Mary Chromek, Neonatal Kitten Foster

Stacy chats with Mary Chromek, who has been fostering neonatal (bottle baby) kittens for over 10 years now. A cat person since she was a child, Mary found that cats really helped with her depression and anxiety, and as she got older, she decided to give back by fostering for local organizations. She soon realized there was a real need for bottle baby fosters, and learned everything she could about this specialized area of foster care. Mary and Stacy discuss some specifics around bottle baby care, including Mary's preferred supplies, and some information on treating fleas on neonates. Mary also offers some great tips on how to determine if kittens found alone outdoors really need help. One thing Mary has come to believe over her years of fostering is that if more organizations were able to support their foster homes more fully—with all the training and supplies they need—more people would be willing to help, and this, in turn, would save more feline lives. With this in mind, Mary is in the process of starting up her own nonprofit, Foster Purrs, that will specialize in neonates. "I just want to save lives and fully support the fosters so more people are willing," she tells Stacy. To learn more about Mary's work, you can find Foster Purrs (and their Amazon wishlist) on Facebook and Instagram.