Chip, Octavia, and Muso
FOSTERING SAVES LIVES!
| meow_stories_foster_agreement.pdf |
Are you a cat lover who would you like to make a difference in the lives of local homeless cats and kittens from the convenience and comfort of your own home? If so, then perhaps providing foster care for a needy cat or kitten can provide you with the rewards of giving a lucky feline a second chance.
What does foster care entail?
Simply stated, fostering requires dedication and commitment, together with the willingness to open one’s heart and home to a rescued cat or cats. Foster homes provide a loving temporary home environment from the time the cat is put into foster care until it is adopted. This time varies from days, weeks or months, somewhat dependent on the amount of nurturing, rehabilitation or behavior modification required to prepare the cat to be adopted into a forever home. If the foster is a family, it is important that the entire family be dedicated to the goal of preparing the cat for its forever home. The most successful foster home is one in which everyone works together for the welfare of the cat and assures its well being.
What are the responsibilities of foster care?
We ask that you take care of the basic care and feeding of your foster cats, as well as allowing enough time to make sure the cats are well socialized and loved. This includes providing a loving home, premium food, fresh water, healthy treats and safe toys for the cats. It is important that they be cared for in your daily home routine to help with the transition into their forever home when that time arrives.
Sometimes fostering requires providing treatment and care during and after an illness or injury, or time to recover from emotional fear, trauma or stress as a result of experiences the cat has previously encountered. It is helpful if you are able to transport your foster cats to the vet when necessary, or to meet transporters for spay/neuter appointments. Fosters are NOT responsible for the medical costs – these costs are covered by the rescue. Fosters must keep in touch with Meow Stories’ Adoption Coordinator or other Director about the foster cat’s progress.
A foster is responsible for evaluating the rescue kitty, to ensure that the cat is placed in a home suitable to the cat’s needs. For instance, a home with young children, dogs or people who work long hours may not be suitable homes for some cats.
Do I need experience with kittens?
Not necessarily. Of course experience is helpful, especially with an orphan or a bottle-fed kitten, but advice is always just a phone call away from another volunteer. Orphaned or very young kittens which are not yet weaned require special attention and a serious commitment for their special needs such as diet, feeding schedules and constant need to be kept warm and hydrated. Though challenging and sometimes intensive, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you are truly providing these kittens with a nurturing start in life. Without the additional time and care provided by temporary foster care, many of these cats and kittens would die outdoors or be euthanized in shelters.
We respect and encourage foster families to only accept responsibility for those cats or kittens with which they are comfortable providing care.
Are there risks involved in providing foster care?
There can be risks involved. It is mandatory to ensure that, as a foster home, your own cats are current with their vaccines and, of course, healthy. Equally important, is that a quiet area for quarantine be available until it is determined to be safe to expose the cats to each other.
The BIGGEST risk you will experience as a foster parent is the sense of loss when the rescued cat or kitten is adopted. Rescuers and fosters develop close bonds with their rescued animals and realize this risk. However, the rewarding sense of accomplishment and eventual happiness that come with knowing that a cat has been saved and is now reaping the benefits of your love and efforts in a loving forever home, far outweigh the risk!
Do you want to be a key to our success?
In providing temporary homes for our rescued cats, foster parents bridge the gap and offer the crucial time needed to prepare a cat for adoption into a permanent home. Fostering can be challenging, yet very rewarding at the same time. Where else can you give of yourself and be guaranteed so much love and companionship in return?
The care and dedication provided by foster parents are critical to our rescue efforts, having a direct correlation to the number of homeless cats we can assist. Will you volunteer to help save lives?
What does foster care entail?
Simply stated, fostering requires dedication and commitment, together with the willingness to open one’s heart and home to a rescued cat or cats. Foster homes provide a loving temporary home environment from the time the cat is put into foster care until it is adopted. This time varies from days, weeks or months, somewhat dependent on the amount of nurturing, rehabilitation or behavior modification required to prepare the cat to be adopted into a forever home. If the foster is a family, it is important that the entire family be dedicated to the goal of preparing the cat for its forever home. The most successful foster home is one in which everyone works together for the welfare of the cat and assures its well being.
What are the responsibilities of foster care?
We ask that you take care of the basic care and feeding of your foster cats, as well as allowing enough time to make sure the cats are well socialized and loved. This includes providing a loving home, premium food, fresh water, healthy treats and safe toys for the cats. It is important that they be cared for in your daily home routine to help with the transition into their forever home when that time arrives.
Sometimes fostering requires providing treatment and care during and after an illness or injury, or time to recover from emotional fear, trauma or stress as a result of experiences the cat has previously encountered. It is helpful if you are able to transport your foster cats to the vet when necessary, or to meet transporters for spay/neuter appointments. Fosters are NOT responsible for the medical costs – these costs are covered by the rescue. Fosters must keep in touch with Meow Stories’ Adoption Coordinator or other Director about the foster cat’s progress.
A foster is responsible for evaluating the rescue kitty, to ensure that the cat is placed in a home suitable to the cat’s needs. For instance, a home with young children, dogs or people who work long hours may not be suitable homes for some cats.
Do I need experience with kittens?
Not necessarily. Of course experience is helpful, especially with an orphan or a bottle-fed kitten, but advice is always just a phone call away from another volunteer. Orphaned or very young kittens which are not yet weaned require special attention and a serious commitment for their special needs such as diet, feeding schedules and constant need to be kept warm and hydrated. Though challenging and sometimes intensive, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you are truly providing these kittens with a nurturing start in life. Without the additional time and care provided by temporary foster care, many of these cats and kittens would die outdoors or be euthanized in shelters.
We respect and encourage foster families to only accept responsibility for those cats or kittens with which they are comfortable providing care.
Are there risks involved in providing foster care?
There can be risks involved. It is mandatory to ensure that, as a foster home, your own cats are current with their vaccines and, of course, healthy. Equally important, is that a quiet area for quarantine be available until it is determined to be safe to expose the cats to each other.
The BIGGEST risk you will experience as a foster parent is the sense of loss when the rescued cat or kitten is adopted. Rescuers and fosters develop close bonds with their rescued animals and realize this risk. However, the rewarding sense of accomplishment and eventual happiness that come with knowing that a cat has been saved and is now reaping the benefits of your love and efforts in a loving forever home, far outweigh the risk!
Do you want to be a key to our success?
In providing temporary homes for our rescued cats, foster parents bridge the gap and offer the crucial time needed to prepare a cat for adoption into a permanent home. Fostering can be challenging, yet very rewarding at the same time. Where else can you give of yourself and be guaranteed so much love and companionship in return?
The care and dedication provided by foster parents are critical to our rescue efforts, having a direct correlation to the number of homeless cats we can assist. Will you volunteer to help save lives?