Become a Foster Parent

Become a Foster Parent

Fostering animals is, simply put, saving lives. When you become a foster parent, you volunteer to keep a homeless pet in your home temporarily until they go to their forever.   Purr Partners is run entirely through foster care.

We believe that with a little preparation, most people would make great foster parents. Here are eight reasons why you should consider becoming a foster parent with Purr Partners.

1. Fostering increases an animal’s chance of getting adopted.  Foster families are usually the first to find out about the pet’s personality. You may even be the first to teach your foster pet basic house manners, making them more appealing to potential adopters.

2. Your own pets will learn more social skills. The more animals your pets come in contact with, the better they are at dealing with stress and getting used to strangers. Your pet might even find a playmate in your foster pet.

3. You get to see if you’re ready to own another pet. Maybe you want to foster a certain breed to see if you’re ready to adopt one, or you want to see if adding a cat into your all-dog household will upset the balance. Or maybe you want a new pet now but aren’t sure where you’ll be in the next 5, 10, 15, or 20 years. Though fostering is not a trial adoption period for that pet, it can help you try out changes to your current “fur family.”

4. Fostering is temporary. Cats require minimal space and are very low-maintenance, so they don’t take a lot of time to look after. Knowing the foster animal will only be with you for a short time makes it easier to find the time to take care of them, and it also makes it easier to give them up when it’s time.

5. You probably already have the space for one more.  A spare bedroom or office is the perfect place for a foster pet. Even a bathroom is enough room for a kitten or a cat and it’s much larger than a cage in a shelter. Sometimes a spare room is the only thing standing between an animal and euthanasia in an animal control facility.

6. You can choose how to foster. Only want to foster adult cats? Prefer to look after kittens? Can’t foster for more than a few months at a time? We can accommodate your requests, as long as you agree to it beforehand and give us plenty of notice about changes.

7. Fostering keeps animals out of shelters.  Our cats are all rescued from hi-kill shelters where there is little hope of getting out.   With more foster families we can save more cats and kittens.  And there’s nothing like the love and warmth of a family! Animals in foster care tend to be less stressed, better socialized, and have a lower chance of getting sick than animals in shelters.

8. You are saving a life. You feel good and our rescue group helps more animals, and your foster pet is happy, healthy, and well-socialized. Talk about win-win-win!

Complete the Foster Application and get started saving lives!