Fostering

Have you got room in your home and your heart for orphaned or injured animals? Would you like to foster a litter of tiny kittens, a cat recovering from surgery or a dog who needs the chance to know what a 'home' is?

We have a limited amount of space and people to care for these animals in our centres, so we rely on our fantastic fosterers to offer temporary homes to animals that can include:

• a mother cat or dog with their litter of kittens or puppies
• kittens without a mother who need to be bottle-fed, or those who can feed themselves but aren't yet old enough to be desexed and adopted
• sick or injured animals that need time, space and a bit more TLC in order to be properly rehabilitated
• a teenage dog who needs some training and to know what being part of a family is all about
• animals with illnesses or diseases that may be contagious to other animals and therefore can't be kept at the centre

As a fosterer you may need to care for an animal for a few weeks or a few months at a time – until they are either old enough or well enough to come back into the centre to be adopted.

The majority of the animals in need of foster parents are kittens, with or without their mothers. We particularly need fosterers during the kitten season, when we have hundreds of abandoned and unwanted kittens coming into our animal centres. Although October to May can often be our busiest time, we need temporary homes all year round.

To be able to foster an animal you will need:

• a separate warm and secure room that's not used by any other animal. A bathroom or laundry can be suitable
• your own vehicle to be able to bring your foster animals in for routine checks with the vets at our animal centres or to transport them to the after hours vet in case of emergencies
• your landlord's consent if you do not own your own home
• lots of love and time - you can be a fosterer if you work full-time, part-time or not at all! We can match the right animal to your circumstance.

All food, medicine and bedding are provided as well as access to 24 hour, 7 day veterinary assistance.

If you think you can give your love and time to a foster animal, we want to hear from you! Please complete the application form below and send it into us. Along with your application you will need to supply us with up to 5 photos of the room in which you intend to care for your foster animal. Once we receive your application and photos, our foster coordinator will get in touch to discuss caring for your first animal.

Thank-you.

Please send your completed application form and photos to;

Foster Coordinator
Wellington SPCA
PO Box 7069
Newtown
Wellington 6242

or email them to info@wellingtonspca.org.nz.