FOSTERING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Fostering is more than just housing a cat. You’re helping them decompress, build confidence, and get ready for their forever home.

Most of our fosters have full-time jobs and many also have resident cats, so it’s very doable with a busy schedule.

On average, fostering takes about 1–2 hours a day, usually around feeding times. This includes feeding, cleaning, checking in on them, and spending intentional time getting to know your foster.

Staying in close communication with our team is also a core part of fostering. We rely on your updates to understand how your foster is doing and to support you along the way. Sharing regular updates, photos, and videos helps us troubleshoot, guide you, and prepare your foster for adoption.

Some cats, especially shy ones or kittens, may need more socialization. In those cases, it can look more like 2–3 hours a day while they’re building confidence.

If you’re new to socializing, that’s totally okay. We’ll guide you and share resources along the way. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of fostering and can truly change a cat’s life.

* Socialization Guide

Some cats may also need medication. We’ll provide everything you need and walk you through exactly how to administer it.

It depends on the cat. Age, personality, and health all play a role.

Kittens typically need more hands-on care. This includes high-quality nutrition, frequent feeding, and regular vet visits to monitor weight and complete their vaccine schedule.

Adult cats are often more low-maintenance day to day, but some may come in with medical or behavioral needs that we are actively working through.

We cover all vet care and prescribed medications. We’ll guide you through anything specific your foster needs and make sure you are supported.

During the foster interview, we’ll also talk through your comfort level so we can match you with a cat that makes sense for your home and experience.

The very basics are litter box, litter, and some food. Then you can build on with some bed, treats, and toys.

More detail on this Supply Guide

You’ll be in a group chat with our core team where you can share updates, questions, concerns, or just cute pictures.

Especially in the beginning, we want to hear from you every day. What’s going well, what’s not, or even if nothing is happening. There’s no such thing as over-communicating with us.

Photos and videos are incredibly helpful when it comes to troubleshooting, and the more you share, the better we can support you. We’re here to help you every step of the way.

If you are going out of town for a few days, sometimes neighboring foster can help out with cat sitting, or we can plan on moving fosters for trips longer than 4 days.

Just give us a heads up to plan accordingly.

A lot of cats do well with kitty friends with proper introduction.

If you have a resident cat, we’ll only place fosters who we’ve seen around other cats or feel confident would do well in a multi-cat home. The foster should start in a separate smaller room, even a bathroom, away from your resident cat(s), or we can lend you a crate if you don’t have another room to start.

*Jackson Galaxy’s Do’s and Don’ts of Introducing Cats

We will ask for your resident cat’s FIV/FelV test result as well as recent FVRCP vaccine record.

Lots of great photos and videos!

We aim for 6 strong photos/videos for Petfinder which is like their dating profile, plus 5–10 extra pieces of content a week for a shared Google Album. These don’t need to be full-on photoshoots. Everyday moments are great. Think lounging, playing, being weird, being cute. This helps adopters see what life with them actually looks like. The album will be shared with prospective adopters.

Pro tip: good lighting will do most of the work for you.

Beyond visuals, details really matter. Tell us everything. Personality, likes, dislikes, routines, bad habits, quirks, special needs. The more we know, the better we can match them with the right home.

Some fosters make dedicated Instagram accounts for their cats. Not required, but we respect the commitment. You can also just post on your personal account and tag us so we can reshare.

Since our cats are indoor and most don’t thrive at adoption events, we rely heavily on online promotion through social media and Petfinder. Your content really makes the difference.

Our adoptions team reviews applications and conducts the initial interview with potential adopters.

Some applicants will have a specific cat in mind, while others are looking for a general personality or lifestyle fit. The team makes sure expectations are aligned, suggests other cats if needed, and shares the Google Albums you’ve created so adopters can get a real sense of your foster.

If there’s a potential match, we’ll connect you with the adopter so you can schedule a video call. This is your chance to share more about your foster and answer any questions. You play a key role in this process, and your input matters in determining whether it’s a good fit.

If that goes well, you’ll coordinate an in-person meet. If everyone feels good about it, the adopter will sign the adoption contract, pay the fee, and schedule a pickup.

The full process typically takes around 2 weeks, depending on scheduling.

You will be in a group chat with the core members of the org for regular check ins. If your foster is showing any health concerns, let us know in the group chat asap.

Pictures and videos of the concern are extremely helpful to determine the next step. If a vet visit is necessary, we coordinate making the appointment and handle the cost.

If you already have a resident cat (or other animals) at home, we offer foster-to-adopt, which gives you 3–4 weeks to properly introduce the animals before committing. They don’t need to be best friends in that time, but it should give you a clear sense of whether things are moving in the right direction. Instead of foster application, please fill out the adoption application to proceed.

For households without other pets, fostering with us isn’t a trial run for adoption.

Fostering means committing to be part of the team helping our cats find their forever homes. Because of that, you won’t be able to choose specific cats, and placements are made based on your availability, experience, and the urgency of each cat’s needs.

If your goal is to adopt, our adoption team is very hands on and will talk through your lifestyle, what you’re looking for, and help recommend cats who could be a great fit.

Since all of our cats are in foster homes, we’re able to really understand their personalities in a home environment. You’ll be able to chat directly with their foster and meet them in person before making a decision.

It happens, and we get it!

The goal of fostering is a happy goodbye, helping your foster cat find their forever home. But sometimes you realize they are already there. “Foster failing” is very much a thing, and we are always happy when a cat finds the right fit.

The only thing we ask is that you keep us in the loop early. If you are starting to feel attached or think you may want to adopt, let us know as soon as possible, especially before we begin pitching your foster with serious adopters.

We are a small team and plan placements and outreach carefully, so early communication helps us avoid missed opportunities for other cats and keeps everything running smoothly.

And if you do say goodbye to your foster, it is always bittersweet, but there are always more kitties that need a warm home while they wait for their forever homes.