Editor's note: This column is part of a series by Lakeshore residents about their experiences living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Growing up, I always had a love for animals. There was just something about animals — I really felt like I had a connection greater than I felt with humans. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I realized what I was meant to do. That’s when my mom and I began fostering cats and kittens through Harbor Humane Society in West Olive. 
Fostering provides a safe and social environment for kittens, Kathryn Agar says.

Since we began fostering in 2018, I have fostered about 150 cats and kittens. We once had 13 foster kittens in the house! But, that’s not entirely crazy in the world of animal rescue. 

Fostering provides a safe and social environment for kittens. It’s extremely crucial that kittens have their physical and mental needs met. They need to be fed multiple times throughout the day. They also need to be around humans. If a kitten does not receive proper socialization by the time they’re about 3 months old, they often are not suitable for indoor placement. Our goal with fostering is to raise kittens that will thrive in a home environment. Living indoors is the safest and healthiest option for kitties, and we want to set them up for success.

‘Bottle babies’ 

In the past year, I have grown in my fostering skills, particularly with “bottle baby” kittens — the orphans. They’re the ones who are dropped off at the shelter because their mother was hit by a car, ran away, rejected the kittens, or was too sick to care for them. Caring for bottle babies requires around-the-clock care. These are the ones that I have recently started primarily taking. 
Caring for bottle babies requires around-the-clock care.

Mother cats with kittens are the easiest. The mom takes care of them, keeps them clean, and all fosters have to do is keep their area clean and safe. 

Bottle babies are the hardest to foster, physically and emotionally. 

About two months ago, in late February, a litter of six orphan kittens came in. Their mother had run off and hadn’t returned. These babies were just 2 weeks old — their eyes had just opened. Without hesitating, I volunteered to take two. 
Two is the magic number when I think about feeding overnight. I fostered a group of five bottle babies once, and that was one of the most physically and emotionally taxing times of my life. There is so much that goes into fostering kittens. 

You become their mom

When kittens do not have a mom, you become their mom. You must control their temperature. They need to stay warm to stay alive. Kittens that are around 2 weeks old must be fed every two to three hours. So, in the middle of the night, I have to get up every two hours, make their formula, and feed them. 
When kittens do not have a mom, you become their mom, Kathryn Agar says.
Frustratingly, feeding doesn’t always go as planned. There’s always a 3 a.m. feeding where one kitten decides it wants to scream instead of drink the formula. Orphan kittens also need help going potty. They’re not yet litter-trained, so you have to stimulate them to use the bathroom. 

The best way I’ve found to manage their care is keeping a kitten journal. Every time I feed orphan kittens, I weigh them. I also record their bowel movements to track when they are going to the bathroom. Kittens are extremely fragile, and recording all of these vitals is how I keep them healthy. 

More flexibility

In a way, the pandemic improved my sleep schedule. As a college student who also works part time, you can imagine how crazy my schedule was. Add feeding bottle babies, and there’s barely even time to breathe. I thrive in the chaos, however. 

I attend Grand Valley State University, which closed its campus partway through March to transition to online learning. This provided increased flexibility to my schedule. 

I am a proponent of kitten-led weaning, meaning that if the kittens want to continue bottle feeding, I will. The two I had didn’t wean until they were about 7 weeks old. Normally, kittens wean at 3 to 4 weeks. When they finally transitioned to wet food, I got to sleep through the night. 

Lots of socializing

These kittens are now about 10 weeks old. I recently took in two of their siblings from another foster. They are crazy little monsters, but I’m thankful I have them during this pandemic. Every four hours, I feed them wet food. 
Kittens that are around 2 weeks old must be fed every two to three hours.

After eating, they all congregate on my chest for their naptime. I always get to have a kitten laying on or near me. Part of me is glad that I have an excuse not to leave home, because now I get to spend almost all of my time socializing these little babies. 
While I’m thankful that I get to foster kittens, I struggle with the idea of how these kittens come to us. Unfixed animals are the entire reason that Harbor Humane Society exists and why I don’t often get to sleep through the night. 

Especially now, with spay and neuter surgeries being considered non-essential, my heart drops thinking about all the unfixed animals that are currently out there. As someone who fosters kittens, I wish everyone could understand how important it is to fix your animals! 

Zeeland resident Kathryn Agar studies social work at GVSU. She is also also a longtime Harbor Humane Society volunteer who recently joined the staff, working in customer service.

This article is part of The Lakeshore, a new featured section of Rapid Growth focused on West Michigan's Lakeshore region. Over the coming months, Rapid Growth will be expanding to cover the complex challenges in this community by focusing on the organizations, projects, programs, and individuals working to improve conditions and solve problems for their region. As the coverage continues, look for The Lakeshore publication, coming in 2020.