Fostering
What does it mean to "Foster"?
When you foster, you agree to take a homeless cat into your home and give him or her love, care and attention, either for a predetermined period of time or until the cat is adopted.
Foster parents are responsible to:
- Provide a secure environment for their fosters
- Help fosters learn to love and trust humans
- Accept love and snuggles
- Assure adequate food and water are provided
- Communicate with ROCK volunteer leadership to meet individual medical needs
- Administer any medication prescribed
- Prepare fosters for the next chapter in their lives
- Let go of the most amazing animals knowing you have made a difference
- Assist in coordinating transport for their fosters
- Assist in the Adoption process to find their foster's forever home
What is the time requirement to foster?
Being a foster parent is one of the most rewarding and potentially heartbreaking roles in rescue. Many of our fosters will require time to adjust, heal and trust. The time requirement to foster is approximately 2-5 hours per month outside normal feedings and individual cat care.
Time requirements:
- Occasionally transporting to or from medical or adoption appointments
- Capturing pictures and provide biographies of your foster's online profiles
- Feeding and standard care
- Administering medication if necessary
What if I am not comfortable with an animal?
ROCK strives to provide the best foster parent match for each of our cats. This means if you need to take a break, aren't comfortable administering a medication or treatment, or have a conflict with your foster and existing animals in your home we will move the animal to another situation that better meets the needs of the foster family and cat. Staying in communication with ROCK's volunteer leadership to communicate upcoming needs and family changes will assist us in meeting both the needs of your family and your fosters.
Why is fostering so important?
Fostering an animal essentially saves the life of the cat you have agreed to foster and the life of the cat that can be saved in the shelter location your foster cat no longer occupies. Fostering is so much more than just keeping the cat safe. Often fostering provides a place for the cat to get healthy, learn to trust again, learn to play for the very first time, and rest in safety.
Without fosters ROCK is unable to continue bringing friendly animals into safety. Fosters are one of the foundations of our organization.
