The Stratford Perth Humane Society is looking to bolster its roster of local foster homes as this year’s kitten season begins to ramp up.
The Stratford Perth Humane Society is in desperate need of foster homes for cats, kittens and other animals as the local animal shelter enters its busiest time of year – kitten season.
As shelter staff work to take in and care for an influx of pregnant cats and orphaned kittens, the society’s community outreach director, Calla James, said foster parents are needed to provide a temporary home and, in some cases, round-the-clock care . With just 20 foster homes in Stratford and Perth County, the need for people who can care for animals until they’re ready for adoption is real.
“We ramped up our program for fostering over the pandemic. We really saw that need grow throughout the pandemic. We really wanted to make sure that animals were moving into foster homes to keep our centers open for those who need us the most,” James said. “We move into what people would traditionally call ‘kitten season’ in the springtime (and) we’ve seen from year to year that our Stratford-Perth location has been receiving individual kittens, pregnant moms and litters, so we are putting a call out for foster homes because we are seeing that need go up.”
While cats and kittens from the Stratford-Perth area can be sent to foster homes in the Kitchener-Waterloo region if necessary, James said having local foster parents ready to take in an animal that requires round-the-clock care shortly after they arrive in shelter allows staff to free up space for the next cat or kitten that comes in while ensuring every animal, no matter their needs, is properly cared for in a safe environment.
“So we want to make sure that people are applying and we’re going through that training process with them so they’re set up and ready to go as soon as we have an animal that comes into the centre,” James said. “And just with the number of cats and kittens we’ve seen at the start of the season so far, and the number of animals we’ve moved into foster, we always like to make sure we have a good buffer and a lot of hands just in case that number continues to rise.”
While some animals require more constant care than others, like orphaned kittens that need bottle feeding every few hours, others, like pregnant cats or adult cats with litters, can be left on their own for longer periods of time, allowing foster parents a little more flexibility in their schedules while providing that care.
For those unsure whether they can fit caring for a cat, kitten or other animal into their daily schedules, James is encouraging them to visit kwsphumane.ca/how-to-help/foster to fill out an application, so shelter staff can reach out and work with the would-be foster parents to find an animal they can care for.
“It really varies as to what a home can provide, even if it’s just being able to welcome a mom and a litter in, which is a little bit easier. You can get up and spend time with them in the morning, and if they’re OK, you go to work. And then when you come home, you’re spending more time with them again,” James said.
“Really, we want anyone who’s interested to contact us and we can fit an animal that would work best with your situation at home.”
The humane society pays for all food, supplies and any medical costs for animals in foster care.