Every time a spot opens up in the Cal Poly Cat Program shelter, another local stray has a place to stay after being rescued. One way these spots open up is through fostering, often by Cal Poly students who foster a cat from the shelter until they can find their forever home.
Opening your home to a cat– even just for a few weeks – can make all the difference. As fall break approaches, the Cal Poly Cat Program, which has spent 32 years rescuing and rehoming campus felines, is calling for new volunteers to give cats a safe place to stay and help the program continue its mission, according to foster coordinator Miranda Seidl.
The program, which is located on Cal Poly campus, works to provide a safe environment for cats until they can be rehomed according to their website. Fosters can apply on the Cal Poly Cat Program website to take in a cat until a permanent home is found for the animal.
According to their website, they also help to manage the feral cat population in San Luis Obispo through the Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Medicate, Alter and Release procedure which was developed by the National Feral Cat Resource Center.
Seidl, an animal science senior on the pre-vet track who has been volunteering at the cat program since her freshman year, said it can be difficult to find fosters who are able to provide for cats who have additional needs.
“Many of our fosters live with multiple roommates or just can’t provide the time or a quiet environment, which is totally understandable for college students, but it does make it harder to place cats who need extra patience or space to decompress,” Seidl said.
When a cat is placed with a foster all the necessary supplies are included such as food and litter. Additionally, the team at the Cal Poly Cat Program is there to guide fosters.
“I try to tell everyone that our foster team is there every step of the way.” Seidl said. “We usually create a group chat and we’re able to provide advice and vet care coordination when needed.”
Fostering a cat does not have to be a long commitment. Seidl says that the cat program usually asks fosters to commit to taking a cat for at least a month. However, during breaks where much of the student population is returning home and there are less fosters in town, there are opportunities to foster temporarily.
Mona Lingenbrink, a two-year volunteer with the Cal Poly Cat Program, explained the program is made up of multiple volunteer groups – including fundraising, fostering, adoption and medical teams – all working toward the same mission.
“We’ve evolved in terms of personnel. We have more volunteers, more people actively trying to get involved, which allows us to take in more cars and host more fundraisers,” Lingenbrink said.
Adoption patterns at the Cat Program often vary by season. Lingenbrink says that the program sees an influx in adoptions in the summertime since most people go home and have to return the cats.
“Once we have a kitten in the program, it doesn’t take long before they’re adopted, but we do have a lot of older cats that stay long-term,” Lingenbrink said.
Seidl says that even short term fostering is beneficial to the Cal Poly Cat Program. When a cat is fostered, a space will open in the program giving them opportunities to rescue more cats.
“Even someone with a single quiet room, or someone willing to learn basic medical care, like giving meds or fluids can make a huge difference for these cats,” Seidl said.
For students or community members interested in volunteering, Lingenbrink says the process is simple. The program takes a group of students to the shelter and will go through a volunteer training session. This will include playing with the cats, cleaning, feeding and caring for them.