Become a Fosterer for Rugby Cats Protection
Have you ever thought about fostering? Rugby CP are inundated with requests to take in cats, but we are limited to how many we can help due to the number of fosterers we have.
Do I need to be able to drive?
Yes, fosterers need to be able to take the cats to the vets for check-ups/neutering/vaccinating and in case of emergencies.
Do you have to have a pen? Or could you foster and have the cats in the house?
Cats can be fostered in the home or in a garden pen. Fosterers who take cats into their own home must have a spare room that the cat can be confined to.
Do I have to pay for the pen?
No, the pen and all the equipment is paid for by Cats Protection. This also includes disinfectant and any other cleaning products. We also provide all cat food and litter - we have fantastic drivers who visit our fosterers and deliver everything that they need.
Do you have to live in Rugby?
It really depends how far out you are. Fosters do need to use vets in Rugby and it would have to be a distance that people would be happy to travel to meet a cat/kitten.
Can I foster if I have young children?
Yes, absolutely.
Can you foster if you have a dog?
Yes, many of our fosterers have dogs. We just require that they do not come into direct contact with the cats that you foster.
How big are the pens?
A single pen is 13ft x 4ft in overall size. This is broken down into: 4ftx4ft sleeping quarter, 6ft x 4ft exercise area, 3ft x 4ft safety corridor.
Is there much paperwork involved?
We try and keep paperwork to a minimum for fosterers and take some of the pressure off by having other volunteers to specifically handle some of that. However, there will be some paperwork required.
I have 3 cats would I be able to foster?
Yes, you would. We only require that foster cats and your own cats do not come into contact with each other.
I would love to foster but I am in a private rented house
Renters can be fosterers too, provided they have written permission from their landlord.
What happens when I go on holiday?
We ask our fosterers to give as much notice as possible, this way the Homing team can plan for periods when the fosterers pen will need to be empty. If you have a cat in your care, they will be transported to another foster to look after until they go to their new home. In emergency situations, if we are unable to move the cat to another Rugby fosterer, we have a network of Cats Protection branches and adoption centres that we can reach out to.
Why are they kept in pens and not allowed into family homes, which is where they will hopefully end up?
In an ideal World, all of the cats would go straight into family homes but the reality is that we get a lot of cats that have never lived in a home before. Many are not neutered and may spray or may not be used to using a litter tray, which is a lot to expect a fosterer to deal with. Pens can very easily be thoroughly disinfected ready for the next cat. With that said, we do try and limit the amount of time that cats spend in pens – our priority is to find them a suitable home as soon as we can. We do also have several fosterers who are “spare room” fosterers, which means that the cat is kept within the home. We try to ensure the most suitable placement for each cat.
Will I get training?
Yes. We pride ourselves on our welfare standards, and all fosterers are required to undertake training before they get their first foster cat.
For more information visit - Become a Fosterer
If you have any other questions about becoming a fosterer, please contact us on 0345 260 2749, or email enquiries@rugby.cats.org.uk