WHY FOSTER?
Fostering is a meaningful way to directly impact and improve a cat’s life while supporting the broader rescue efforts of Big Apple Cats. By providing a temporary, nurturing home, you give a cat the stability and care they need to recover (as needed), socialize, and prepare for adoption. You will give vulnerable cats a temporary, loving home, helping to keep them out of the shelter and allowing us to take in more cats in need.
Many cats simply don’t thrive in shelter/caged environments, and fostering gives them the chance to show their true personalities in a safe home. As a foster home for over 10 years, the founders of Big Apple Cats have seen firsthand how transformative this experience can be—not only for the cats, but for the people who welcome them in. It’s a deeply rewarding journey (a life hack, if you will) that creates space for more lives to be saved- one cat (or pair of kittens!) at a time.
WHAT DOES FOSTERING ENTAIL?
The foster families of Big Apple Cats are expected to provide food, water, toys, and love to their foster kitties. BAC can loan supplies to get started (litter boxes, food bowls, and more!) and will also cover all medical care and needs.
We rely on foster families for photos, videos, and text updates on their kitties. The families offer valuable insight on what type of forever home will be the right fit, the cat’s likes and dislikes, whether he/she might do well with another animal, etc. We often say that the foster homes will learn more about the cat’s personality than we do!
If you have another cat in the home, this is no issue at all. All fosters should be kept separate for a minimum of 72 hours to ensure there is nothing that can pass from foster to resident cat.
WHO CAN FOSTER?
Anyone is welcome to foster! As long as you have the space (bathroom, extra room, or the entire apartment) we welcome you to apply! Let us know your lifestyle/work schedule and we can recommend the appropriate type of foster cat! We are always in need of experienced medical fosters, socializing fosters, and bottle feeding fosters- so if you fall into any of those categories, please let us know! We welcome first time cat people to apply to join the foster network as well- fostering is a great way to learn about all things cats!
WHERE DO WE GET FOSTERS?
All of our kitties are rescues of various types. This can mean from the streets, from a basement, or from a hoarding situation. Sometimes, we pull from the city shelter. Sometimes, we hear about a cat about to be abandoned and take the cat in before that happens. Sometimes, cats who were previously adopted through us need to be returned through no fault of their own! Every cat is vetted and treated for worms and fleas before heading into foster care. Should any cat show signs of illness while in foster care, we are here to answer calls and texts 24/7 to guide treatment or seek veterinary treatment.
Once you are approved to foster, we will most likely have you pick up the foster cat or kittens from our volunteer office on the UWS. This is also where we have you bring the cat and kitten for any medical care and for their eventual adoption!
HOW LONG IS FOSTERING?
Fostering can be however long or short of a time that you choose. We do require a minimum 2 week commitment so that the cat or kittens are not bounced around too often, because this can cause stress on the animal. Our hope is that the majority of foster families commit to fostering until their cat gets adopted. This can be a range of time and its hard to say exactly how long it will be.