According to The Humane Society, about 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized—put to death humanely. Tragically, this is because shelters have become so full that they do not have space or resources to properly care for all of the animals that need help. However, if you are like me and want to do your part to change that distressing statistic, keep reading.

   Obviously, you can always help shelters by donating or volunteering but not many people know that you can actually foster animals at home. Fostering means that you and your family take care of an animal—usually, a cat or dog—for as little time as a week or until that pet is able to be adopted.  My specialty is cats and kittens but there are also hundreds of resources to help you foster puppies or dogs as well.

   I have been fostering cats and kittens for five years now, and I can personally say that it is not only rewarding but even more enjoyable than I expected. Originally I started after rescuing two kittens from under my porch a few winters ago but continued after seeing the look on my friend’s face when she adopted the kitten I had cared for. 

   Before getting started things you need to know: what you need, what this responsibility entails, where to start, and of course, how to convince your family. First of all, to foster cats or kittens you will need a cage for transportation, a litter box or two, some wet and dry food, bowls for food and water, a box/bed for sleeping, some towels, and some toys (optional). You will also need a space to contain them—cats can pretty much always move around your whole house but young kittens should be confined in one small area to start. I keep my cats in the basement to prevent having cat hair and litter boxes all over my house, and kittens in the bathroom for the first few weeks or sometimes days. 

   In short, fostering means that you need to feed, clean up after, play with, love, and sometimes socialize your cats or kittens. While this is a lot of fun it is also a big responsibility. To start fostering you need to reach out to a shelter or organization and ask how you can help. My favorite is Ohio Alleycat Rescue (OAR) right here in Cincinnati because they are so helpful, give you any supplies you need, and you can choose the kind of cats you foster (how many, ages, feral or not, sick or healthy, etc…). There are also a lot of other great local shelters such as the SPCA and Clermont Animal Care. 

   If this sounds like something you want to do then you might need help getting your family on board. First of all, fostering gives you a temporary pet. This is great if you need to show your parents that you take care of an animal (a trial pet) or if your family just can not take care of another living creature full time. This also means that you can always have an adorable kitten or puppy without them turning into a full-grown cat or dog. Furthermore, most shelters let you choose how long you want to be a foster parent. Most importantly, this is a great (and fun) way to put in some time and give back!