Foster carers are a big part of our rescue group. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be able to take into our care and give a chance of a better life to so many stray cats. The number of stray cats in London is very high and sometimes the best what we can do is TNR (TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN) because shelters are overcrowded, foster homes are full and there are more cats in need of homes than homes for them.
Foster carers look after the cat at their home and don’t need to have a garden to foster. We require foster cats to be kept indoors*. We provide a starter kit and veterinary care so all foster carers need to provide is lots of love and cuddles.
Depending on a cat’s personality fostering can take from a few weeks to a few months. Regardless of duration, fostering is very rewarding. It’s an amazing feeling to watch a scaredy-cat becoming a confident, friendly, playful companion. It’s even more rewarding if cats were not used to people, abused, injured, or even feral.
Once foster cats are confident enough and have the all-clear from the vets, the process of finding a loving home begins although it is not always easy. The reason being is that 80% of cats in our care is black and although they may be considered “lucky”, black cats are the most difficult to rehome and the most overlooked cats looking for homes.
*Indoor-only cats: Please note that fostering or adopting an indoor-only cat means that windows/doors cannot be left open in any room to which the cat has access. We suggest child locks in the windows so the cat can’t push windows wider than they are set and can’t escape. Additionally, all members of the house (and visitors) must agree to keep doors and windows closed or secured. If there is a balcony it must be fully cat-proofed (netting all the way) so the cat cannot jump out and injured himself or die.