| Our Cat Foster Program Thanks so much for responding to our need for cat fosters! We are always in need of foster homes and they are the backbone of what we do! Here is a little bit more information about our program. We just like our fosters to be well-trained with what they do! Our foster parents are responsible for providing a loving and caring home for our foster cats. Sometimes these cats come in with baggage and will need extra love and attention. Some just need a home where they can improve their self esteem through human contact and some quality play time. Any supplies you buy for your foster(s) are tax deductible! So keep those receipts! Foster periods vary based on the situation. We would prefer for the foster to keep their foster kitty until he/she has been adopted since this keeps their life a little bit less stressed and they can feel safe and secure. Sometimes foster have a cat for a few weeks, sometimes it can be a few months. It can depend on the look (for instance, black cats are harder to adopt so sometimes stay in foster care longer) and the personality of the cat...and sometimes it just depends on luck! However, the more PR the cat has, the better! Ideally, we like our fosters to help out with some advertising their foster cat by bringing their cat to our adoption events (we usually have at least 3 a month in various areas—monthly at PetMac in Arlington and DC plus a few other occasional locations). If you are willing to help out by taking great pictures of your foster and perhaps posting ads for your foster cat on sites such as Craigslist or through the City paper, that would be wonderful as well. But we also have fosters who can only provide the support of a loving home. I would just ask that you make these preferences clear on your foster application, which is the Word document attached to this email. In order to become a foster parent, you will need to have a phone interview as well as a homevisit. And, most importantly, you will have to attend one of our training sessions. This will give you the answers to plenty of questions you may have about fostering. Plus you’ll get to meet some great people and you’ll leave with our foster handbook—which is a great resource for you to have! There trainings are held at PetMac in Arlington or DC (for directions: www.petmac.org). We’ll also need you to complete a foster agreement as soon as possible. You will need to initial everything on a hard copy—not electronically (i.e. initials cannot be typed out). You can either send this in to our mailing address or scan it in and send the copy to me electronically. Once you are approved as a foster, you’ll get your new foster cat or kittens. We will also set you up with an Adoption Coordinator (AC). This person will help you with any concerns or questions you might have. They will also be the one screening potential adopters for your foster animal so it is important that the two of you stay in contact about things. If you might be interested in fostering, please email HTErica@gmail.com |
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| Why Spay or Neuter? Spaying a female before her first or second heat will greatly reduce the threat of mammary cancer and uterine disease. A cat does not need to have at least 1 litter to be healthy, nor will they "miss" motherhood. An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter, and 2-3 litters per year. During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens. A tabby named "Dusty" gave birth to 420 documented kittens in her lifetime, while "Kitty" gave birth to 2 kittens at the age of 30, having given birth to a documented 218 kittens in her lifetime. Neutering a male cat will, in almost all cases, stop him from spraying (territorial marking), fighting with other males (at least over females), as well as lengthen his life and improve its quality. The Humane Society estimates that 6-8 million cats & dogs enter shelters each year. 3-4 million are adopted. 3-4 million are put to sleep. |
