Fill out our online Foster Form so we can learn more abouty you and pair you with the right foster cat(s). After that, one of our foster coordinators will contact you to set up a quick phone or video conversation to walk you through the process, answer questions, and confirm that fostering with us is a good fit. 

Fostering with Tiny Cat Animal Rescue directly saves lives. As a fully foster-based organization, every cat we help depends on someone willing to open their home—even temporarily. When you foster with us, you’re giving vulnerable cats a safe place to heal, grow, and become adoptable, while we cover their medical care, provide supplies when available, and support you every step of the way. You’re not just housing a cat—you’re expanding our capacity to rescue more animals, reduce shelter intakes, and make a greater impact in our community.

• Traditional Fosters: Traditional fosters provide a loving home for cats or kittens until they're adopted. If you have travel or other plans, we can find support or temporary placement while you're away. Please consider volunteering as a traditional foster if you are willing to foster a cat until they are adopted or if you are interested in a foster-to-adopt arrangement.

• Support Fosters: Support fosters provide a short-term foster home or do drop-in visits for cats or kittens already in foster while a traditional foster is out of town or temporarily unavailable. Short-term fosters may be needed for a single night, a few days, or a few weeks, but usually the time period is defined. Being a support foster is a great way to volunteer and make a difference even if you can only help for short, defined windows.

• Emergency Fosters: Emergency fosters provide a short-term foster home for cats or kittens that need emergency placement while we locate a traditional foster. Emergency fosters are critical to our mission—they often are the difference between us saying "yes" or "no" to urgent requests from community members. Please consider volunteering as an emergency foster if you're able to open your home for 24 to 72 hours on short notice—buying us a little time to find a traditional foster can be the difference in saving a cat.

• Community Cat Fosters: Community cat fosters provide a home for community cats while they recover from their spay/neuter surgery (or other medical treatment) before being returned to their outdoor home as part of our TNVR program. This is the easiest way to get involved as TNVR cats typically only stay in foster for 1-3 days, and they don't require (or want!) a lot of human interaction  

Absolutely. Some fosters prefer short-term placements so they can help more cats without getting too attached, so they'll sign up to be Support Fosters, Emergency Fosters, or Community Cat Fosters. Others prefer the consistency of fostering until a cat or kitten is adopted. You can let us know what kind of time commitment works for you, and we will match you accordingly.

(You can learn more about the different types of fosters we need in the answer immediately above this one!)  

Fosters are responsible for providing a safe, loving home and daily care (food, water, litter, playtime, etc.). We ask that you get to know your foster cat, tell us about their personality, and send us photos and videos so we can best promote your foster cat for adoption. We also ask that you be open to meeting potential adopters and willing to coordinate meet-and-greets with us. 

Fostering is a true partnership. We provide reusable supplies and support, you provide the love, space, and day-to-day care that help cats thrive. Here’s how we work together to save lives:

What TCAR Provides

• Veterinary Care: We cover all pre-approved veterinary exams, treatments, and medications.

• Reusable Supplies: We can provide reusable items such as carriers, litter boxes, bowls, toys, and blankets when needed.

• Ongoing Support: You’ll have a dedicated foster coordinator who serves as your main point of contact for questions, guidance, and scheduling.

• Adoption Promotion: We handle all marketing for your foster cat, including creating listings, sharing posts, and networking through our rescue channels.

• Adopter Coordination: TCAR manages adopter screening, interviews, and scheduling of virtual or in-person meet-and-greets.

What Fosters Provide

• Safe, Loving Home: Offer your foster cat a secure, nurturing environment where they can rest, recover, and build confidence.

• Daily Care: Provide food, water, litter maintenance, playtime, and social interaction.

• Observations & Feedback: Get to know your foster’s personality, habits, and preferences, and share updates so we can write an accurate adoption bio and match them well.

• Photos & Videos: Send regular photos or short clips—we rely on these to help promote your foster cat and attract adopters.

• Adoption Readiness: Be available to coordinate and participate in meet-and-greets with potential adopters when possible.

You don’t have to! We match you based on our current needs and your household and lifestyle. You’re welcome to request to foster specific cat(s), especially if you are interested in doing a foster-to-adopt, but we can't guarantee foster placements because it's a very fluid process. 

Unfortunately, we do not have time to conduct meet-and-greets with foster cats. We pair fosters with homes based on our current needs and our conversation with you, so you can rest assured we will match you with a cat that fits your situation. And if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, you can return your foster cat to us and we can work with you to try a better fit!

If you’re 18 or older and can provide a safe, indoor-only environment for a cat or kittens, you’re likely eligible! You don’t need prior experience with cats—just a willingness to learn and a little space in your home and heart.

That’s okay! Everyone starts somewhere, and we’re happy to help you learn. Fostering is a great way to get experience with cats while making a real difference. As a foster, you’ll receive support from our team, supplies if needed, and guidance along the way—plus, no long-term commitment if you’re still figuring out if cat ownership is right for you. And who knows—you might just fall in love with your first foster!

Absolutely—short-term fosters are a huge help! Even a day or two can make the difference between life and death for a cat in crisis. We often need temporary homes for:

• Community cats recovering from spay/neuter surgery before returning to their outdoor colonies, and

• Emergency placements when a cat suddenly loses housing or a full-time foster needs a short break.

Supporting cats already in foster whose full-time foster is out of town or otherwise temporarily unable to care for their foster cat.

These short stays are critical to our lifesaving work and are a great way to get involved without a long-term commitment. You’ll provide safety, rest, and care during a crucial transition—and we’ll handle everything else, from supplies to transport.

If you can open your home for even 24–48 hours, we’d love to have you on our emergency or community cat or support foster list.

Yes—please do! Having a trip planned doesn’t disqualify you from fostering. We can easily work around your schedule.

If you’ll be away soon, we can either:

• Match you with a short-term foster opportunity that ends before your trip, or

• Place you on our roster so you’re ready to help once you return.

If you’re already fostering when travel comes up, that’s okay too—we’ll arrange a short-term or backup foster to care for your cat while you’re away. Our team coordinates these transitions to ensure every cat is safe and cared for.

We’d much rather have you for part of the time than not at all—every bit of help matters!

Absolutely—as long as it’s a good match. Some of our cats need to be in an only-cat household, and we recommend keeping foster cats separate from household cats for two weeks or until they've been fully vetted. We’ll talk with you about your household and make sure we recommend cats that are a good fit for your situation.

Because we provide support to our fosters and prioritize local adoptions (within DC, Maryland, and Virginia), we do not place foster cats in homes in other states, except in extremely limited circumstances. 

Yes! We do ask that you confirm your lease allows cats and may request landlord approval as part of the foster sign up process.

TCAR covers all pre-approved veterinary care for foster cats, including:

• Exams, vaccines, testing, spay/neuter, and microchipping

• Medications prescribed by our partner veterinarians

• Emergency treatment, when TCAR is notified or contacted as soon as possible

We sometimes can provide food, litter, and other essential supplies when our supply network allows, but as with most foster programs, we typically ask that fosters cover the costs of day-to-day care. 

Fosters are expected to cover the costs of food and litter for their foster cats. In certain circumstances, these costs can be reimbursed. Fosters may also choose to cover small items (like toys, scratchers, or extra litter boxes) if they wish—these are considered voluntary donations and not reimbursable. Any unreimbused amounts spent on your foster cat(s) are deductible from your taxes to the fullest extent of the law.

We typically do not reimburse for food or litter because our funding is so limited, but in certain circumstances, we may be able to assist. In any case, we can only reimburse for pre-approved food and litter costs. Reimbursements are typically issued within two weeks after submission of your receipts using this form.

Yes! If adoption is on your mind, fostering can be a meaningful way to start. Not only do you get to know what it’s like to care for a cat, but fostering also lets you learn what kind of personality and temperament best fits your home and lifestyle—all while giving a homeless cat a safe and supportive place to land along the way. Submit our Foster Application to get started.

If a cat in your care is having a medical emergency (typicall a life-or-death situation), contact your foster coordinator immediately via call or text (you will get this information when you are added to our foster roster!).

If it's a true life-or-death medical emergency, and you can’t reach anyone within a few minutes, take the cat to the nearest emergency vet and continue to try to notify us. Keep all receipts and discharge paperwork—we’ll guide you on reimbursement and follow-up care once the cat is stable.

If it is not a life-or-death emergency, please wait for instruction as we cannot guarantee reimbursement for veterinary care that we have not pre-approved.

Call us ASAP and go to an emergency vet if your foster cat:

• Is struggling to breathe or turning blue

• Has severe bleeding or trauma (e.g., hit by a car, attacked, broken limb)

• Is unresponsive, extremely lethargic, or seizing

In the below situations, please call or text your foster coordinator first first so we can assess whether it’s an emergency or something that can wait for a scheduled vet appointment:

• Your foster cat has not eaten or used the litter box in more than 24 hours (especially kittens)

• Your foster cat is vomiting, has diarrhea with blood, or shows signs of pain

For non-emergent issues (like sneezing, minor eye discharge, fleas, a single instance of diarrhea or vomiting), email, text, or call your foster coordinator. They’ll approve next steps and schedule an appointment at one of TCAR’s partner clinics. Please do not book or pay for vet appointments directly without prior approval, as we can only reimburse for pre-approved expenses.

A minimum 10-day quarantine is required for all new fosters. This allows time to monitor for signs of illness and helps your resident pets adjust.

Keep the new cat in a separate, enclosed room with its own food, water, and litter box. TCAR will advise when it’s safe to begin slow, supervised introductions if appropriate.

No. All TCAR foster cats must remain indoors only, both for their safety and to meet our adoption and veterinary requirements. Cats should not have access to balconies, open windows, or unsupervised outdoor enclosures unless fully secured and approved by TCAR.

Your foster coordinator will schedule and confirm all appointments with TCAR’s partner clinics. If you have a scheduling conflict or need to request a different time, let your coordinator know as early as possible so we can adjust.

Behavioral changes often happen as cats adjust to a new environment. Monitor closely for 24 hours and contact your foster coordinator with observations (photos or short videos can help). 

If your cat stops eating or using the litter box for more than 24 hours, treat it as a potential medical concern and contact TCAR promptly.

We’re here to support you throughout your foster period, and we’ll do everything we can to help. If it’s ultimately not the right match, we require that you return your cat to Tiny Cat Animal Rescue so we can ensure they find a safe and appropriate next placement. Once returned, we can talk with you about why it didn't work out and see if we have any cats in need of foster homes that would be a better fit for you!

Stay calm and notify your foster coordinator immediately. Provide details about when and where the cat escaped and any sightings. TCAR will activate our lost cat protocol, which includes guidance on setting food stations, humane traps, and using scent-based search methods.

Do not chase the cat—this often causes them to run farther. Most escaped fosters stay very close to home and can be safely recovered with patience and teamwork.

Direct all adoption inquiries to TCAR’s Adoption Form. This ensures applications are reviewed properly and all adoptions are approved through TCAR’s careful process.

Absolutely! Fosters get first consideration to adopt the cat in their care so long as there are no other outstanding adoption applications for your foster cat. Just let your coordinator know you’d like to move forward, and we’ll handle the adoption paperwork and fee processing through our secure online portal.

No problem. Life happens! Please provide as much notice as possible so TCAR can arrange a new placement or short-term coverage. We want fostering to remain sustainable and rewarding, not stressful.