can I foster if I don't have a dedicated room?

[tutubean]

Hi there. I really want to be able to foster a cat, but I don't have a room in the house that could be safely designated as "a cat room". I'm quarantined with my parents right now (who are amenable to the temporary foster of a cat/kitten) and there's just a lot of clutter everywhere that I really can't control, in particular the garage and basement which are at this point just storage rooms.

The only place I can think of is our spare bathroom. It's not that big, 5x7 ft not including the bathtub, but we've already kept a litter box in there once, and the tile floor would be a blessing for cleanup and I can easily remove items from the room to make it safe. But wouldn't a scared cat want to burst free of such a small room? I have no idea how I would physically keep a cat from escaping said room, especially cats older than small kitten age.

If I do foster, and I do use the spare bathroom, should I refrain from using that bathroom? Or does would that actually fall under the realm of trying to socialize a cat? I remember reading that cats who use the litter box in front of you are showing you that they consider you family, but does that go both ways?

(I should note that I'm talking about cats that need to be socialized/acclimated; a housecat that is already socialized I would let roam my house freely.)

 

[tabbytom]

The only place I can think of is our spare bathroom. It's not that big, 5x7 ft not including the bathtub, but we've already kept a litter box in there once, and the tile floor would be a blessing for cleanup and I can easily remove items from the room to make it safe.

Hello tutubean, thank you for considering fostering this kitty

Yes, a spare bathroom is a perfect place to let the stay in there especially in your case.

Is the spare bathroom inside a room? If it is, it'll better as you can close the bedroom door before opening the bathroom door just in case the kitty decides to dart out.

You can place the litterbox at one end of the bathroom away from the food and water. It's good to use a spare bathroom as it is always dry and cleaning up is easier.

In fostering a cat, it depends on whether the cat is docile or not, is it a stray or feral or from a shelter and is timid or from someone's home where the kitty is already used to human contacts. You did not mention how or where you are getting the kitty from.

First of all, the kitty has to get to trust you and get use to the surroundings and sounds of the house. If he's in the bathroom, whenever you go see him, always make your arrival known in talking and calling his name gently and lovingly and open the bathroom door gently. Remember when you open the door, stay a low as you can and make yourself as small as possible as not to look like a threat to him.

If you ever bring back the kitty, place your clean unwashed non perfumed attire and place it inn there for him so that he could get use to your scents. For now, we do not know the behavior of the kitty as he has not arrived at your home and we do to know how he's taking it or how he's going to behave.

Do keep us updated and members will be able to guide you along


Maybe we can progress further when the kitty is home already and work from there.

 

[tutubean]

You did not mention how or where you are getting the kitty from.

It's a hypothetical situation; no cat yet. Though I do have a feral (now semi-feral) cat who I am considering TNF rather than TNR, and there is a kitten in the neighborhood (probably more) yet to be trapped. I just wanted to be sure my home is suitable for fostering.

 

[tabbytom]

A kitten is easier to socialize but if a stray or feral that is used to you would also be possible though need to work on it more.

You can help TNR the rest and that would help keep the population down and the cats would be healthier and there would be less fights.

 

[fionasmom]

I did this with three kittens years ago out of necessity. I put a piece of solid vinyl in the shower stall, if you have one, and then put the litter box in there to make a little more room. Thank you for wanting to help.

 

[moxiewild]

So, the bathroom can work.

Excluding the tub, our bathroom is probably 5x7 too. If we exclude the counter/sink and toilet, the “usable” floor space is only 7x3 (I literally just measured lol). We’ve kept a few cats in there, one for several months.

The key here is optimizing your (vertical) space as much as possible. This is what we’ve done to make it more bearable for the kitty -

Like fionasmom did, we kept the litterbox in the tub. It helped so much with space and keeping food/water and litter well separated. We’ve used puppy pads, cardboard, a tarp, a plastic shower curtain, and corroguated plastic sheeting beneath the litterbox in there (fionasmom’s idea was better ).

We also cleared the counter completely and kept a bed, and food and water up there. (A bed/blanket can go in the sink if your counter isn’t long/big enough!)

That way the floor was solely dedicated to fun stuff and hideouts -scratchers, ball track tower, other toys, and even a cat tree.

If you have a tub, glossy shower tiles, or glass shower door, and if the cat is fairly young and playful, we’ve had good luck with adding this to the side of our tub -

Amazon.com : FengXing Cat Toys - Cat Track Toy Ball and Bell with 3 Layers, Cat Toys Interaction Play Attracts Fun and Exercise for Kittens, Sucker Cat Toy Saves Space. : Pet Supplies

And if you have the glossy shower tiles or smooth (and sturdy/framed!) glass shower door, you can usually make one of those suction cup hammocks meant for windows work on there with proper cleaning, like the sunny seat or one of K&H’s versions, like this -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YGZACQM/?tag=thecatsite

Or this one -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XGY8YWD/?tag=thecatsite

The one above is a universal favorite among ALL cats/kittens (including ferals) out of the 30+ we’ve had in our home since discovering them. We have all sorts of these window hammocks and window sill beds throughout the house, but every window now also has at least one of these scratcher beds because of how popular they are! Even our pet sitter ended up convinced enough to buy a few for her cats!

When it comes to the floor, for timid cats, we just start with a carrier (other simple hideouts made of cardboard or a plastic tote will work too), with an additional bed or blanket on top of it.

As they become more comfortable, we add a cat tree with a narrow footprint. We found one that is more long than it is high that works perfectly in our narrow bathroom too -

Amazon.com : Made4Pets 43 Inches All-in-One Modern Cat Tree, Varied Styles Cat Tower with Fully Wrapped Sisal Scratching Posts and Plush Hammock, Cozy Perches : Pet Supplies

(It can also be converted into a corner unit, which is nice!) The platforms and hide out are fairly spacious and accommodate our 14 lb cat well. There are a lot of choices to choose from, but I can at least say that this one is certainly narrow enough to work in a bathroom with dimensions very similar to yours (we even had it placed right in front of the toilet, and there was still more than sufficient knee/maneuvering space).

We also added two wall shelves above the tree for kitties to go even higher. We made sure the shelves were something we could/would normally use for non-cat purposes.

We also bought this cat hammock meant for radiators, and we were able to hook it into our cabinet doors -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WMX7B2M/?tag=thecatsite

Another thing we did was add an echo flex plug-in (no cord for safety reasons) -

https://smile.amazon.com/Echo-Flex/dp/B07MLY3JKV/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=echo+flex&qid=1592775258&sr=8-1

We made a “cat music” playlist that we would play throughout the day (the flex isn’t great for playing music at higher volumes, but it is more than sufficient for “calm” music at a low volume). This helped to both calm and add stimulation for kitty when we weren’t around.

We also included a “soft light” plug-in nightlight to ensure kitty wasn’t left completely in the dark.

Another source of stimulation we really like, is this -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZQD5BKZ/?tag=thecatsite

I really hate having to keep a cat in such a small space, but with a little creative thinking, and lots of playtime and interaction, you can definitely make the space much more bearable so long as it is only a relatively “short term” thing.

Using the bathroom -

This will depend entirely on the cat. Some won’t care about the toilet flushing at all, some will get used to it quickly. The most fearful will need time to settle and gain trust, security, and confidence in you and their environment first to even try it with them (this can be aided by adding rewards when and after you flush, like special treats).

Same with the shower - hopefully you have another shower in the house you can use? Otherwise, you’ll need to be very mindful of how long and hot your showers are, and place one of kitty’s hiding places at the opposite end of the shower while you’re in there to help them feel safer.

But I would really try to avoid using the shower while they’re in there if possible, unless you can perhaps remove them in a carrier and keep them in the carrier in a very quiet room alone while you shower (a closet will work too), and so long as frequently transferring them like this isn’t too stressful for them. Keeping a blanket over the carrier will help keep them calm.

Preventing escape -

As far a cats darting out, most fearful cats will prefer to hide when you enter. It’s mostly the well socialized energizer bunnies who try to escape (and kittens are far more difficult to prevent escape than adult cars are!).

Either way, a pet gate can help narrow the doorway.

If you’re able to pick the cat up, the. as you leave, you can pick them up, open the door, step out of the bathroom, turn around and close the door almost shut, then gently toss kitty back in.

If it came down to it, you could use a cardboard barrier to keep with you, and possibly an air can right before the doorway if you had absolutely no other choice.

Clicker training can also work, but this will depend on where the cat is in terms of socialization.

Most cats will learn to stay put though. You just need to keep vigilant upon entry and exit.

And as mentioned, always announce yourself before entering. Softly knocking or sweetly saying hello before opening the door will do a lot, especially for a fearful kitty.

Thank you for considering this! I feel like I am pleading for a foster on social media just about every week now - people like you who are willing to step up like this are very desperately needed everywhere, and it will be a very rewarding experience!!!