Fostering In One Bedroom Apartment

Georgia on my Mind

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Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this forum but a long time lurker :)
I've been volunteering for a rescue group for about a year as both a foster parent and adoption counselor. I've been owned by cats my entire life but after a 4 year mourning period when my last died I adopted two kittens from the rescue.
Okay, enough about me.

I want to still foster and continue to save lives, but is it feasible in a one bedroom apartment? I'm currently fostering an adult male cat (my 8 month olds are girls) and for the first week he lived in my bedroom. I slowly introduced him to my girls and the hissing and swatting was awful. It's calmed down a little bit now and I allow him to roam the rest of my apartment when I'm home.

The rescue now wants me to take in another extremely shy adult cat. She's going to have to stay in my bedroom now too. And my girls are going to go through the stress of having another cat in the house.

1 - Anyone out there who fosters in a one bedroom apartment? How do your own cats react? How do you DO it?
2 - Do you ever worry about giving your own cats diseases by allowing the fosters to co exist with them? I just know that the cats/kittens I'm fostering have been tested for FIV and FELV and the kittens have their appropriate vaccinations and worming.

I really appreciate any advise you can give me. And thank you for reading.
 

houseofnine

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Hi! How many rooms with doors in your apt?
We live in the CT 'burbs in a 50s ranch. Our rescues have all come from our yard..The usual process is: mom & kittens in a large crate "Cat Play Pen" in the garage for a few days. Then they go to the vet for the usual treatments. Then they get moved into the spare bathroom (small 5 x 7). If your bathroom is big enough, you could maybe put them in there. If you can give me an idea of the layout, I could give a few suggestions. Baby gates can help too, but depend on the doorway width.
Anyway--get back to me with some details and I can try to give a solution.
 
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Georgia on my Mind

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Hi House of Nine,

Thanks for replying. I only have two rooms with doors - my bedroom and my bathroom. My bathroom is pretty small - just enough room for the essentials (sink, toilet, tub). All of my closets are narrow with bi fold doors and the only feasible place where I could use baby gates would be in my kitchen (galley kitchen.)

I can see fostering kittens in a playpen in my bedroom but I just don't know how I can foster any more adults.
 

houseofnine

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Hi Georgia--there might be a way..all depends on what you can put up with. Lemme mull it over and come back to you. I have a galley too--pretty crazy trying to feed 12 cats at once in there. =)
 

houseofnine

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A few ideas:
We use a tall 37", Regalo brand swing-open baby gate on the room for our nervous boy who gets bullied. He can get through the bars but the large bully cat cannot. If your other cats are big, they won't be able to squeeze through the bars. No one has tried to jump it. Gate is about $40 from amazon.
Not sure of your galley layout. We have a laundry alcove off the kitchen, We stack 3 plastic baby gates, floor to ceiling, to make sure the kitties don't get in there and get behind the machines.
Can you keep the cat in your bathroom? As long as there's a window for him to look out, and enough room for litter box and food, maybe you could make that work.
Last idea would be a large Cat Play Pen crate (about $99 from amazon) which is a big cage but I wouldn't use it for extended periods for an adult cat. OK for kittens for longer periods. It would be a way to acquaint your resident kitties with your foster cat, and they would be protected.
I don't think I've been super helpful. =( Good luck with it all.
 
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