Cat/Kitten Foster Parent Introduction

Before applying to foster with Animal Rescue of the Rockies, please review the foster parent expectations below.

As an Animal Rescue of the Rockies cat foster, you’ll be joining an elite team of cat foster parents. You will be able to choose which cats or kittens you’d like to foster based on your comfort level, experience, and preferences.

Most of our cats and kittens are cared for in foster homes, although we do operate two cage-free cat adoption centers. One is our Cat Casita in Fairplay, Colorado and the other is our Cat Cottage at the Just Cats store in Denver. We also use several PetSmart stores to facilitate adoptions and find that cats and kittens can get adopted quickly at these stores.

If you are brand new to fostering, we highly recommend starting out with adults for at least the first 1-2 fosters. Fosters of adult cats may be asked to work with healthy cats looking for a forever home, under-socialized/shy cats, older cats, cats on special diets, or cats with medical issues. Fostering an adult cat can be a short-term or long-term commitment.

Kitten fosters may be asked to work with kittens too young, too small, or not yet healthy enough to be adopted. Foster kittens may or may not still be with their mom and could require bottle feeding. Fosters may also choose to foster pregnant and nursing mothers. Fostering kittens is usually a 2-10 week commitment depending on the age of the litter.

As an ARR foster, you will be expected to:

• Provide a safe, healthy, nurturing environment for your foster cats/kittens.
• Keep fosters in “quarantine” away from other household pets or unrelated foster pets for at least 14 days.
• If you already own cats, your cats must be current on their FVRCP vaccine and have been spayed or neutered. We will call your vet to verify this for the protection of your own pets.
• Ensure your foster’s basic needs are met by providing them with food, fresh water and clean litter boxes. (ARR appreciates it if you can supply your own food, litter, and toys for your fosters so that we can save more lives. If you need help with supplies or food, let us know. The Colorado Pet Pantry often has food and supplies available, and sometimes we receive donations of supplies, which we dispense to fosters as needed.)
• Socialize your fosters by spending at least 2 hours per day with them. This can be done in smaller increments of time such as 20-minute play/feeding sessions, for example.
• Be able to handle some fractious behavior or adjustment problems that might arise in a new space.
• Understand the risk of zoonotic (transmissible to humans) diseases and disease transmission to other pets.
• Keep foster cats/kittens indoors.
• Be comfortable giving medication if required.
• Provide own transportation for appointments and pickup.
• Schedule and administer preventive care treatments for your foster kittens when they are due. Report all treatments via vaccination and medication logs provided in the welcome email.
• Schedule spay/neuter appointments for any unaltered fosters.
• Help market your foster kittens by writing and submitting their Petfinder/website biographies and taking pictures and videos of them.
• Facilitate the adoption of your foster cats/kittens by reviewing applications, responding to applicants and inquiries, and conducting meet & greets and home visits (these can be done virtually) OR by taking your foster to a PetSmart store in coordination with one of our PetSmart store coordinators.
• Follow all of ARR’s foster program policies as outlined in the foster manual.

If you are interested in fostering a cat, please fill out the cat foster application below.

Also, please make sure to read, download and print our Foster Guidelines. They contain helpful information for foster parents, and it is required that you read and understand them.