County animal shelter looking for temporary foster families

Prince William County Animal Shelter soon will begin to see an influx of young animals, and the shelter needs help taking care of them, said Lt. Pauline Shatswell, of the Prince William Police Department’s Animal Control Bureau, according to a news release from Prince William County government.

Shelter staff is asking the public to provide foster care – for kittens in particular – since pregnant cats and kittens start showing up at the shelter in the spring. “As much as we love animals here, we do not have the proper environment to house kittens for a long period of time.”

There’s no expense to people who provide the care, Shatswell said. “There is no cost to foster. We provide you with all the materials that you need. If you have kittens that need to be nursed, we will even supply the kitten milk replacement. If there’s any veterinary cost, you can call us and make an appointment … to meet with our veterinarian on staff. All you’re doing is providing the labor and the love to take care of the fosters until they are adopted.”

The shelter is also looking for people to foster other animals, such as dogs and puppies, with minor ailments, that need treatment before the animals can be adopted out, Shatswell said.

People who foster animals need only provide a place for the animals to live. The shelter takes care of the rest. “The fosters take them into their house,” Shatswell said of animals with ailments. “We give them the medical care. They keep them until they’re healthy; and they bring them back, and we adopt them out.”

For more information on the foster care program, call 703-792-6465. Shatswell said the shelter would like to establish a waiting list of people who are willing to foster animals.