Spring is upon the Bay Area, and with those sunny skies, longer days and milder weather comes the inevitable pitter patter of little feet…kitten season.
As the warm weather coincides with female cats' heat cycles, female cats go into heat and male cats come running from near and far. By April, newborn kittens are brought to the shelter too young to be adopted — under eight weeks old — and shelter staff must find a way to provide them with the extra care and socialization they need during their first few weeks of life. That’s where you can step in and lend a huge helping hand.
The Foster Care Program is designed as a lifeline for animals who have a chance at survival, but are simply too young for adoption, or may be recovering from an injury or illness, and cannot yet enter the general population of the adoption center. With the love and care of devoted foster parents, these helpless animals are given a second chance for life.
Most of the animals in our foster program are cute, cuddly underage kittens. Our foster homes are dedicated to giving these young animals a second chance at life. Without the help of these volunteers, opening their hearts and homes, over 1200 animals annually would not find their way into loving adoptive homes.
Your help is invaluable to these animals.
As spring and summer roll in, our need for foster homes more than doubles. Each day, we are met with new underage kittens in need of a safe place to be fed, cared for and socialized until they are old enough to enter the adoption program.
Are you ready to foster?
Are you able to separate foster animals from your own animals?
Are you able to get to the SF SPCA quickly in case of emergency?
Will you commit to veterinary appointments with the SF SPCA, and administer medications if needed?
All foster homes will need to return foster animals to the SF SPCA when the foster time is complete, so they may be adopted into loving homes. Of course – this means you could be the temporary family for multiple kittens each year!
Want more information?
Visit our Foster Care pages [2] to learn how foster care works and download the necessary forms.
Ready to speak with us?
Please call our Foster Care Coordinator at (415) 522-3542 or drop us an email at foster@sfspca.org [3]
Not ready to be a foster parent? You can still help. Donate to the San Francisco SPCA [4] today!
