Spring quite simply is kitten season.

It's an annual occurrence that the staff at the Seattle Humane Society has come to expect. "We need all the foster parents we can get," says Ashley Heller, the Cat Foster Coordinator. "It makes a huge impact in the lives of these animals."

And it is a great way for families to get involved with the Seattle Humane Society.

Sharon, a new foster Mom and her elementary school-age daughter Rachael let me sit in on their foster orientation last week. "We adopted our cat from the Seattle Humane Society seven years ago," says Sharon. "My older daughter is having back surgery this summer and will be laid up for a while. Rachel is in a cat program in 4-H, and I thought it would be something we could all get involved in."

The orientation lasts for about an hour, as Heller explains all the options and the support that the Seattle Humane Society provides to its foster parents. It's an impressive program. Heller gives out her own cell number, and stresses that the Seattle Humane Society vets are always available to the foster families. She also emphasizes the importance of communication. "We don't want you to burn out," she says. "Fostering should be fun."

Sharon and Rachel plan to start with a couple young kittens. Rachel is worried that her cat might not take to a mother cat, or an older cat in the house. "What if he hisses?" she asks. They plan to keep the kittens in a room apart from the resident cat, as the program guidelines recommend.

Foster care gets cats and kittens out of the shelter and into a less stressful environment at important junctures -- whether it be giving a mother cat a few weeks to raise and nourish her kittens, giving a set of kittens a loving home in which to grow to an adoptable age, or giving an older cat a needed break from the shelter routine. Foster homes literally expand the shelter walls and are one of the primary reasons why the Seattle Humane Society is able to promise that no animal will ever be euthanized due to a lack of space. Right, now just ahead of the spring peak, more than 60 cats are out in foster care. And the kittens will be arriving soon.

I am thinking about becoming a foster parent. How about you?

Lynn
lynnseattlehumane@gmail.com