Foster

• The first step: fill out the foster application found on this page
• Be sure to complete all fields that apply to you and your household
• When the application is received, the team will verify vet information if provided
• If everything checks out, the foster coordinator will contact you for a phone interview
• Once you complete all of these steps, we will begin pairing you with a foster kitty

We need foster parents to love and care for the animals rescued from other shelters, or by volunteers in the community until they are adopted. Each additional foster volunteer allows Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue to save one more cat for a loving forever home.

Aside from regular day-to-day care (feeding and play time), the responsibilities of a foster home may include:

• Transportation to and from vet visits
• Transportation to and from adoption events. These are typically on the weekends. For young kittens this will likely be at a local pet store. For teenagers and adults this may be the Haven’s Kitty Kabin located on the Haven campus.
• Medicating a sick cat or kitten if needed.
• Providing updated pictures and information on a cat or kitten’s personality for their profiles.

• The Haven can provide food and litter if you are unable to provide
• The Haven provides dewormers and other medications as needed
• The Haven provides bedding, litterbox, carrier as needed
• The Haven provides a full time support team of other fosters and board members to help guide you every step of the way

If you are available to help at one of our weekend adoption events, do join us. It allows you to help find the perfect home by telling interested adopters all about your foster. Adoption events are the most successful way to introduce your foster to the largest number of people.

Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue does not do same day adoptions at an event without an approved application. If an approved applicant meets your cat or kitten and falls in love they are able to take them home that day. Otherwise, someone can apply and we will work their application on the next business day. In the mean time your foster would return home with you. Fosters are never left overnight at an adoption event.

It would be helpful if you could provide two weeks’ notice if you are planning on being out of town. Please coordinate with our Foster Coordinator (FC) to help find a temporary foster. Our foster families are limited, but we should be able to foster with another family, or bring to the Haven while you are away.

It is important to remember that your foster is coming into a new environment; they may be anxious, excited, or fearful. Lots of patience and love will go a long way in helping your new foster cat or kitten feel at home, and start to build a bond of trust with you. If you have your own cats, we advise a quarantine period separate from your cats, until they are comfortable with each other. Hissing is to be expected, but if your cat or the foster shows aggression, it is best to keep them separate.

We always recommend having a smaller, defined foster space in mind to help new fosters acclimate. But ultimately the goal would be for fosters to live as a member of the family while waiting for their forever home.

All medical care, including spay or neuter, are covered by Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue. If there are medical issues, these are to be discussed with the Foster Coordinator who will be the primary liaison for any needed veterinary care.

The Foster Coordinator will help with determining which veterinarian should be used. You and the FC will decide how the cat will get there. If you are able to drive the cat to the vet, it would be very helpful and expedite the process.

We hope so. If we are adopting from your home, or you are bringing the pet to an event, then yes, you will get to interview prospective adopters. In some cases you might, along with FC, deliver your foster pet to an approved adopter to ensure the home environment will be a good fit for your foster pet.

Foster families are welcome to adopt their fosters. You would be asked to submit an adoption application just like anyone else. However, fosters do have first “dibs” on their cats or kittens. We just ask that you give the Foster Coordinator a heads up to avoid someone applying for your kitten first.