Our foster families are Superheroes

The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center wants to thank a group of volunteers whose dedication is truly life-changing for our animals – our foster families.

This time of year, our shelter sees an influx of pregnant dogs and cats, newborn puppies and kittens, and kittens without moms.  This group of pets requires special around-the-clock care that only our foster families can provide.   The commitment our foster families make is huge – it is time consuming and emotional because they welcome our pets into their homes and care for them as their own until they are old and healthy enough to come back to the shelter and be adopted.

When we receive neonatal kittens or puppies without their moms, our bottle-feeding fosters are essential for their survival.  These babies must be fed every two to three hours throughout the night and all day long.  Their eyes are not open and they cannot maintain their own temperature, so the fosters who care for them are literally keeping them alive.  When they get a little bigger, fosters are responsible for giving lots of attention to get them used to family life.  Often the kids in the home are involved with kittens at this stage because they are able to spend a great deal of time playing with and handling the kittens or puppies.  It is equally as important for pregnant moms to be fostered so they can deliver and raise their babies in a calm, safe environment where the babies can get acclimated to people and a home.

Obviously, our foster families are an integral part of the Animal Services program and are truly superheroes for animals.  The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center extends a sincere THANK YOU to all our fosters!  They are lifesavers for our pets!