Foster Overview
The KittyKind Foster Program is an integral part of our lifesaving work. It also provides wonderful opportunities for New York cat lovers to enjoy the variety and flexibility of fostering. If you’re not ready to adopt but you want to help save a cat’s life, fostering is a fun and rewarding experience. Your love can be the critical difference that helps kitties find their forever homes — and that’s an amazing feeling.
Our Foster Program
A sampling of our cats is always on view in our Petco Union Square adoption center. At the same time, our other felines live with Foster Team volunteers. Foster care gives these animals opportunities to stretch their legs and bask in some love while they mature, recover from spaying or neutering, or await their turns in the center. Many of our fosterers have other pets, and kittens particularly enjoy the companionship these other animals provide.
Most cats are fostered for a few weeks, but some are adopted quickly and others wait longer. Our most dedicated volunteers care for special fosters, who include:
- young orphans who must be bottle fed around the clock;
- older kittens who need litter training and socialization;
- mature cats who attract limited attention from prospective adopters; and
- felines with special needs linked to physical handicaps, FELV, other medical conditions, or behavioral problems caused by mistreatment.
Our ability to help these animals is limited by the size of our Foster Team. We welcome new volunteers with heart who are willing to learn.
Your Responsibilities
As a Foster Team member, you will welcome one or more felines into your home and treat each one as your own pet. You will provide love, food, and other basics, but you won’t be responsible for the costs of prescription foods or medical care.
Our veterinarian will vaccinate and perform any medical procedures that may be required (spaying or neutering, for example). If your foster kitty seems unwell, you will consult us and we may require that you take him or her to our vet’s East Village office. You may be asked to hand feed or to give your kitty vet-prescribed nutritional supplements, digestive aids, or medications. (If these are needed, we will supply them and our skilled volunteers will teach you how to administer them.)
We won’t expect you to find a forever home for your foster, but w’ll certainly appreciate your help. Our Social Media Team will share your photos and updates with potential adopters, and your assessment of your kitty’s personality will guide us as we search for a perfect match. You can refer your cat’s admirers to our Adoption Team, and we may ask you to bring your cat to an adoption event.
For additional information about your responsibilities, be sure to read our FAQs. Still have questions? E-mail [email protected].
Getting Started
If you’re ready to join us (and you’re over 21), please begin by reviewing the sections above, reading our FAQs, and completing our Foster Application.
To fill it out, you’ll have to provide references plus information about yourself, your household, and your pets. You’ll be able to tell us about your interest in fostering, your skills, your ideal foster feline (age, personality, indoor or outdoor, etc.), and your schedule. W’ll review your application and contact you if we have any questions.
If you’ve got time constraints — you can onlyfosterfor three weeks, for example – w’ll work around them. W’ll do our best to honor your other preferences too, but we hope that you’ll keep an open mind. We can’t honor any request to foster a specific animal. (To foster a specific cat with the intention of adopting him or her if things work out, please e-mail [email protected] for information about our Trial Adoption Program.)
When we have a cat who matches your preferences, w’ll schedule a chat so we can get to know each other. While we talk, w’ll share more details about our Foster Program and answer any questions you may have. If you decide to move forward, you’ll meet your foster feline, sign our contract, and get started.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Click here to start the foster application.
Not sure you’re ready for a 24/7 commitment? Care for kitties when your schedule permits in our Petco Union Square adoption center. To find out more, e-mail [email protected].