The Hawaiian Humane Society’s foster care program – now offered at both our Mōʻiliʻili Campus and Kosasa Family Campus at Hoʻopili! – helps animals in need of temporary tender, loving care. Approximately 150 animals are in foster homes at any given time. Shelter animals in need of care may be too young, underweight, ill, injured, recovering from surgery and/or require more socialization before adoption.
Volunteer Requirements
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Age – Foster Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. We absolutely encourage families to volunteer together – with the main volunteer being 18 years of age or up.
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Time Commitment – The foster care period varies. Rest assured that our team works to ensure the commitment makes sense for you. Some are short term and others could be 2 weeks to several months, depending on the animal’s needs.
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Transportation – Foster Volunteers lovingly provide transportation to and from our Mōʻiliʻili or Kosasa Family Campus at Hoʻopili. These trips are for pickup/drop off, checkup appointments and to say farewell when it is time for their foster pet to find their forever home!
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Housing – We ask that foster pets are housed indoors in a safe and secure environment that is easily cleaned and disinfected. Foster Volunteers are expected to follow any established housing rules that may apply to them and all state and county laws related to animals.
Learn about the joy of being a foster parent.
Foster Volunteer FAQ
When our Veterinary Services or Animals Behavior Teams identify an animal that would benefit from foster care, our Foster Care Team contacts potential foster volunteers to see if they could give the animal a foster home. The foster volunteer must bring the animal back to the shelter periodically for check-ups and vaccinations during the time they are fostering. Foster Volunteers are responsible for housing, feeding, cleaning, socializing and providing additional medical care or treatments as directed by Hawaiian Humane Society Veterinarians. We provide all foster volunteers with basic supplies. Medical care for Hawaiian Humane foster animals is provided by shelter staff throughout the foster period. Placement needs typically include canines, felines and small animals (rabbits and guinea pigs) of various ages and sizes with some animals requiring daily medication or other specialized care.
It takes a village to support the hundreds of abandoned neonate kittens that come to us in need of round-the-clock care every year. Being so young with low immune systems means these kittens are exceptionally vulnerable. Keeping them separate from our general shelter population and providing them with a safe, secure environment as they grow is critically important, which is why neonate fosters are so crucial. Hawaiian Humane provides all of the training, supplies and veterinary care for our fosters – we just need YOU and the gift of your time and compassion! There are so many ways to make a lifesaving difference today:
- Join our trained force of neonate foster volunteers that we affectionately call the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee!
- Donate much-needed supplies to our Kitten Shower registry!
