Fostering cats is a rewarding experience for the entire family. It teaches children to love and care for a pet, with the intention of them finding a loving home. For foster parents, the satisfaction is in saving an animal from a potentially terrible life, and being the link that brings that cat to a new owner.

Foster Carer Guidelines

Foster Carers are required to:

• Have existing household cats desexed and up-to-date with vaccinations and worming
• Communicate in a timely manner
• Make vet appointments in a timely manner when asked by Coordinator, and follow through with attending them
• Monitor cat and advise Coordinator if any medical concerns arise
• Request supplies for cat, including food refills
• Provide cat litter (the only thing we cannot provide)
• Collect and administer worming tablets and any other required medications
• Provide updated photos and blurbs, for advertising
• Drop off and pick up cat when scheduled to attend Adoption Days
• Hold meet and greets with potential adopters
• Present cat up for adoption, when advised by their Coordinator
• Advise if going away and requiring care for foster cat. We generally allow for third parties to care for the cat if you’re going away, provided we are advised prior to the arrangement. We can also arrange for alternate care in another foster home whilst you’re away

We aim to provide all supplies, including food, except cat litter. We also supply worming tablets and any other required medication; please don’t supply or administer medications with the express permission of a Coordinator.

Foster Carers are not to:

• Offer to foster cats on our behalf to members of the Public, without our approval
• Foster animals from other organisations whilst fostering a cat from us – this is due to contagion control and insurance purposes
• Personally advertise foster cats on any platforms without approval
• Accept payment from adopters for foster cats
• Hold meet and greets with persons unknown to A Safe Place For Meow Inc.
• Hand foster cats to unknown persons without Coordinator approval. A Coordinator will advise when an adoption has been approved and the cat is ready to be released to its new owner
• Purchase and/or administer any medications or products to foster cats without Coordinator permission – we provide all medical supplies and medications to, in line with Vet advice

Basic Husbandry and Care

• All our foster cats must be kept INDOOR ONLY. The only circumstances where they are allowed outdoors are a) within an enclosed outdoor enclosure, or b) on a secure leash with human supervision. Any breach of this rule can result in an immediate termination of your fostering.
• Sometimes cats are stressed or frightened due to a sudden change in their living environment. It may take a while (especially adult cats) to get used to the indoor environment. Hiding, hissing or other inappropriate behaviour might occur. In the first few days, we recommend housing your new foster cat in a safe, quiet, isolated area, to settle down without excessive noise or scents from other animals. It is important for them to have a gradual and slow introduction. 
• Worming: Our cats are regularly wormed and Coordinators will provide you a collection location for supplied worming tablets when the cats are due. If you have any issues with giving tablets, please let your Coordinator know so we can provide support.
• As every Foster Carer has different commitments and working schedules, we encourage you to contact directly on to arrange appointments at times that suit you, when advised by your Coordinator, for: vaccinations, desexing, medical issues.
  • Where you make an appointment with a Vet clinic for a procedure covered by ASPFM Inc. and you miss it, the no-show fee may be passed on to you for personal payment.

Foster Supplies

Food

• We can provide dry food for all our foster cats/kittens. Don’t hesitate to contact your Coordinator to arrange for more dry food when required.
  • Bottle babies are to drink Wombaroo formula (Divetelact if Wombaroo is not available)
  • Kittens less than 6 weeks old are supplied with Royal Canin Baby & Mother Cat wet and dry, or Advance Kitten wet and dry.
  • Kittens 6-12weeks are supplied with Royal Canin Kitten wet and dry, or Advance Kitten dry.
  • Kittens between 12wk – 1yr are supplied with Advance Kitten dry.
  • Adults are supplied with Advance Multi dry.
  • The foods specified above are to remain the main staple of our cats’ diets. Foster Carers may mix alternative dry food with the biscuits, and/or introduce wet food in addition.
• Some cats may have specific medical condition that requires a specific prescription diet, which will be provided to you prior to/at the time of handover. Please check with your Coordinator and notify us if you are running low on supply. DO NOT suddenly change their diet without notifying us, as it can impact on the cat’s condition.
• Occasionally, cats/kittens can suffer from mild gastrointestinal upset with the sudden change of diet. Common findings including diarrhea/soft faeces, colour changes in the faeces, vomiting, reduced appetite, etc. It can be normal to have one or some of the above signs for up to 3-5 days after diet change. Please monitor any symptoms and notify your Coordinator if the animal does not improve within 5 days.

Supplies

• We provide supplies such as cat carriers, food and water bowls, toys, beds and/or litter trays.
• The only thing that we cannot provide is cat litter due to limited funds. 
• We encourage Foster Carers to get their own carriers for fostering animals, to eliminate the chance of disease transmission.

Medical Advice and Assistance

• We affiliate with a few local veterinary clinic and hospitals, which provide discounted consultations and medications to us. We also have a volunteer Veterinarian Nurse on our Team, who provides us with regular guidance and advise, and undertakes health checks and vaccinations if available, outside working hours.
• We understand it can be quite stressful when a foster cat falls sick, so we are here to help when things go wrong. Please follow the guidelines below if your foster cat is possibly experiencing a serious medical condition.

Contact Information

• Your Coordinator will be your main point of contact. If your Coordinator has not made initial contact with you within a few days, please message the Facebook page and we will assist you.
• Veterinary work:
  • For any health concerns or medical issues, please advise your Coordinator first, instead of contacting the local vets. Under no circumstance should you contact your local vets for your foster animals before notifying our team members, EXCEPT emergency situations where you have tried unsuccessfully to get in contact with us.
• We would also like to invite you to our ASPFM Foster Family closed group on Facebook. It is the place to ask for tips, communicate other foster carers and share videos, photos and comments about your foster cats.

Please email your application to asafeplaceformeowinc@gmail.com

Full foster carer terms and conditions are sent on approval or request.