Kitten Foster
Every year, 75+ foster families give nearly 400 kittens and cats a safe, caring temporary home. In the different kitten foster homes, there are socialization of young kittens, caring for mother cats to raise their young, and feeding and providing loving care for the neonates without moms. Without these foster homes, many of these cats and kittens would not survive. Kitten Foster Program homes also free up space within the shelter, which means more lives are saved!
Specific goals of the Kitten Foster Program
- Providing a safe nurturing environment for mother cats to raise their kittens
- Socializing and caring for weaned kittens until they are due to come back to the shelter
- Being a ‘mom’ to the neonates (bottle babies) until they are weaned and eating solid food
Foster home requirements
- A warm, dry, safe place in a separate room, in the home, away from other animals
- The ability to keep accurate records of weights, etc., if required
- Commitment through the duration of the foster process: 2 weeks to 3 months depending on the age of the kittens at the time of foster
- Spending a minimum of two hours per day with the foster kittens (and momma if she’s with them), for socialization and basic care
- Ability to travel to the Peoria location for vet visits or if kittens get sick
- Foster families with children are welcome, but parents must assume responsibility for the foster kittens
Ready to take that next step?
Contact our kitten foster coordinator at melissa.penny@4pawsrescue.org. Thank you!
Senior and Special Needs Foster
We get many senior cats due to the retirement area we are located. Many of these older cats are healthy and adoptable, but some have medical issues that will require various types of medications or not, extra vet visits and more care. Additionally, we sometimes get cats have or develop develop medical conditions while waiting for adoption. We consider these cats to be ‘Special Needs’. Each cat, whether a Senior with medical issues or a younger cat with lifelong medical issues, Sun Cities 4 Paws would cover medications and/or other recommendations, along with veterinary visits as needed or requested by our veterinarian.
The specific goal of the Senior Foster/Special Needs Program is to provide a safe and loving home outside of the shelter environment, in turn freeing up space for us to save more lives.
Senior Foster/Special Needs foster home requirements:
- Be able to give medications as needed (you will be educated on how to administer any needed medications)
- Be able to watch for signs that a medication is not working or there is another issue we need to know about and schedule a vet visit
- Be able to bring the cat (in a carrier) to the Peoria location for vet visits as requested by our vet. This varies depending on the cat’s medical needs.
- Be able to bring the cat in and drop the cat off if a specialist visit is required
- Be able to recognize the signs of decline in older cats and contact us
- Be able to foster the cat long term.
Interested in providing a home for a senior foster/special needs cat? Please email dawn.hood@4pawsrescue.org
