If you’re looking for a way to help cats in need and you have room in your home and heart for a short-term feline resident, foster care may be just the thing for you. Fostering allows cats (and other pets) to receive more love and attention than they would in a shelter environment. It also allows the shelter to care for more animals and speeds up the adoption process, says BJ Altschul of the Montgomery County Humane Society.
Policies on fostering vary from shelter to shelter. MCHS asks caregivers to sign on for at least six months, but that doesn’t mean you would foster one animal for that long. More typically, a cat might stay in foster care for a few weeks and the caregiver will receive a “breather” before taking on a new foster animal. The fosterer provides food, litter and other supplies, and of course socialization and playtime too. MCHS pays for the pet’s basic shots and spaying or neutering.
Living in a foster-home environment helps adoptees transition more easily into their new forever homes. Foster caregivers also help find those forever homes by attending adoption events and writing profiles and providing photos of their foster pets for the MCHS website. The caregiver's experience with a particular cat’s habits and purrsonality is also important, as this information can help potential adopters decide which cat will be a good fit for their home.
Anyone interested in providing foster care through MCHS’s “Rescue Without Walls” must meet the following requirements:
• Approval of landlord if you are renting
• Provide own transportation for veterinary appointments or to the shelter
• Have a flexible schedule
• Commit to at least six months to the program
• Complete a Foster Care Application and sign a foster care agreement
• Agree to a home visit/training interview by foster staff
• Ability to lift, push, carry 15-20 pounds
• Offer physical separation from your own animals as needed
If you’d like more information about fostering through MCHS, see the website, call 240-793-4201 or e-mail fostermau@mchumane.org.
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