playful.
It’s easy to become a foster parent. Animal Services gives you kitty food, bowls, toys, litter, bedding and of course kittens! You’ll need to take at least two because they need companionship of their own kind. You just need to provide the home, the care and snuggles. Fill out the application and you’ll be on your way.
Tweenies need a foster home until they reach eight weeks of age or weigh two pounds. At that point, the Tweenies return to Animal Services where they will be neutered or spayed, microchipped, vaccinated and placed in the adoption program.
The hard part for some foster parents is giving up these cuties. Don’t worry, if you fall in love with your Tweenies, you’ll get the first chance at adopting them.
If fostering isn’t for you, you can lend a hand at the department ‘Kitteries.’ Animal Services could always use some help cleaning, feeding, weighing and enriching the lives of its furry felines.
Either way, you can make all the difference in getting these kittens off on the right paw to a new start in a happy home and that’s something to mew about!