Our amazing foster parents do so much to help shelter pets grow and heal before they go home to their new families. It’s with great pleasure that we introduce you to a family that’s been fostering cats since January 2023. With Kitten Season in full swing, Gill Chang and her 17-year-old daughter, Tetra Riddering, have their hands and laps full!
It was Tetra’s idea to start fostering with Seattle Humane, inspired by humane educator, New York Times bestselling author and kitten rescuer, Hannah Shaw, better known as The Kitten Lady. Tetra saw Shaw fostering an endless stream of kittens on her YouTube channel and wanted to do just that. “She does a great job illustrating what it’s like to foster kittens and provides plenty of strategies to deal with common issues you’ll run into,” Tetra says about The Kitten Lady, adding anyone interested in fostering kittens should watch her videos to see if it’s right for them.
“We reached the maximum amount of cats in our house, and I wanted to pack in more. Also, I am interested in going into the veterinary field.”
“She eagerly wanted to become a cat foster parent herself,” Gill says. “Since she could not sign up to be one due to her age, I became her bridge to the foster world – well, until she turns 18 anyway. I hesitated in the beginning because I wasn’t sure if I could manage it with my other obligations. Tetra did the research and made a presentation to convince me that, between the two of us, we could make it happen. Plus, she has this nagging power that couldn’t be ignored.”
Tetra did her research and was impressed by our foster care program. It didn’t hurt that they had also adopted their oldest cat, Purr, here back in 2012. They’ve collectively fostered over 20 kittens with Seattle Humane since joining our amazing foster network. “I love seeing them recover from setbacks and make it to adoption day!” Tetra says. “I also love the moment when neonatal kittens open their eyes for the first time and look at me as I feed them.”
“My favorite moment is watching their ears unfold,” Gill says. “That’s when they change from a furry alien into a tiny cat!” Fun fact: kittens are born blind and deaf! Their ear canals begin to open, and their ears start to unfold at around 7 days old. Around 8-12 days, their eyes slowly start to open! Kittens won’t be able to regulate their body temperature for at least the first four weeks of life. Newborn kittens are incredibly vulnerable, especially if they are separated from their mothers. In the absence of a mother, they need constant care from foster parents like Gill and Tetra.
Gill’s favorite foster kitty was named Portobello. “He was a tiny 3-day-old black blob when I took him in,” she says. “I always have a soft spot for black cats, and our eyes locked when he first opened his eyes. It’s one of those, ‘He had me at hello,’ moments.”
Tetra may have been the one who pushed her mom to start fostering, but she’s also the one who urges restraint when her mother starts falling for a kitten and considers adding another to the family – they have three currently, plus one hedgehog.
Tetra did get pretty attached to a kitten named Tofu, who came to us from Seattle Area Feline Rescue in mid-June of 2023. He was less than a month old and in rough shape – underweight and lethargic.
“I felt an instant connection with him,” she says. “When he was sick, I walked around with him in a baby sling for many days. When he was older, he would sleep in the nape of my neck every night.”
When not fostering, Gill enjoys sewing. She also volunteers at Washington Health Outreach and the Feral Cat Spay & Neuter Project. Gill has been so inspired by working in animal welfare that she’s taking Vet Assistant continuing education classes at a local community college.
Tetra is one of the leads on her high school robotics team and a circus performer!
Gill says if people are interested in fostering and have the time and space to do so, they should go for it! “Do not hesitate to ask questions or for help whenever you encounter something you are unsure of,” she says. “It takes a village.”
