Foster parenting for cats

It happens like clockwork every year at this time.

The weather gets cold, and PAWS & More animal shelter in Washington gets overrun with cats.

'We always get flooded with cats at this time of year,” PAWS Director Amber Talbot said. 'We get an influx all at once, and it puts a strain on our resources.”

What often happens, according to Talbot, is that people take care of 'community cats” during the warmer months, then get worried about them being out when it gets cold.

'Community cats will be OK,” Talbot said. 'People can help them by making sure they have the resources to get through the winter.”

The shelter recently posted on Facebook about how to make a 'safe cat house” for community cats and cautioned people not to try to trap stray cats in the winter.

As of Wednesday morning, the shelter had 76 cats in the building.

With space running tight, PAWS has put out a call for people willing to foster cats that have particular needs.

For kittens, fosters are needed for newborns without their mothers that need to be bottle-fed. Fosters for these kittens need to be willing to give them extra care and time.

There are also nursing mothers with kittens that just need extra care and attention.

'They need hands-on care, more than we can give at the shelter,” Talbot said.

There are also healthy adult cats who may need a change of scenery.

'Cats that have been here long-term - more than a couple months - could benefit from going to a foster home and getting out of the shelter,” Talbot said.

People who have extra time can also foster cats that need medical attention, like postoperative care.

'Pretty much any cat can be fostered,” Talbot said. 'We want to match people up with what's appropriate.”

Becoming a foster involves more than dropping by the shelter and picking out a cat.

'If you want to do that, just go ahead and adopt the cat,” Talbot said.

Prospective fosters can fill out a form on the shelter's website. Staff will review the application, then match them up with an animal that is best suited for their situation.

'We work with the people to try to find a good match,” Talbot said. 'We know what the animals need, and we prioritize the needs of animals.”

She added that while an animal is in foster care, it still is considered under the care of PAWS.

PAWS provides all the supplies, food and litter that fosters need for the animals.

Because the animals are still under PAWS' care, they are required to do a home visit at some point.

'We have to make sure we're not putting an animal in a bad situation,” Talbot said.