Photos by April Peiffer & Kristy Morales
When Kristy Morales heard about a kitten fostering program at a Kyle animal shelter booth at Texas State University, she thought, “Wait, I can just play with the kittens and then give them back to you?”
The idea of bringing home “ridiculously cute” kittens on a short-term basis inspired her to foster 37 cats and kittens over the last three years from Pflugerville Pets Alive! and the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS). Her prolific support is possible because she works from home and is able to socialize them constantly to prepare the kittens for adoption. While many of them want love and cuddles on the first day, she says, “I love the ones that need extra socialization, because I love seeing them transform.”
She adds, “Fostering kittens is a dream, but it’s a messy dream, I’ll warn everyone of that. Kittens learning to use the litter box and eat is a messy process.” Still, “fostering is a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work, but it is very rewarding.”
FACILITATING CARE AND LOVE
The foster program is also a vital part of WCRAS’ life-saving mission. WCRAS community programs coordinator April Peiffer says, “We are in the height of kitten season right now and in great need of foster homes for them. Kitten fosters are one of the main reasons we achieve a save rate of over 90 percent consistently.”
The goal of the program is two-fold: to provide more space for shelter residents and give them a break from shelter life. “Fosters provide a respite from the stress for cats and dogs that have been here a while, a safe and comforting place to recover from injuries or other suffering before arriving at the shelter, or just a warm spot in a sunbeam on a living room floor to nap an afternoon away.”
Fostering also gives staff a much-needed break “from what often feels like an insurmountable task. When a favorite goes to foster, staff and volunteers rejoice, knowing the dog (or kitten) will be loved while in a temporary home.”
HOW TO HELP
Join the shelter in its life-saving mission by filling out a new foster registration form at pets.wilco.org/how-to-help/fostering. No approval process is required for fostering dogs and fosters can come to the shelter as a walk-in to pick up a furry friend. First-time kitten fosters need to go through an orientation and are matched with a mentor to ensure optimal care.