Six Weeks of Foster Kittens in Chiang Mai

I did not plan to become a foster mum. A friend called me on a Sunday morning and said that three kittens had been found in a drain near Santitham market. They were probably two weeks old, with their eyes just open, and no mother in sight. Did I have a spare room? I did. Within an hour, a cardboard box with three tiny tabby faces was sitting on my kitchen table.

The first week was a blur. A local vet, whom I will always thank, checked them and showed me how to bottle-feed with kitten milk, how to burp them like babies and how to help them go to the toilet with a warm damp cloth. They needed feeding every three hours, night and day. I set alarms, kept a small notebook with times and weights, and slept in short pieces on the floor next to their box. My own Bengal cat, Zuri, watched from the door with great suspicion and then started to bring toys to the box. Apparently she had decided to be an auntie.

Keeping them warm is the other big thing. In the rainy season Chiang Mai nights are cooler than people expect, so I used a heating pad under a thick towel, with a place for them to move away if they got too warm. I kept the room clean and quiet, and washed my hands before each handling, because tiny kittens get sick easily. Whenever anything looked wrong, a runny eye or a day without appetite, I called the vet, not a friend.

By week four they were wobbling around and attacking my toes. By week five they were eating soft food and making a mess everywhere. By week six they were healthy, round and unbearably funny, and ready for a vaccination plan. I shared photos on Wagdee and in some local groups, and three lovely families came to meet them in person. I asked about their homes, their other pets and their plans for spay and neuter. That part I took very seriously.

On the day they left, I cried into a towel. The house felt silent for two days. But yesterday I received a photo of the smallest one asleep on his new owner's laptop, and I felt very proud. If you are thinking about fostering, talk to a vet first, ask a local rescue for support, and be ready to love and let go.