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Come join our lifesaving work!
Come join our lifesaving work!
Our fosters are an absolutely vital part of the Neonatal Program, and we always need more of them! Because we are a foster-based program, we aren't able to help the kittens at our partner shelters across the state until we have fosters lined up for them. This means that every new foster who joins our team is a true hero for at-risk kittens all over Texas!
Ready to get started? Follow these 4 easy steps!
Ready to get started? Follow these 4 easy steps!
Complete the Cat Foster Application online. Our phone screeners will reach out and review your application with you, and as long as you meet our basic requirements, you'll be approved on the spot! This approval is all you need to foster cats over 8 weeks old through our Cat Program, but there are a couple more steps to become eligible to foster with the Neonatal Program.
Reach out to our foster coordinators at bb-foster-pleas@austinpetsalive.org and tell us about what kind of fostering you'd like to do. Not sure where to start? Check out our most urgent needs, as well as our tips for choosing your first fosters, linked below!
Our coordinators will respond with a short list of questions for you, just to make sure your household and schedule are a good fit for neonates (these are listed at the bottom of this page, if you want a head start).
Once you have responded to the vetting questions, you'll receive a link to the Neonatal Foster Training. This short, self-paced slideshow is followed by an easy quiz, and once you've submitted the quiz, you're ready to take home your first foster kittens!
What does it take to become a Neonatal Foster?
What does it take to become a Neonatal Foster?
Fostering neonatal kittens requires dedication, compassion, and a bit of training. Don't worry- we'll teach you everything you'll need to know!
Some basic requirements for our fosters:
You must live within 30 minutes of our main clinic on Cesar Chavez, or sign an out-of-area waiver.
You must be willing and able to feed your foster kitties on a set schedule, which varies depending on the kittens' age:
Every 2 to 4 hours, with one longer 3 to 6 hour break overnight (kittens who are under ~4 weeks old and being fed formula), with newborns needing to be fed more frequently than kittens who are almost ready to transition from formula to kitten food
Every 4 to 8 hours, with one longer 8 hour break overnight (kittens over 4 weeks who are eating kitten food independently or who need to be syringe fed until they are gaining weight from eating on their own)
Fresh plates of food at least every 8 hours for pregnant cats and nursing moms with kittens
You must have an appropriate space for your fosters that is easy to clean and separate from any resident pets or other fosters. All cats and kittens must be quarantined for 10-14 days, and cannot meet dogs for the entire time they are in the Neonatal Program.
You must be willing to treat any non-emergency illnesses that arise. Mild illnesses such as colds, diarrhea, ringworm, etc. are very common in neonatal kittens, and fosters are expected to keep their kitties and treat any of these conditions as needed. You will have our support in learning to administer medications, and ALL of their medical care is free of charge through APA!
Our Most Urgent Needs:
Our Most Urgent Needs:
Overnight Fostering
Overnight Fostering
Once you have fostered at least 2 orphan litters, we would absolutely love to have your help with our emergency short-term placements! If you have fairly reliable availability and the ability to come to the nursery on short notice, we will add you to our Overnight Foster Rotation and reach out to you when we have an urgent need that fits with your preferences. Interested in joining the rotation? Email us at bbfostermanager@austinpetsalive.org!
Pregnant & Nursing Mom Cats
Pregnant & Nursing Mom Cats
Our program relies heavily on our pregnant/nursing momcat fosters! When we receive orphaned kittens who are healthy and under 3 weeks old, we try our best to match them up with a nursing mom cat who has fewer than 7 healthy kittens in the same age range. We find that kittens have the best outcomes when they are raised by a mama cat, and matching healthy kittens up with families helps us reserve our amazing bottle baby fosters for kittens who are too sick to join a family, or who are not a good age/size match with any of our existing families.
There are so many great reasons to foster pregnant cats and nursing families- whether you work full time and need a low-maintenance foster gig, want to help our our orphan add-ons, or just love watching mama cats raising their little ones, fostering a family is always a great choice!
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