Open Your Heart and Home to Animals in Need
Each year, thousands of KHS pets spend time in loving foster homes temporarily healing, growing or decompressing. These foster homes expand our shelter walls exponentially, and you can play a part by joining our foster network.
While fostering shelter pets may seem daunting, most of our foster caregivers work full time jobs and have other pets at home. Assignments range from a few days to a few months depending on the animal and their needs, and our team is always happy to work around your schedule! Plus, all KHS foster caregivers are equipped with the necessary supplies and 24/7 support needed to succeed.
Cat Fostering:
- Moms with litters: By giving a feline family a comfortable home to nurse and grow, you’ll allow a devoted mama cat to focus fully on her babies.
- Transitional and bottle-fed babies: Kittens separated from their moms need specialized, round-the-clock care. We recommend experienced foster caregivers sign up to help with this fragile group, and provide extra guidance and counseling regarding bottle feeding.
- Weaned kittens: Between five and eight weeks old, kittens begin transitioning to solid food. New foster families often find this time especially fun, watching each kitten’s personality emerge! They still need supervision and care, but are more independent than nursing babies.
- Under-socialized kittens: Kitten socialization is extra rewarding because with a little work, a nervous kitty will blossom into a confident cat before your very eyes. Patience is key with these babies!
- Adult cats: Grown ups need love, too! Whether they need a break from shelter life or time to recover from medical care, fostering an adult cat is simple: you provide a quiet, loving place for them to land until they’re ready to find a forever home.
Dog Fostering:
- Under-socialized puppies: Helping a puppy or two adjust to the big, scary world we live in makes a big difference when it comes time for them to find forever homes. You can take home a single puppy or a dynamic duo – either way, you’re making a big difference.
- Moms and litters: Similar to fostering cat litters, mama dogs need a safe, peaceful place to nurse their babies. They do all of the heavy lifting – you just provide the love.
- Weaned puppies: As puppies wean from their mom and transition to solid food, they begin to form individual personalities, as well. This can be an extra-fun time to bring home a puppy or two, as they’re prime sources of 24/7 entertainment!
- Adult dogs: Giving an adult dog a shelter break is especially impactful, as their shelter stays are typically much longer than younger animals. With dogs of all shapes, sizes and energy levels needing breaks from shelter life, we always do our best to match you with a pup who suits your lifestyle and home dynamic.
Horse Fostering:
- Under-socialized horses: Our Willow Hope Farm welcomes equines from all walks of life – and sometimes donkeys, too! Residents who are too shy or fearful for adoption are eligible for short-term foster placements so they can adjust to the big world around them before finding their new family.
- Recently-weaned mares: Mares whose foals are weaned need some extra TLC to recuperate from months of tireless child-rearing! You can help a grateful mom by giving her a quiet, comfortable place to decompress.
- Long-term residents: Equine friends who have called Willow Hope Farm for extended amounts of time are also eligible for foster breaks. Having new surroundings to enjoy and new friends to spend time with makes a big difference in their quality of life!
No matter what type of horse you’re interested in fostering, we’d love to have you join our network of equine fosters. Simply contact our Equine C.A.R.E. team to get started!
