Kitten Foster Program

Helping Kittens

In 2017, Animal Services created a foster program for kittens who are too young to be spayed or neutered and adopted upon their admission. Many of these kittens arrive at the shelter during “kitten season,” the months from spring through early winter when there is a persistent influx of pregnant cats and kitten litters.

Foster homes help to reduce the number of felines housed at the shelter, which greatly decreases both the incidence and spread of upper respiratory infections among felines. Also, these foster homes are often an ideal setting for feline socialization and they can help to reduce stress for the kittens. Please see our "Highs and Lows of Kitten Fostering" document for more information on what to expect from the program.

Our kitten foster program is asking that you house and feed kittens (or moms with kittens) until the kittens weigh two pounds, which is when we are able to spay or neuter them. You provide the food, litter, and love. 


Most people keep these felines confined to a small room (a bathroom or extra bedroom is sufficient) as it keeps them from getting lost somewhere in the home. If you have any other pets, we ask that they don't have contact with them.

More Information

  • Helping Kittens: this web page lets you know what to do if you find stray kittens.

Foster Form

If you are interested in participating in the program, please fill out our form. If you submit a form, a member of our care staff will contact you when we have animals in need of a foster home. Thank you!

Please email fosterpets@orangecountync.gov if you have questions about the kitten foster program. Thank you!

Foster parents - check out our tips for getting photos of kittens and visit this page for information about submitting photos or small videos of your foster pets!