Cat rescue organisations are always looking for compassionate volunteers to provide temporary foster care to cats.
What is Involved With Fostering Cats?
Cat foster carers work with their local rescue organisations by looking after cats in their own home before they’re re-homed, and the reasons for cats needing to be fostered can vary. Foster carers look after young kittens until they are old enough for adoption, pregnant cats, nursing mothers and cats that have special needs or are recovering from surgery.
The cat rescue organisation will usually pay for all veterinary treatment, and some will also cover the cost of other out-of-pocket expenses such as food and litter. Potential adoptive parents will arrange to visit the cats they are interested in adopting at the foster carer’s home.
The Benefits of Fostering Cats
Being a cat foster carer is deeply rewarding, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it can be life saving. By fostering cats you’re giving a loving temporary home to cats that might otherwise be on the streets or in an overcrowded shelter. The cats that you foster will receive individual love and attention, and be kept safe and healthy.
Fostering a cat also frees up space in the shelters for other cats and helps to reduce euthanasia rates. Many cats that come into a shelter have been abused or neglected and as a result, have trust issues, which in some shelters means they are immediately euthanised.
In shelters, most cats are confined to cages; in your home environment they’re treated like a member of the family, which is a much less stressful experience. Opening your heart and home by fostering a cat helps them rebuild their trust, and can turn a previously timid, scaredy-cat into a happy and confident cat who everyone will want to adopt.
Who Can Become a Cat Foster Carer?
The requirements are usually fairly simple; you should care deeply for cats, without the risk of getting too attached (don’t forget, your aim is for them to find their forever home!), have knowledge of cat care and welfare and be able to look after the cats in your care both day and night.
As a cat foster carer you’ll need to be understanding of the problems that cats can have when they come into your care, both medical and psychological, because you won’t always know what a cat has been through before he comes to you.
Don’t forget that sometimes cats need to be fostered because they’re not yet suitable for a forever home, and they may have medical or behavioural issues that can be difficult to deal with. As a cat foster carer, you’ll need to be patient, to take the rough with the smooth, and give the unsociable and aggressive cats just as much care and attention as the happy lap-cats.
From a practical perspective, having your own transport is often required for vet visits, although many rescues will have volunteers who can help with transportation if it’s needed.
If you think you’ve got the time, patience and compassion that’s needed to foster cats, why not give your local cat rescue organisation or shelter a call to find out more.
Have you ever fostered cats in your home? Please share your experiences below.
This blog post is part of the quarterly campaign for Be the Change for Animals – advocating to make the world a better place for all animals.
A great post, and we think the peeps that foster are just beyond pawesome! That said, my peep would be no good at this as she wouldn’t effur let them go! MOL
Foster pet-parents rock! I think that is the absolute best thing that can be done for animals that are still looking for a furever home. It takes real compassion to open your heart to a homeless animal that you aren’t going to keep for yourself so I applaud everyone who fosters.
Great post! We are so thankful for our volunteers who foster kittens until they are ready to be adopted. What a godsend they are!
I think people overlook that cats can be fostered as well. Great reminder! This is definitely on my to-do list when we’re out of base housing.
What a great often not discussed topic. Most people don’t even know cats can be fostered. We have fostered before (dogs) and we’ve been failures! But then again, it means dogs get a home, right? Next time my group meets (www.southsuburbanchihuahua.com) I will make mention the idea of fostering cats. I always bring up dogs – so cats will be a new one on them!
WOOF!
Wish my eight would tolerate it so I could foster; though, I do have the problem of becoming too quickly and easily attached. Excellent post. Thanks, Janet
Amazing post and well done to all the kitty foster parents! My mum would make a great foster mum I think, but I don’t want her to do it because where would that leave me?
This is great… I fostered and it was very rewarding! Everyone should do it!
We have a friend who works with the local humane society and she does this. It’s a very rewarding experience.
I’ve been fostering for 12 years, and I think it is vital that you have a place to separate the fosters from any resident cats. No matter how careful they screen, if they test, if they vaccinate, there are some diseases that can slip through. Felv can take six weeks to be detected after infection. Corona virus, URI, ear mites, fleas, etc.
I personally used to let my fosters and my resident cats mingle, but when something happened I stopped putting my cats at risk. I’ve seen it happen again and again.. and more people lament that they wish they had known..
well.. I’ve got seven.. I ended up keeping eight, but one died shortly after I adopted him. You get to a point where you know it will be a burden to your current cats if you keep any more, and you regretfully let those ones you adore go..
The mom says she would love to be able to foster cats…but alas, she’s got the 3 of us that don’t really think it’s a great idea.
Rescue groups couldn’t succeed without the help of foster families. Thanks for pointing out what is involved in becoming a foster parent. Like some of your other readers, I too am a failed foster parent of 3 cats. This story is timely because kitten season will be going on until late summer and many rescue groups and shelters are in desperate need. Thank you for all this information.
I would love to foster and have considered it many times. But with 5 cats, our house is already so full, and I know I would be a foster failure. The last two cats I adopted were strays that I took in trying to find their homes and was unsuccessful. Then I was supposed to take them to a rescue organization to be put up for adoption, but I just couldn’t do it. When I know that I can afford to care for another cat on a permanent basis, then I will foster.
I am a foster failure. I have fostered seveal cats and one is still here and I did find a home for the other one. I have too many cats right now, so I can’t foster any more as much as I would like to do that.
Fostering is so so important and it is such a help to the shelters and especially the cats. Great post.
I think foster humans are awesome! That said, I am not sure I would allow my human to do it. We kitties might be a little testy!