Fostering is Fun!
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"Of all God's creatures, there is only one
that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could
be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would
deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain |
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What does a foster family need to do?
Many people have no idea what is involved in being a foster family for a rescue organization. In a nutshell, it's all the love with none of the medical expenses.
The Animal House takes in stray cats, owner surrenders, and shelter cats at risk of euthanasia and works to find adoptive families for each and every one. While they are waiting for their new families to find them, our cats stay in foster homes. Foster families allow our cats to live as part of their household, interacting with their kids and their other animals. If the foster cat gets sick, we take it to the vet and pay all medical costs.
Here's a breakdown of what fostering entails. We sincerely hope you will consider opening your home to one or more foster cats. Each cat we can get into a foster home and eventually adopted out is one more life saved.
- The Animal House pays for all medical costs for its foster cats. At no time will you ever be asked to spend any of your own money on health-related costs.
- The foster family provides food, kitty litter, and lots and lots of love and socialization.
- If needed, The Animal House can provide litter pans, food dishes, and carriers.
- From time to time we get donations of food and litter, which we share among the foster homes.
- We have a Foster Coordinator who is available by phone to answer any questions you have and to respond to any emergencies.
- Foster families have to be in the local (Lancaster) area. The Animal House takes foster cats in to Petsmart on Fruitville Pike in Lancaster on most Saturdays for 4-5 hours. We ask that foster families be willing to drop off and pick up their foster(s) at least two Saturdays a month and more, if possible. It is not necessary that you stay with them at Petsmart as long as you can pick them up at the appointed time, but the more often the cats get seen, the greater their chances of getting adopted.
- We will never overload you with more cats than you can comfortably handle. The Animal House has a strict rule about "hoarding" and we will always respect your wishes as to how many cats or kittens you feel comfortable caring for. In fact, even if you can only take a single cat, we still need you.
- It is not necessary that you have a cat in order to foster a cat. Finding a foster home without a cat is a bonus for rescues. It means we don't have to worry about matching up kitty personalities.
- If you have a foster cat that doesn't fit in with your family, we will work out a switch with one of our other foster homes. Not every cat clicks with every person. We try to give everyone a cat that they can enjoy for the time they have them.
How long will I have the foster cat(s)?
It's hard to say. These guys always surprise us. The ones we think will go in a heartbeat may take weeks or even months to get adopted, and the ones we think will be with us for a while find a new home right away. Generally, kittens and purebreds go the quickest. Sometimes they get adopted the first day they are on the web and never even make it to Petsmart. Cats with distinguishing features such a long hair or striking coloring are usually adopted in a few weeks. From time to time we get a cat that has been declawed and they are usually quick to go. Unfortunately, some of the best cats are the "plain old house cats" and they can sometimes hang around for a few months. There is simply no way to know for sure how long it will take for a cat to get adopted but we are very careful about the cats we take in and we try to have the most highly adoptable cats we can. Of course, we are suckers for a special needs cat, and often take in the hard luck cases, but we have never had a problem getting any of them adopted; in fact, they are often the first to find homes.
What if I get too attached and can't let them go?
Well, it happens. We call it "flunking fostering." Honestly, every one of our foster families has "flunked" at least once, some twice. Let's face it -- we have awesome cats!
If a foster family absolutely falls in love with a foster, of course we allow them to adopt them. If you approved to foster, you're automatically approved to adopt. We just remind our foster families that every cat we keep is one less space we have to save many more. We hate to lose foster homes and all our foster homes that have adopted continue to foster. Many people think their children will be heartbroken to lose a foster, but actually, kids are the most resilient of all. Children quickly learn that whenever a foster gets adopted they get a brand new cat to take its place. Plus, we get updates and pictures from the adoptive homes and you will quickly learn to think of them all as your extended family. There is great joy and reward in hearing from adopters months or even years later who tell you how much joy our cats have brought into their lives. If you keep all your fosters, you will never get to experience that and it's something we highly recommend.
Okay, I'm ready to give it a try. How do I get started?
First, if you have any questions, please go to our Contact Us page and drop us a line with your questions. If you leave your phone number, our Foster Coordinator will call you to answer your questions.
When you think you're ready to share your home with a foster cat, go to the Forms page and fill out the Application to Foster. We don't need a signature for you to submit it. Just fill it out on your computer, save it, and email it to info@theanimalhouse.org. If you can't fill it in on the computer, you can always print one out, complete it by hand and mail it to us.
Thank you for considering fostering. Your new playmate is waiting.
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