Foster for Little Beans

What is a Foster Parent?

Little Bean's is a foster-based cat rescue. This means instead of being cooped up in a shelter kennel, all of our cats and kittens who are not at the cafe are cared for by volunteers from the comfort of their own homes.

That also means that we rely on volunteer fosters to save as many cats and kittens as we can! Without a shelter, we can only rescue as many cats and kittens as we have foster placement for - so volunteering means you can be directly responsible for saving a cats life :)

As a foster parent, you're responsible for keeping your little beans safe, healthy, and happy!

This means providing access to food, clean water, litter, comfy places to sleep, enrichment items like toys and scratchers, and, of course, lots of love and socialization.

Little Beans provides the supplies - you provide the love!

Little Bean's rescues kittens from local animal shelters, and those found by the general public. Before they can go to the cafe and be adopted, they have to go through a minimum of a 21 day quarantine - to make sure they are healthy and ready for their forever home!

During this time they COULD be locked up in a kennel at a shelter, or they could be running around your home asking for snuggles and playtime -- which do you think they would like more? :)

Keeping little beans happy and healthy is our goal and that means getting them out of the shelter and into loving foster homes!

Once they are ready to be adopted, they will be introduced to the cat cafe and may even live there if there is space!

We ask that you commit to fostering your cats/kittens for as long as it takes to either get them into the cafe, or to get them adopted. Moving too often can be stressful for our beans, so being able to stay at one foster home is best.

For some, they just need their 3 weeks of quarantine, while others may take a bit longer.

If you have a vacation/trip planned let us know and we will find temporary foster placement for them.

Not sure you can commit to at least 3 weeks? Sign up as one of our temp relief fosters! This is often just for a week while a foster parent is out of town.

That is up to you!

Little Beans rescues all types and ages of cats and kittens - from newborns, to seniors, to special needs and hospice cases - we see it all!

Below, we've outlined the main types of foster groups we have, separated out by skill level.

As a new foster, you'll be able to foster any level 1 group - but you'll need to attend training to level up if you want to foster any of the groups in level 2 or 3!

But don't worry - once you are a registered foster, you get to choose your fosters! We won't ever force you to foster a cat you are uncomfortable with.

Read below to learn about the different foster groups!

Despite common conception, cats are highly social creatures, and kittens especially need friends of their own species in order to learn social skills and to feel safe. Because of this, we ask that fosters committing to fostering kittens foster the entire litter of kittens.

If the litter is five or more, we may split the litter into two or more foster homes, but we will always try to have at least a pair of kittens together.

If you foster a singleton, we will try to pair your singleton with at least one friend as soon as they are through quarantine.

If you can only take one cat - we suggest fostering a teen or adult as they are often OK by themselves.

Types of Foster Groups

Level 1: Newbies

Perfect for new foster parents and teens eager to get started.

Weaned Kittens

Age: 6+ weeks old

Typically eating on their own and have passed medical hold.

These kittens need foster homes until they are big enough to get spayed/neutered and then adopted! Generally ~1 month or so.

Come in groups of ~2-5

Teens & Young Adults

Age: 4 months+

Older kittens and adults who are new to Little Beans and need a few weeks before coming to the cafe, but may be a bit longer depending on space.

Come in groups of ~1-3

Mom & Babies

Healthy, adoptable mommas with their kittens. You take care of mom - mom takes care of the kids!

These guys need a bit longer in foster care, depending on the age of the kittens, typically at least 2 months.

As the kittens get older, the litter may be split if it is large - some mommas have litters as big as 10!

Level 2: Intermediate

Transitionals

Age: ~4-6 weeks

These cutie-pies are the most common group in need of foster! They are just learning to eat solid food and may need encouragement or supplemental bottle feeding.

They are still very young and fragile and require close monitoring. Generally need foster for 1-2 months, depending on their age.

Sick or Injured

These fosters are in recovery and looking for a quiet place to rest. Foster commitment depends on the injury/illness and may require at-home medical care and frequent vet visits.

Spicy Kittens / Teens

Age: ~8 weeks - 4 months

These kittens are just like their Level 1 groups, but are still wary of humans and under-socialized.

They need high levels of socialization and are best suited for fosters who are home during the day.

Level 3: Advanced

Bottle Babies

Age: <4 weeks

The most fragile little lives - these babies require special enclosures and round-the-clock care and monitoring.

It is an incredibly rewarding experience - but not for the faint of heart! Depending on their age, many have only a 25% chance of survival, but most rescues are in desperate need of more bottle baby fosters

Requires hands on training before fostering,

Feral Mom & Babies

Can be a complicated group depending on mom's spiciness level!

Some moms allow us to handle their babies, and some babies need to be picked up with tongs!

Mom is usually re-released to her colony after the kittens are eating on their own, typically around 4-5 weeks of age.

Seniors, Fospice, and Special Needs

This group varies between levels based on the individual cat - some disabled cats barely need any accomodations, while others may require close monitoring, daily medications, or specialized diets.

How to Become a Foster Parent

Submit an Application

Submit an application that lets us know which types of cats or kittens you are interested in fostering.

Attend Orientation

If your application is approved, we will send you a link to schedule orientation either on-site or virtually.

Setup Your Foster Space

The last step to becoming an approved foster home is to meet with your foster guide and set up your foster space.

Choose Your Fosters!

Once you are an approved foster home, you will have access to our "needs foster" list, where you can see everyone in need of a foster home.

Part of becoming a foster parent is learning how to properly take care of your beans! Each foster home is paired with one of our Foster Guides - a resident Little Bean guru who will walk you through every step of the process, and will be your personal advisor for all things foster related.

From setting up the perfect "base camp" to scheduling checkups, your Foster Guru will make sure you and your foster beans are supported every step of the way.

Apply to become a Foster

Have Questions?

Interested in fostering, but still have some questions before you start? Send us a message and we will be happy to walk you through the process in more depth.