Become a ‘moggy midwife’ to help kittens in need at Woodgreen

Whilst many of these cats stay on site in Cambridgeshire in the charity’s new Cat Care Centre, there’s a special network of ‘moggy midwives’ who volunteer their homes to help pets in need. Woodgreen is now appealing for more local residents to foster cats through pregnancy and the kittens’ precious first few weeks.

Fostering for Woodgreen is completely free, with full training and all supplies provided. To become a ‘moggy midwife’, all you need is a room – such as a spare bedroom or a dining area you can dedicate to the cats for a couple of months, access to a vehicle, and time to make sure the kittens are healthy, happy and well-socialized. As they’ll be tucked away safely, and the pregnant cat’s maternal instincts will do most of the work, it doesn’t matter if you work full-time or have other pets, children or generally busy households.

Michelle Hurley from Cambridgeshire has been a Woodgreen fosterer for three years, and loves it so much that she’s created a bespoke ‘cat room’ in her house! She’s truly gone the extra mile to create a comfortable and fun environment for her foster pets – complete with three connecting activity walls, a birthing bed and a litter tray area built into the wardrobe, observation cameras, speakers for soothing music and an incredible Aristocats mural wall.

Talking about her experiences, Michelle said: “I have a lot of love to give, but can’t commit to having more pets, so this is the perfect solution. I’ve had three cats give birth in my family’s care and although each time is different, building a bond with a cat at her most vulnerable time and getting her trust is amazing. The hardest part is giving the kittens back as you invest a lot of time and emotion into them, but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made and our whole family now gets involved.”

The process of being a ‘moggy midwife’ generally takes around 10-12 weeks, from bringing the pregnant cat home and settling her in, to helping her through labour and getting the kittens ready to be rehomed when they’re around nine weeks old. Sometimes, fosterers take on kittens who have already been born, looking after them through the weaning and socialisation process until they can be matched with loving new owners.

This has been the case for Emma Carey, also from Cambridgeshire, who has welcomed three litters of under-socialised kittens into her utility room and study since moving into a rental property that allows pets two years ago. She said: “My last foster pets were a mum, Tila, and her four two-week-old kittens: Peanut, Walnut, Pistachio and Pecan. It was brilliant to watch them grow from tiny things with their eyes only just opening to bouncy, energetic balls of character.

“I now have the very beautiful and affectionate Cookie on foster, who’s due to give birth any day now. She’s an absolute darling who unfortunately only had her last litter of kittens 12 weeks ago, and is now ready to pop again. Cookie hasn’t been here long and we’ve already been cuddling, playing and feeding her up with nutritious food. I’m really looking forward to experiencing birth and newborns.”

Fostering cats and kittens is a uniquely rewarding way of helping pets in need. You don’t need to have any experience as the team at Woodgreen will provide training on everything you need to know, and will be on hand at every step of the way if you have any questions or concerns.

To find out more and apply to be a ‘moggy midwife’, please visit the Woodgreen website.