Foster with us!
Foster kitten Coffee (now Texas), playing with her mini foster mum
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What is a foster parent?
Foster families save lives by getting animals directly out of the streets, freeing up space in local shelters, socialising animals, assisting with preventing disease transmission by having a small number of animals, and helping to get to know them as individuals in order to assist with finding them the best possible permanent home for them.
Foster parents may or may not already have animals of their own. We have a large network of all sorts of foster parents and always take living/working/experience into consideration before placement. If you have an existing animal, you should do some research online or speak with your vet to ensure that your own beloved pet is protected when another animal enters your home.
What is the process to become a foster parent?
You can join our foster network by applying here! Your responses will help us to know whether we’ll have suitable cases to place with you. This is often the case, but not always. Please note that while we started out working with some dogs as well, we are now cat-focused.
When we have the right cat(s) for you, we’ll shoot you a WhatsApp message to set up a time do a videocall to onboard you about how we work, answer your questions, and ensure that your home is a safe environment for the animal to live. Once we’re sure that we’re moving forward, we send you the foster contract and get that animal safely to you! We sometimes place an animal with you immediately, while other times we wait until the perfect opportunity comes along that meets your living requirements/specifications.
Important to note: kittens (under one year old) are rarely available to foster as a single kitten in the home. They are fostered in pairs or more. We especially struggle to find people willing to foster 3+ kittens so if you’re open to that, do let us know in your application! Adult cats are typically fostered alone.
What is required of me financially?
Gatalunya pays for all medical expenses, including vaccinations, tests, bloodwork, anti-parasite treatments, and spay/neuters.
We ask that foster families provide cat food (wet and dry) and litter, as well as any enrichment toys you think they need! There will also be some inexpensive basics to get you set up such as a litter tray, food bowl and blanket if you don’t have one. A cat carrier is typically the trickiest thing and the single more expensive item. If you are able to purchase or borrow one, that is brilliant. If not, we will source one and would appreciate it if you could pick up/return it. Note that we do not have a shelter set-up so while we have many cat supplies in our personal homes, we do struggle with the logistics of transporting cats and items all over Barcelona and beyond.
What is required of my Time?
The majority of our cats come directly from the street to your home, and are either adjusting to life indoors for the first time or re-adapting if they were abandoned. They need your attention and love in order to become 100% adoptable. Your presence is a key component to getting them ready for their furever homes.
Each animal requires a different amount of attention each day, but in general we look for foster parents who work from home (particularly with kittens) or spend a good amount of time at home if working outside. This is to help socialise the animals, avoid them getting lonely, and in the case of our young ones to keep an eye on them so that they don’t do something risky out of boredom! Some will also need medication or additional care.
What other Responsibilities does a foster parent have?
We ask foster parents to please keep them safe (this includes taking precautions to avoid any risk of falls, escape from the home etc). To take your foster friend to and from the vet when needed (public transport is fine), and to get to know them well as the unique individuals they are. You will be well-supported by our team and good communication between us is also crucial for us to do the best we can for them. They are under our responsibility but they’re in your home, and we share the care of the animal with you.
We also ask foster parents to have availability for when their pet becomes adoption-ready and we need to introduce potential adopters. This involves a visit of around one hour to your home.
What if I decide I’d like to to keep my foster cat(s)?
We understand that sometimes friends become family and it becomes difficult to part with your foster cat(s). Whether this is a possibility ahead of time or eventuates during the course of fostering, we evaluate to see whether this is a good permanent fit. Where that is the case we formalise the adoption and join you in celebrating your new family member!