Cat Fosterer (Leybourne)

We are looking to recruit cat and kitten fosterers with a spare room who live within half an hour's drive of the centre, for some of the animals in our care.

Why do we want foster homes for our cats? Some cats, who are waiting to be rehomed, don’t respond well to cattery life and thrive much better in the care of a quiet foster home until they find their "forever home". Some have medical issues, or behavioural problems (such as very nervous cats). Some cats looking for foster homes may be subject to an RSPCA investigation so are in our care whilst the case progresses; with these cats we will not know how long the case will take to resolve and, in rare cases, animals may have to be returned to their owner (in accordance with court ruling). We sometimes have mums with young kittens who would benefit from time in a home environment until they are old enough to be weaned.

For whatever reason that a cat has come into our care, being in a home environment is far more beneficial to their welfare for many reasons.

As a cat fosterer you will play a vital role in looking after the cats in our care until their case is resolved or they find a new home. You'll be fostering cats in your own home and ensuring a safe environment that will cater for their individual (and sometimes complex) needs. This will include allowing them to take the time to become accustomed to their new surroundings and people in those surroundings, feeding them and taking them to a vet (as required, with costs will be covered by the RSPCA). The care and interaction you will provide will help the cats in your care develop the socialisation skills which can aid a successful rehoming.

This is a great opportunity to make a real difference to the welfare of cats. Having animals in foster homes help us help more animals by freeing up space in our Centres and Branches.

What is required:

• Be able to transport the cat/kittens to the centre for routine check-ups, and to vet appointments if needed (our vet is located in Meopham). You must live within half an hour's drive of the centre.
• Have time to spend with them or be around for them
• A spare, quiet and safe room at home for fostering a cat (even an adult foster cat will not be allowed outside of your home environment)
• Have lots of love, time and patience to give the animal whilst they are with you.

We’re ideally looking for experienced cat people who have owned or fostered cats before, and understand their behaviours and needs. Training will be provided by the centre. All necessary equipment, and veterinary care will be supplied and funded by the RSPCA.You will have the support of our staff on hand should you need it.

To apply, please complete our application form which will ask you to expand on your experience and home environment. Our application process is very thorough as fostering is a very responsible but rewarding role. It may take up to 30 minutes to complete the application, so make sure you have a cup of tea to hand as you complete it.

If successful, you’ll be added to our team of fosterers who can be contacted by any of our National Centres or Branches looking for the right person with the right skills to support a particular cat. You’ll get online access to all the necessary training for your role and we ask you to keep this up to date. We have a suite of wellbeing resources available and can make reasonable role adjustments to support you in your volunteering.

We celebrate and respect the diversity of our RSPCA team and embrace the individual qualities, skills and experiences that everyone brings.