The Process

Intake:

If you are fostering a cat that is new to FFF you must complete the intake WITHIN 24 HOURS of the cat coming into your care to receive an ID starting with the letters PS followed by numbers(aka PSID number). Typically if a cat has a PSID, this can be found in the cat’s FB chat title. If you don’t see any PSID in the chat title, there’s a good chance you need to complete an intake for this cat. If they do have a PSID then you get to skip this step! Please click HERE if your foster is not in the FFF system yet to access the intake form. If you have a litter of cats, you may also use the “Add” form after the first intake, which will give you a shortened intake form for the remaining cats in the litter. You can click HERE for the add form, which should be completed within 15 minutes of intake for the first kitten in the litter. After your cat is assigned a PSID you will receive email confirmation of your intake request and FFF will start the process of scheduling spay/neuter surgeries which include vaccines, & snap tests if needed. Occasionally earlier appointments become available and will made known on our FB group. Please save this FORM to keep track of your foster’s outstanding medical needs & updates. You should “pin” the form in your chat & keep it updated throughout the cat’s time in foster care.

After completing intake your foster will most likely require additional vetting that may include deworming, vaccines, microchip, and surgery. All of these costs are at the expense of FFF. It is important to check out the medical page HERE (under construction) to get started on all needed vetting as soon as possible. This will help insure the health and safety of your foster as well as any resident pets (please note new fosters should be kept in isolation a minimum of 2 weeks & vetting has been completed, FFF is not responsible for medical costs incurred due to exposure to resident animals or injury that occurs due to unsafe environments in the foster home)

Getting Published:

To find their perfect adopter, foster cats need to be publicly posted for adoption. Cats should be posted for adoption once they are medically and socially adoptable. Medically, this means one week prior to the completion of their vetting services (often times the date of a spay/neuter appointment), and socially this means they would be deemed ready to move on to a forever home and where they would be successful (assuming the right adopter/home environment). When your foster is about to be medically/socially cleared for adoption (e.g., one week pre spay appointment) please submit our bio survey form HERE and a bio team member will join your cat’s FB chat to get updated pictures, videos, and updated information to keep your cat’s bio current for the best adoptable outcome! Continue to update the chat once a week or more with things the bio writer can use. The cuter your pictures, videos, and updates, the more adoptable your cat will be! If your foster is already published then you do not need to fill out the bio form but you should continue to update your chat so the bio can stay current, new pictures & a bio refresh can often be the difference that gets them adopted! Visit our Upload Center HERE for tips on taking good photos & videos.

Cute pictures & videos are imperative to getting your cat visibility on social media. If you have extra cute videos or photos that can be used for social media posts you can upload them HERE. You can also upload completed tiktok videos or Facebook reels that can be used on our profile. Please do not post completed photos or videos with tags to your personal profile.

Remember to keep in touch! Give us an update on your chat at least once a week so we know how it’s going! In this case, absence DOES NOT make our heart grow fonder. Don’t make us hiss at you!!

Ready for Adoption:

Adoption applications are submitted and reviewed by our app screening team prior to being shared with the foster. Once approved by the screener, an application will be shared with you via your cat’s FB chat. After you review the app and it seems to be a good fit, the next step is a virtual meet and greet! Check out our PAGE (Currently under construction) for information on how to have a successful meeting. Please note, we do not allow in person meets as the first meeting, nor do we allow foster cats to leave their foster home until all adoption paperwork and invoices are completed and the adopter is taking the cat home. With board approval some exceptions may be made for unorthodox situations, please ask in your chat.

The most adoption hungry eyes are visitors at our various store locations that see hundreds of customers a day. Once your cat is adoption ready sending them to a store is a great next step towards their furrrever home. Please fill in this form HERE to get them on a wait list for a store location. They need to be medically cleared (including rabies for most store locations) prior to being moved to a store condo.

Check out our Adoption Events(under construction) foster’s tab to see information on bringing your foster to a variety of events all around Chicago and the suburbs. Big and small events are available so even shy cats are welcome.

Want To Continue Fostering?

If you enjoy fostering with FFF or if you’d like to see some changes, fill out our Anonymous Foster Survey HERE

Every year our foster agreement is updated to reflect changes to the program. Please update your AGREEMENT by filling it out every year.

If you are ready to take on some more foster cats please reach out to Lauren Chan or Gina Badalamenti to get the perfect placement.

Trading Spaces:

If your cat is having any behavioral issues please check out our solutions page(under construction) and reach out in your chat for help before moving fosters which can exacerbate the situation by further stressing the cat. You can also look for answers in our BLOG.

Use the form HERE or HERE to request to move your foster to a different approved foster home. If you’re able to find an available foster before filling out the form it will speed up the process in moving your cat. Please get approval on a move from Gina before moving the cat. Ask in your cats chat, the foster chat, and the FFF Volunteer Group to help find another approved placement for your foster cat. Note that FFF does not coordinate temporary foster placement for vacations/travel, but you can use the above resources to ask for temporary foster coverage from another approved foster during your trips.

Need Supplies:

While we are not financially able to provide food and litter for every foster family we do our best to get as many supplies available for our fosters. Please watch our Volunteer Facebook Group for announcements on our (generally) once a month supply pickup days. The supplies we receive are not consistent, so please note that fosters are responsible for providing cat essentials when donations are not available via FFF.