Fostering queens (pregnant cats)?

[zoofoster]

Hi all,

I've been looking for a while for a foster forum, and I finally found one...

I recently started fostering, not as a way to ease into adopting, to see if I'm sure I want a new pet or to see if "I really want that dog", but to volunteer.

I want to be an almost 24/7 foster. Well, 24/7 isn't the right way to put it, more 365/year, since when you foster, it's of course 24/7!

Since I live pretty far from the nearest shelter, SPCA included, I wanted to focus on pregnant cats... not only did I know those cases were harder to place for them, but it meant less times driving for me... and more time between the drives for the cat(s).

Instead of staying only about 1-2 weeks in a rhino case, the pregnant cat stays at least 2 months, as do the kittens!

But I had 2 cases, and both times, I had to return a kitten-less cat.

First time, mom didn't have enough milk, as the vet told me when I got there after one kitten died... I had to feed them myself, but to no avail. The sturdiest survived up to 3 weeks, but that was it.

Second time, mom had no maternal instincts whatsoever, I had to teach her to stay with her kittens, one stillborn, and all others severely underweight at birth... All dead within 3 days...

Both moms were thin when I got them, both had poor maternal instincts (second one was much worst though), none ate the placentas or severed the ombilical cords, I had to do it both times (don't know if it was a sign of any kind)...

My question is : has anyone had experience with fostering queens?
How was it?

Are those kind of troubles the norm?

Is it with the SPCA?

Was I just sooo unlucky? (I tend to be...)

The SPCA foster program girls told me it was just bad luck and it's normally easy... but would they lie to me just hoping I continue to help? I truly don't think so... But I'd really like to hear about others who fostered queens...

I know it's not something I did, I didn't have anything to do with the first one not having enough milk, and I didn't have anything to do with the second litter kittens not being big enough... Plus, I had done my research on what to do or not...

But I'm very curious.
I knew there could be deaths, I was ready for a stillborn, even one death along the way... I'd be OK (sad, frustrated, but OK), even losing up to 1/2 the litter... knowing what the queen went through and all... But not all the litter, twice in a row!!!

For now, I'm not fostering, I needed to take a break. Simply put, it had been hard emotionally but more than that, my health couldn't take it either, I have been bedridden since then, and I just couldn't take a foster and not take care of it!

But also, next one won't be a pregnant cat... Probably small kittens, too young to adopt... Or maybe even a rabbit or a ferret... Really wish I could take in a dog, but I don't have the health to walk one. I could take in a puppy, or a small litter of real young puppies, but they don't seem to have any!

So please, help me learn... will I ever take the chance again?