Fostering

Our motto: When you foster one, you save two!
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What is Fostering
Fostering means temporarily opening your home to an animal in need while the shelter retains full ownership. LRAV covers all food and veterinary care for your foster animal, and will provide supplemental supplies like bedding or crates when they are available. When you foster cats and kittens for the Little Rock Animal Village, you create space for more pets at the shelter, help keep the animal you are fostering healthy, and also give them the advantage of becoming accustomed to life in a home. Fostering is the most direct way to help an animal—you are giving him or her a second chance at life. Whether you live in a house or an apartment, in the city or out in the country, LRAV can find a foster match for you!
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Puppy and Dog Fostering
LRAV does not currently run its own dog foster program, but you still have options. If there's a specific dog or puppy you'd like to foster, reach out to one of the organizations listed below about pulling the animal into their program. If a rescue agrees to take the animal, they can submit the LRAV dog adoption application on behalf of their rescue.
Please keep in mind that contacting a rescue is not a guarantee they will be able to pull the dog, and any rescue that does will assume full responsibility and liability for the animal.
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Out of the Woods Rescue​​
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Kitten and Cat Fostering
Cat fostering opportunities range from nursing moms and their litters to young kittens not yet ready for the shelter to cats of all ages recovering from illness or injury. We are always in need of more cat and kitten fosters. Foster training is available, by request, through our dedicated volunteers and fosters.​
Types of Fostering​​
Short-Term | 2-14 days
This is a great fit if you want to help without a long commitment. Most short-term foster needs are minor medical cases or animals too young to be in the shelter. A foster home gets them out of the shelter environment while they recover or grow, which makes a significant difference in their outcome.
Needs often include:
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Cats recovering from a respiratory infection or other minor illness
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Animals that are being pulled by rescues for transport to other shelters
Medium-Term | 2-8 weeks
Bottle Babies (Kittens Under Four Weeks)
Bottle babies are kittens too young to survive without round-the-clock care. Without a mom, that means you: feedings every 2 to 6 hours depending on their age, helping them go to the bathroom, keeping them clean, and eventually weaning them and introducing a litterbox.
These kittens need a warm, contained space like a cage, large carrier, or even a converted bathtub.
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For more guidance, check out this Orphan Kitten Guide from the Kitten Lady. For other resources, you can also check Kitten College's Guide to Raising Unweaned & Underage Kittens. Training for bottle feedings or other necessary skills is available upon request.
Kittens (Weaned but Not Yet Ready for Adoption)
The Little Rock Animal Village takes in hundreds of young kittens each year that have weaned but still need several more weeks to grow before they are big enough to be spayed or neutered and adopted out. Foster homes are absolutely crucial during this window, typically from weaning until around 8-10 weeks of age, when kittens are usually ready for their forever homes.
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Beyond freeing up space at the shelter, fostering kittens during this stage keeps them healthy at a critical point in their development. For more information on becoming a cat or kitten foster, call 501-725-0250 or email us. For other resources and webinars on caring for kittens, visit The Kitten Lady's website.
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The dogs and cats you see in the gallery below are just a few of the fosters our board members have cared for.
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