Open your home and heart—become a foster! Provide a safe, loving space for animals in need while they wait for their forever homes.

Foster a Cat or Dog

Our Foster Network Is AMAZING!

We don't have our own shelter, but we are blessed to have our wonderful network of foster parents. We could not do what we do without their help.

Our foster parents are the back bone of our organization. Every foster adds to our ability to save the lives of dogs and cats!

A foster home provides the love, and socialization and cozy beds these animals need while waiting for their forever homes.

Foster parents are fully supported by Mississauga Humane Society as we provide support, food, and medical coverage for the animals in their care.

How to Become a Foster

We’re always on the lookout for people who are willing to open their hearts and homes to animals in need.

1. APPLY
Complete the application form.

2. SCREENING
A phone interview will be arranged and a home inspection will be conducted.

3. APPROVAL
If you’re approved, we will start the process of matching an animal to your foster family. Finding a good foster fit is important for both foster parent and animal.

4. FOSTERING & SUPPORT
To confirm a foster placement, you will be required to sign a foster agreement that outlines your responsibilities as a foster home to provide excellent care, and the responsibilities of Mississauga Humane Society. Mississauga Humane Society provides all supplies required to properly care for your animal. This includes all food and litter, medicine. medical care, and transportation to the vet clinic.

5. ADOPTION
The hardest part of fostering is saying goodbye! Mississauga Humane Society will facilitate the foster-to-adopt process including transportation of the animal to it’s new home.

If you fall in love with your foster animal you may apply for adoption to become a #fosterfail. Due to the unique needs of our animals, fostering does not always mean you will be approved for adoption.

READY TO OPEN YOUR HOME TO ANIMALS IN NEED?

Apply to Foster an Animal

Foster a Cat

Fostering a cat is a great way to help set up cats for adoption into the right homes. If you would like to sign up to foster a cat, please fill out the form below.

Foster a Momma Cat & Babies

One of our most needed foster situations, especially between May to September. This is a fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved!

Placements can be as short as a few weeks if the mama and kittens are healthy and social. Longer stays may be needed for older kittens (5+ weeks) adjusting to socialization, bonded pairs, or cats with health concerns.

We strongly recommend having a bedroom or office to safely contain mom and kittens when unsupervised. This protects them from household hazards and makes it easier to monitor their eating and litter box habits.

Foster a Dog

Fostering a dog is a great way to help set up dogs for adoption into the right homes.

Foster homes provide one on one care for each dog, allowing us to work with each individual dog's dietary, exercise, and mental stimulation needs. Every dog is different and being able to customize their care, and provide a daily routine and observation helps us determine when a dog is ready for adoption, and what resources they need to thrive.

Frequently Asked Questions

1ave questions about fostering? Find answers to common concerns, from commitment length to supplies and support. Helping an animal in need is easier than you think!

  • Foster homes are temporary housing for an animal waiting to be adopted.

    • Foster homes provide a stable, routine environment

    • Foster homes encourage basic training, socialization, and positive behaviour

    • Foster homes offer a place to recover from medical situations; Post-surgery, palliative care, on-going medical care/intervention

    Our foster homes come from a network of volunteers who have opened their hearts and homes to the animals they care for.

  • The main foster parent must be at least 18 years of age and pass our pre-screening phone call and home assessment.

    We require that foster homes are smoke-free indoors, that cats are kept indoors at all times and dogs are not allowed to free-roam. These guidelines help us protect the well-being of our animals while they await their forever homes.

    We seek to find a good fit for the animals in our care. There may be additional requirements on a case-by-case basis depending on care needs.

  • It varies depending on the animal’s needs, from a few weeks to several months.

    A foster term/duration is very dependant on the home, the foster animal, and the reason for fostering. Some animals come in and are happy, healthy, and ready to be listed for adoption within days. Some require extensive medical and behavioural help before they are ready to be listed for adoption.

    Some of our more common foster situations are:

    • Mama Cat and Babies
      Kittens must be a minimum of 12 weeks (3 Months) of age, and be strong and healthy before being adopted. Normally, if they are healthy and strong, they get adopted within a few weeks of being listed.

    • Surrendered/Transferred Animals
      These can either be owner surrenders from people unable to care for their animal, or transferred from another rescue organization we have affiliations with. If healthy and friendly, they are usually posted for adoption within the week and can be adopted quite quickly.

      Behavioural and medical cases do take much longer; we work on resolving the issue, whether with training or with medical intervention before the animal is listed for adoption.

    • Stray Cats
      The most unpredictable group! Some of the toughest strays can turn into cuddle bugs with time and patience, and some need months of commitment to build up trust.

  • Mississauga Humane Society will provide food, litter, care-items, medication, transportation, veterinary services and other necessary expenses.

    You’re responsible for love, care and playtime.

  • Yes! We match fosters with animals based on experience, preferences, and home environment.

  • That’s okay! We help ensure a good fit and provide introductions when needed.

    Please make sure to let us know about your pets when filling out the application form.

  • "Foster fails" happen! If you fall in love, you’re welcome to apply to adopt your foster animal.

    Adoptions are handled on a case by case basis and fostering does not guarantee that you will be approved.

  • Foster-to-adopt is part of our adoption process to ensure a good fit between family and pet. This is separate from the foster program.

    The foster program is focused on preparing animals for adoption and keeping them in a safe and comfortable environment while waiting. The ultimate goal of fostering is for the animal to be adopted by someone else.

    The foster-to-adopt program is part of the adoption process. Allowing a family to test the waters and see if the animal they chose is the right fit for their home. The ultimate goal of foster-to-adopt is for the animal to be adopted by the foster family.

    If you are looking to adopt an animal, please check out our adoption page.

  • Click here to start your foster application.