Why Animals Need Foster

Unsure what some of the terms mean that we use for our foster animal? Read below to find out what everything means.

Bottle Babies

These animals are not yet eating on their own and require bottle feeding every 2-3 hours (depending on age). Many of these animals also need to be stimulated to go to the bathroom. If you're interested in bottle babies, but have never done it before, that's fine! We can help you learn.

Nursing moms and babies

Litters of kittens and puppies with their moms remain in foster until all of the babies are eight weeks old or weigh two pounds. There are instances when the mom pushes a baby away or a baby will not nurse, so sometimes supplemental bottle-feeding is required. Generally, mom does all of the work until the babies begin to have teeth. She will feed them, stimulate them to go to the bathroom, and clean up after them.

Member of the Safe Haven or Safety Net programs

KHS partners with the Center for Women and Families for our Safe Haven program. This program provides temporary care for those affected by domestic violence while they seek services and housing. It’s important not to photograph these animals, share them on social media, and to restrict their time spent out in the greater community. These animals can remain in foster for up to three months.

Our Safety Net program provides foster care for owned pets while their owners are temporarily unable to care for them due to illness/injury, housing crisis or other emergency. This program is often a last resort for families whose only alternative would be to give up their beloved pet.

Ill or recovering from injuries or surgery

Dogs and cats recovering from minor and common health ailments will be sent to foster to recover outside of the shelter in a calm and quiet setting. While these are usually minor issues, it’s still recommended that these animals remain separated from resident animals to avoid spreading any illness.

If considering taking a ringworm foster, please read this page first for complete details. 

We also receive animals that require special surgeries such as amputations that need time in foster to recover.

Members of the Adoption Ambassador Program

Adoption ambassador animals remain in foster care until adoption. Any animal that goes to foster is eligible to stay on foster until adopted (with occasional exceptions), but sometimes we have animals who we specifically want in this program. These animals are often too scared in the shelter, are young and active and don't do well in the shelter, or have other needs that make them unsuited to be on the adoption floor. These animals remain in foster until adopted, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months with the average length of stay being 1 month or less. Animals are also listed on our website with professional photos.  

Fospice

Animals in our fospice (foster hospice) program are typically unadoptable due to health issues or age, but still have a high quality of life. We believe these animals deserve to live out their life being loved and cared for as long as their quality of life stays high. KHS provides all medical care, food, and other supplies, just like we do with all foster animals. You only need to provide the loving home until the animal passes. Fospice animals will be evaluated by our veterinarian at regular intervals to track their condition. Length of stay can be anywhere from a few months to a few years, depending on how the animals condition progresses.