The Cat Protection Society of Victoria (CPSV) is calling on volunteers to help care for kittens and neonates that need a foster home.

Over the past 12 months, CPSV has provided foster care for more than 400 kittens, with some arriving at just one or two days old and requiring a dedicated foster carer to help them grow.

Chloe Harcourt, Foster Care and Animal Behaviour Coordinator at CPSV, said the shelter is seeking volunteers who are passionate about animal welfare and have ample spare time to foster kittens.

“Neonatal kittens are so dependent on their mothers and without their care, the kittens fail to develop properly and ultimately survive. These carers play a vital role in giving these tiny fur babies a chance to be adopted into a loving forever home.

“We make sure all carers are appropriately trained and well-informed through an information session before their fostering period and 24/7 support from our team. We also provide everything the kittens need for home including bedding, bowls, toys and litter, and free veterinary care.”

Shadow is one neonatal kitten that has benefited from the foster program. Brough into CPSV with his two brothers at just three days old, Shadow had a multitude of precarious health issues.

Fortunately, Shadow is now seven months old and has been adopted aby his forever family, and CPSV hopes more people will volunteer to foster to give other kittens the opportunity that Shadow had.

“The perfect candidate to foster these fury bundles of joy is someone that can provide constant care for a small period of time. Foster mums and dads should live no further than 20 minutes from the shelter and be ready for the night shift bottle feeding,” said Harcourt.

Volunteers can apply to become a foster carer with CPSV via this application form.

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