Frankie Seaman’s kitten fostering success story

Cats Protection has over 2,000 dedicated fosterers looking after cats of all ages in their homes until they find new owners.

For some cats it is a short-term, loving place to stay while their forever home is found, for others they may need specialist or round-the-clock care before they are ready to be rehomed.

Frankie Seaman with foster kitten Whisper 

Dancing on Ice professional skater Frankie Seaman is a supporter and fosterer for Cats Protection via her local adoption centre in Newbury.

At home with her husband, ex-England goalkeeper David Seaman, she cares for kittens who need additional care before they can be rehomed and performs all the roles a mother cat would naturally fulfil.

David Seaman with Whisper the kitten

Frankie's fostering experience with kitten Whisper

Frankie says: “One of my great successes was Whisper who was born incredibly early, the only black kitten in a litter of very well developed tabbies. She was much smaller than her siblings and her eyes had not formed behind her eyelids.

“To give her the best possible chance to thrive I had to hand-feed her, day and night every hour on the hour for the first few weeks of her life. I had to keep her warm and close to me at all times while I went about my daily life to be able to keep to her feeding schedule. It was exhausting!”

Frankie keeping Whisper warm 

Once Whisper was strong enough to be reintroduced to her litter-mates and mother, Frankie’s role did not end – she needed to supervise visits to ensure the much younger kitten was safe around her birth-family so that she could play with and learn ‘how to be a cat’ from her siblings.

Whisper with one of her siblings 

Frankie adds: “Whisper ultimately became a beautiful looking oriental just like her mother and was adopted. It’s really hard to say goodbye after having such a bond with a kitten but it’s vital they start a new life in a new home; then I can welcome new kittens who need a bit of extra help to get back on their paws.”

Frankie with kittens Hobnob and Flapjack 

Fosterers for Cats Protection are supported throughout the process with all food, litter, toys, vet treatment and specialist equipment provided by the charity. They have access to advice from the charity’s Veterinary team as well as opportunities to network with other volunteers and staff at branches and centres nationwide.

To find out more about Frankie’s latest foster kittens visit @KittensCam on Twitter.

If you’re interesting in becoming a fosterer like Frankie, you can find out more at https://www.cats.org.uk/support-us/get-involved-volunteering