Foster for The Comfie Cat Shelter
Welcome to The Comfie Cat Shelter Foster Application. Volunteer foster parents provide temporary in-home care for animals that are not quite ready to find their forever homes as well as providing palliative care for animals requiring a quiet, comfortable home for the remaining days of their life.
This document serves to both inform and protect the potential Foster Family and The Comfie Cat Shelter by outlining the terms and conditions connected to our foster program.
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Fostering can be an incredible experience for everyone involved and you can feel great knowing that you have made a positive difference in a cat's journey. Fostering commitments range from a few days to a few months, so you can choose what foster options best suit your lifestyle and commitment level. There are many things to consider when deciding if fostering is right for you.
Foster Volunteers Must:
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Be at least 18 years old
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Have access to regular transportation
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Must live within a 40 km drive from our shelter.
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Complete a foster family online profile (which will be assigned to you once application is approved)
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Ensure that animals can be fostered in your home
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Ability to pick up your foster within a 36-hour timeframe
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Be able to set aside time to bring your foster animal in to the shelter for follow-up vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery (could be as often as every three weeks)
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Take on the responsibility for routine care in your home during the foster period
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Isolate foster animals from existing family pets within the home, as required
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Quarantine your foster animals for 14 days to prevent disease spread, as required
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Kitten-proof your home to reduce potential safety hazards
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Maintain a peaceful, loving and enriching environment for the foster animals and spend quality time socializing them
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Utilize the emergency contact numbers for any after-hour emergencies
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Maintain regular communication with the Foster Program Coordinator which also includes sending picture updates through the private Facebook Foster Group (you will be sent an invite once you have fosters in your care). *For kittens, weekly picture postings are required.
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Commit to the entire foster period with the animal(s)
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Spend a minimum of two hours per day with kittens to socialize them and monitor their health (time commitments will vary depending on the foster animals).
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Existing animals in the home must be up-to-date on vaccinations, spayed/neutered and in good health
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Every family member in the household will need to be prepared for the commitment and emotions involved with fostering.
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By submitting the Foster Application, you understand that the foster cat/kittens belong to The Comfie Cat Shelter and should you wish to adopt one or more of the cat/kittens you are fostering, you will still be required to go through the Adoption process which begins with speaking to the Foster Coordinator about your intensions, followed by submitting an online adoption application from this website and paying the adoption fee upon finalizing of the adoption contract at the shelter
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You agree that you will return the foster animal to the shelter when instructed to do as such
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You agree to contact the Foster Coordinator should you feel that your foster animal requires a vet visit. At no time are you to take the animal to the vet yourself, it will be the responsibility of the shelter management to attend the vet with the animal(s)
Foster Parent Testimonials
Why did I become a foster mom for The Comfie Cat Shelter? My teen daughter volunteered at the shelter to get her hours for high school, and she liked it so much that I decided to volunteer, too. I cleaned at the PetSmart adoption centre, which I really enjoyed. Many people would ask me if the cats were good with dogs, but of course, it’s the Comfie CAT shelter, so unless they came from a home that had a dog, we just didn’t know. Well, I’ve got a dog. So, I thought maybe I could foster and then some of the cats would be exposed to a dog (and she is a handful, so if a cat can handle Daisy, they should be able to take any dog!).
Our first litter was a sweetheart mom and her six 1-day old babies! Talk about jumping into the deep end! They spent 9 weeks with us, it was a privilege to take care of the babies and mom and watch the kittens grow and develop their personalities. There were some bumps along the way, but Tammy and others at the shelter were so incredibly helpful and supportive, which made all the difference to my confidence! It was very rewarding, but also tough to let them go. However, seeing them all go to loving fur-ever homes made me so proud that my family and I had helped raise these little sweeties.
Since then, we’ve had 2 more litters of 6 kittens. The first litter of kittens stayed with us for less than a month before being adopted, and the current litter of 6 boys has been with us for just under a month. They have had a few health challenges, but with the advice and support of the shelter’s volunteers and Tammy, we have gotten them healthy and chubby!
So, why do I love fostering so much? Taking in newborn kittens and watching them grow, bringing home underweight little dudes and seeing them get chonky, and watching “spicy” kitties turn into love bugs is so rewarding. My 3 girls love helping take care of them and they are the best at socializing the kittens! My “we’re not getting a cat” husband (see how I got around that rule, fosters don’t stay forever...well, not so far) lets them sit on his desk while he’s working and loves to play with them. And as for me, I’m a stay-at-home mom whose girls are all teenagers and (mostly) self-sufficient. I need someone to take care of! The kittens need us, they need the love and attention that we have to give. And they give us so much, too.
Will I keep fostering? You bet! Whenever one of the litters leaves, I’m pestering Tammy to give me more kitties! If you are considering fostering, if you have the space in your home and the time to give to them, give it a try. You’ll be giving love to the little kittens who really need it, and you’ll get all the kitty cuteness that you can handle!"
Lisa D.
**Foster Agreement Disclaimer**
By submitting the above application I agree to:
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I certify that my answers are true and complete to the best of my knowledge.
If this application leads to fostering, I understand that false information in my application or interview may result in denial of future fostering.
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I understand that I cannot adopt the foster cat in my care without a formal adoption application, approval, contract and payment.
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I agree to notify The Comfie Cat Shelter immediately if I want to discontinue the agreement/or wish to return the cat in my care.
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PLEASE BE SURE TO CALL YOUR VET AND GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO SPEAK US AS PART OF YOUR FOSTER APPROVAL.
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