Fostering young kittens takes effort and dedication, but is often just as life-altering for the people who care for the kittens as it is for the kittens themselves.
Recently, the Great Plains SPCA in Kansas City, Kansas, launched an initiative called the Senior Foster Friends Program, in which elderly patients in assisted living homes help take care of kittens.
In mid-June, the Great Plains SPCA partnered with The Piper assisted living and memory care facility, introducing two foster kittens, Prince and Princess, to the senior residents, who will help raise them until they’re old enough to be adopted.
“Both kittens are kept in a community room, where residents and staff give them affection, play time, food, water and all the comforts they need,” says, Lisa D’Souza, the communications manager of the Great Plains SPCA.
The kittens, who were just a month-old at the time of their arrival, will stay until they find their new forever homes.
Kim Steakle, a senior living counselor at The Piper, says that the experience for those who work and reside there has been “extremely positive.”
Steakle says that the program is ideal because it allows many of the patients, who are no longer able to do a lot of things on their own, the freedom to have that kind of experience. “And for many,” she adds, “it brings back memories of earlier times.”
In fact, one resident (who Steakle says typically tends to keep to himself) recently came out of his room to spend an hour playing with the kittens in the community room, she says.
While Prince and Princess will likely leave The Piper in early July, the staff is already planning a farewell party for them and will prepare to welcome new SPCA fosters into their facility.
The Great Plains SPCA filmed Princess and Prince’s first day at The Piper, in which overjoyed residents met their furry new companions. You can watch the heartwarming clip above.
Image via YouTube
Aly Semigran is a lifestyle writer for the world, and roommate of Ruby, the cutest dog in the world.
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