Juno, one of the cats at the Chautauqua County Humane Society that is currently in the foster program. Submitted photo

With the spring kitten season fast approaching, the Chautauqua County Humane Society is urgently looking for people interested in fostering cats and kittens.

Specifically, the Humane Society is looking for those interested in fostering moms and baby kittens until they are old enough to be weaned and brought into the shelter, orphaned kittens who need bottle feeding, older kittens that are weaned but still too young to be in the shelter, adult cats who are shy or stressed in the shelter environment, or senior cats who deserve a loving home while they are waiting for their adoptive families.

Brian Papalia, Director of Fundraising and Communications, said the Humane Society is reaching out for foster homes early as the season is already slowly starting,

“Kitten season is traditionally mid-spring but because of the way the winter has been the last few years it has been starting sooner,” Papalia said. “We’ve seen some moms come in already and they can have six or eight kittens each. So, we are reaching out for fosters early, and that can be for cats, kittens and dogs.”

To foster an animal all that is needed is time, love and space, Papalia said. The Humane Society provides everything else, including food, medications, supplies, ongoing support, and behavior counseling as needed. He added that it gives people the ability to be with animals and the animals exposure to a home environment, saying that it is “a great way to help make an impact.”

The procedure begins with any interested person filling out the form on the Humane Society’s website, chqhumane.org, and then the shelter’s foster coordinator will reach out and see what will be a best fit for the home. There will also be some training required for animals such as bottle-fed kittens, and the foster coordinator will help get everything set up.

Papalia said that if a cat then gets adopted, there are always more lined up to be fostered.

“If the animal gets adopted you’ve been a successful foster home,” Papalia said. “There are always more lined up to be taken in. Some people will foster different ones back to back, but there is an emotional toll with it and some others might need a minute before fostering again.”

Having foster homes in the community is important due to the limited amount of space in the Humane Society, according to Papalia. There is a limited number of animals they can take in and fosters can help with that.

“Fosters can take in more animals and the animals can get used to a home environment and then we have the ability to help more of them who might need more medical attention or things like that,” Papalia said. “There is an infinite number of animals that can be helped through fostering.”

Papalia added that fostering is not only good for the animals but very rewarding for people as well. He encouraged community members to get involved.

“We really encourage people to contact us and get involved and see what might be good for them,” Papalia said. “It really is a rewarding experience and can help improve animal care.”