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 If the kids or the cat or the dog have left home and you’re looking for something to love, there’s a kitten or pup asking for you.
The RSPCA and other animal care groups are looking for kind, loving foster parents for a variety of animals that either are too young to go to new homes or need special, tender care to recover from illness or accidents.
And like all babies, foster pups and kittens are a mixture of joy and sleepless nights with on-demand feeding around the clock, special medication where required and the interminable cleaning up afterwards, all of which is compensated many times over by the joy of seeing a little four-legged vegemite prosper and grow under your care.
Fostering is like being a grandparent because you can mollycoddle the young fur balls but only for a short time before you have to send them to a new home!
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Are you a potential foster parent?
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There are two principal carers looking for foster mums and dads - the RSPCA and the Unweaned Kitten and Fostering Network.
No special knowledge nor equipment is necessary because both will advise you on the best methods of care and will help with any special needs. The help is needed urgently because summer is the cat breeding season and, the Christmas season is a sad time for unwanted puppies too.
If you are left with unweaned kittens, the best thing to do is to wrap them in a towel, warmed with a warm hot-water bottle and feed them only on cooled, boiled water until you seek help. In Brisbane you can contact the Unweaned Kitten and Fostering Network through Julie O’Connor on 07 3351 4335 for further help and information. Otherwise contact your local veterinarian or animal welfare centre.
The RSPCA is also seeking foster parents. Last year more than two thousand animals were fostered by volunteer carers around Queensland alone. The RSPCA in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory also have foster programs.
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What is the Foster Program?
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Basically, foster parents provide temporary homes for animals that are not ready to go to new permanent homes for a variety of reasons. For example, puppies and kittens may be too young to be desexed and will be exposed to disease if they wait out their time at the refuge. Older dogs and cats may be suffering from specific problems, like abuse, hair loss or emaciation and simply need a quiet place to recover before looking for a new home.
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What are the requirements?
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Anyone over the age of eighteen can foster an animal, provided they can supply these requirements:
1. A Secure Environment
Puppies and kittens are best kept in a small, easily disinfected area like a laundry or kitchen. If animals are to be outside, it is very important to have secure fencing.
2. Time to spend with your foster animals
It is important, especially for very young animals, that you have time to spend playing with and cuddling them. You will also need time to feed young animals a minimum of three times each day. Cleaning up their mess can also be time consuming.
3. Access to transport
Your foster animals will need to be picked up from the refuge and you may also need to come back to the refuge for their treatment or to pick up new supplies.
Carers can specify the number of animals they can foster, with most choosing two to three animals at a time.
The length of time an animal spends in care varies. For example, puppies and kittens awaiting desexing usually only stay for one-two weeks, but animals with illnesses or injuries can spend anywhere from a month to six months in a foster home depending on their condition.
Many foster parents have animals of their own. It is VERY important that your own animals are fully vaccinated for their own protection.
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Support services
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In the case of the RSPCA, foster parents receive an initial supply of food as well as worming treatment and any medication their charges may need. They will also receive tips for caring for their foster animals and can contact the RSPCA for advice at any time. The RSPCA does not cover the cost of carpet cleaning if foster parents decide to give their puppies and kittens access to carpeted areas!
It is important to remember that all foster animals have suffered some form of trauma - at the very least, they have been taken from their mother at an early age and thrown into new and frightening surroundings. Refuge staff do not have time to give the individual care a young animal needs. This is where the foster parents are essential.
The foster animals will require feeding 3-4 times a day and regular cleaning. That means any prospective foster parent needs to be dedicated to their job.
Most foster parents agree that saying goodbye to foster animals does hurt but also agree that giving animals a chance at life far outweighs the pain of parting. And of course, there are always plenty of other puppies and kittens, dogs and cats waiting to fill the space they leave!
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RSPCA contact details
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You can become a foster carer by contacting the RSPCA on:
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- Northern Territory - 08 8984 3795
- Queensland - 07 3426 9999
- Tasmania - 03 6244 3033
- Victoria - 03 9224 2226
- Western Australia - 08 9248 3155
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You will receive an application form and then will be interviewed by an RSPCA staff member. After this, your name will be kept on file until the RSPCA finds a foster animal or animals suitable for you. Sometimes this may take a while – but remember, all animal organizations rarely let people who want to help get away!
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Adoption services
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Not all states currently run a fostering program but check with your local vet, RSPCA or Animal Welfare centre and they can point you in the right direction. You may be able to assist these shelters in other ways or adopt a kitten or puppy instead. Don't hesitate to call for advice. Contact details for RSPCA adoption centres in these states are:
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- NSW (Sydney) - 02 9770 7555
- ACT - 02 6287 8100
- SA - 08 8382 9962
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Dr Cam Day BVSc BSc MACVSc is a veterinary surgeon, an animal behaviour consultant and media presenter. In 1995 he qualified as a Member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in the discipline of Animal Behaviour and is one of only 15 veterinarians with this qualification in Australia. He works full time in animal behaviour management in Queensland, consulting with dog, cat and bird owners on a daily basis as well as appearing on air as Brisbane’s radio Pet Vet, and writing for various magazines.
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