FOSTER CLUB

Join HART’s Foster Club

Apply now to become a member of the lifesaving squad!
Apply to Foster
WE URGENTLY NEED FOSTERS FOR CATS AND KITTENS OF THE CENTRAL COAST

Kitten season is rampant from Spring to Fall and HART needs fosters who can help us save these vulnerable lives. Kitten fosters provide care and support to kittens until they are old enough to thrive on their own and be adopted.
Unfortunately, there are always more kittens and cats in need than fosters available to help them. You can make a huge impact by fostering these vulnerable animals, for a couple of weeks or more, and helping to spread the word about your experience to other potential foster parents.


HART provides all the food, supplies, veterinary care and support. All you need to provide is a warm home and plenty of TLC!

How to become a foster
To get started, complete the online application. Attend a mandatory online Foster Club orientation where you will learn everything you need to know about our program and ask any questions you may have.

Foster requirements
All fosters must:
  • Be 18 years or older or have a parent or guardian who is willing to oversee the care of a foster animal. 
  • Be willing and able to bring your fosters into HART for follow-up veterinary appointments. 
  • Feed, replace litter and keep your foster’s area clean. 
  • Monitor your foster’s daily health.
  • Provide TLC and socialization to your foster.
    You can still fill out our online application and attend our online Foster Club orientation for more information, then foster when the time is right for you.
Foster Club Application

Most Urgent Cats in Need:

Below are our most urgent cats in need of a foster home. Whether due to stress, declining health, or a need for more socialization, these cats are not thriving in a shelter environment. We're hopeful finding them an attentive and caring foster will brighten their spirits, improve their health, and make them more adoptable.
 Please consider fostering a cat in urgent need of a home. 
Foster Club Application

Why a Foster Home?

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Many of our long-term HART residents grow tired of being in a shelter environment, where they can't receive consistent one-on-one love and affection. They rely on attention from our staff, volunteers, and visitors, which they must share with the multiple other cats in our shelter. The more shy or physically fragile cats may start to decline from being in a shelter for too long. Going to a loving and attentive foster home is a wonderful resource to help revive these cats in need.

Sending our cats to foster homes also allows us the ability to take in even more homeless cats and kittens in need of shelter, food, and medical care. We currently have a wait-list of cats in urgent need of rehoming. We are so grateful to all of our foster families for temporarily housing HART kitties and giving them love and care through their journey to finding forever families.

HART provides support to all our foster families to ensure they have all of the tools they need to help them succeed. This includes the cost of medical care and any supplies the foster needs. A good foster is someone willing to open their heart and home to a cat in need. Most cats don't require much space, but they need plenty of love and care in order to ensure they maintain good health and are well socialized to prepare them for adoption.

 
Have questions about becoming a Foster Parent for HART?  Contact Brittany at: foster-coordinator@slohart.org
Questions?
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HART's Foster Coordinator

Brittany Donecho

Brittany graduated from Foothill College's Veterinary Technology program in 2012. Since obtaining her CA state and National licenses, she has worked in many areas of veterinary medicine including, general practice, emergency, shelter, physical rehabilitation and dentistry. Brittany began working at HART in December 2018 and quickly got started on creating a Fear Free Initiative in order to reduce the fear, anxiety and stress of HART's shelter residents. Shortly after she took on the role of Foster Coordinator and created HART's highly successful Foster Club. 
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Gloria - Our Foster Club Mascot

Gloria first came to HART as a feral kitten in May of 2015. She was adopted in August of that year and lived with her new family for a short number of years before developing MAJOR signs of fear, anxiety and stress causing her to be relinquished back to HART.⁣

Once back at the shelter, she had proved to be a challenging case and we knew she would require a dedicated foster and a comprehensive plan to increase her confidence, modify her behaviors and land her in a new home, this time forever.⁣

We incorporated a consistent schedule of behavior modification using Jackson Galaxy's Cat Pawsitive Program, sent her to our partner vets for a thorough workup and modified her living space to include Fear Free additions. Shortly after, we matched Gloria with a wonderful foster mom, Christina, who was committed to continuing her shelter routine in her home to ensure she would make the progress she desperately needed to get adopted.⁣

After months of dedicated Cat Pawsitive training with her foster mom, as well as behavioral and medical consults, Gloria had made immense progress and was ready to find her forever family. The HART crew was overjoyed when we learned her forever home would be with her foster mom. The two had developed a strong bond and cosmic love for each other and we knew Gloria would continue to make strides.⁣
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Orphan Kitten Amazon Wish List

Kitten season is rampant early spring throughout the fall seasons. Taking in hundreds of kittens means running through supplies pretty quickly. Please consider donating an item from our Orphan Kitten Kit Wishlist on Amazon. You can choose from a selection of Orphan Kitten Kit supplies that will be delivered to H.A.R.T. Thank you for any contribution - no matter how big or small - our cats LOVE deliveries (mostly for the box the presents arrive in)!
VIEW OUR KITTENS' WISH LIST
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HART Foster Club Official Merchandise

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Christina is rocking her 'Gloria' crewneck sweater while snuggling with the official HART Foster Club mascot herself!

Your purchase will support the life-saving efforts of the HART Foster Club
View Foster Club Apparel