Springtime at animal shelters typically means kittens. Lots of kittens. And that means animal fosters are in high demand.

Animals that are not 8 weeks old and have not been sterilized are not eligible for adoption. Animals younger than eight weeks old make up the largest portion of animals in need of foster homes.

Amber Francisco, program manager at Farmington Regional Animal Shelter, said throughout the winter, the number of animals in foster homes ranges from a few litters of puppies or kittens to several dozen animals. Forty animals were in foster care earlier this week, including a mother and puppy and several mother and kitten groups that were waiting for foster placement.

The number of adoptable animals rises dramatically in spring and summer, leaving the shelter with 110 to 130 animals in foster homes at any given time.

Aztec Animal Shelter also sees a marked increased in intake of kittens in spring and summer, according to Lisa Tucker, crew leader at the shelter. Bottle babies, nursing kittens that arrive at the shelter without a mother, are most in need of immediate fostering, she said, because they cannot survive overnight at the shelter.

Francisco echoed the need for emergency fosters for bottle babies, both canine and feline. Neither shelter is staffed 24/7, so orphaned, nursing animals that are not sent out to foster the same day might be euthanized to prevent suffering.

Educating the public about when to intervene with kittens is a priority for both shelters. When a community member finds a kitten or litter of kittens without a mother nearby, Francisco and Tucker urge people not to take action immediately.

APSCA Pro literature states that the mother typically is nearby hunting or looking for a safer location. They recommend watching and waiting for several hours for the mother to return, especially if the kittens appear to be well-fed, warm and healthy. If kittens are cold or appear to be malnourished, sick or injured, immediate action may be necessary.

The increase in kittens that arrive at animal shelters across the country is commonly referred to as “kitten season” among those in animal welfare. ASPCA Pro defines kitten season as the period from March to October.

Foster recruitment is a constant focus for both shelters, and Francisco emphasized the lifesaving nature of animal fostering. She has been with the Farmington shelter since 2013 and has seen how many lives even one foster can save.

Francisco highlighted a few of the Farmington shelter’s long-standing fosters.

Lauri Archambeau is a go-to foster when bottle baby puppies need immediate placement. She has been fostering since 2013 and has fostered more than 900 puppies, the majority of which would not have survived without her help.

Cristy Cumberworth, who has been fostering since 2015, specializes in orphaned kittens. She has taken on bottle babies, non-nursing kittens and medical cases. Her efforts have helped save nearly 500 kittens in eight years.

Whether kitten or puppy, a medical or behavioral case, Yordanka Nedyalkova has fostered a wide variety of animals for FRAS and other shelters and rescues. She began fostering animals about 10 years ago while living in St. Louis, and has fostered for FRAS since she and her family moved to Farmington in 2020. Since then, she and her family have fostered around 450 animals.

While these fosters’ impact may be out of the ordinary, Francisco said that every animal life saved by fostering makes a difference and is greatly appreciated by shelter staff.

Nedyalkova said she became interested in fostering when the St. Louis shelter publicized a need for fosters during a high volume intake period. The experience had a profound impact on her and became her way to give back to the community and help save the lives of animals.

An advocate for animal fostering, Nedyalkova said there are a variety of reasons she encourages people to try fostering. Fostering provides families an opportunity to see if they are ready for long-term care of a pet, and it is also an affordable way to test out pet ownership since area shelters provide supplies needed to care for the animals.

She said that fostering is also more flexible when it comes to scheduling. If a person or family cannot have a pet full-time, they can still foster for short periods of time when it works with their schedule. If a particular foster does not work well in a home, the animal can be returned to the shelter with more information on what will make a better placement in the future.

Another benefit of fostering that Nedyalkova mentioned was becoming part of a community. Through her interactions with shelter staff and other fosters she has made friends who share her love of animals. Getting updates from adopters who have provided homes for previous fosters has also been a high point of fostering for her.

Both shelters also need foster families outside of kitten season for young animals, animals undergoing medical treatment, those in need of behavioral training and animals who are scared and need time to acclimate to human companionship.

Mother dog Evee and her single puppy at FRAS need a foster home because Evee is heartworm positive and cannot begin treatment until her puppy is fully weaned. The puppy will need to stay in foster care until weaned, and the mother will require fostering for an additional one to two months while undergoing heartworm treatment.

To become a foster with FRAS, apply online. Fosters must be 18 years old and reside in San Juan County. To foster with Aztec Animal Shelter, contact the shelter at (505) 334-6819 or aztecshelter@aztecnm.gov. Turquoise Paws provides information on its foster program on its website. Inquiries may be directed to turquoisepawofnm@gmail.com.

While not everyone may be able to foster an animal, both Francisco and Tucker said community members can still support their efforts through donations. With the influx of orphaned animals in the spring an summer, additional supplies are especially needed now.

Groups, organizations and individuals may donate supplies to support foster programs. Items needed include kitten and puppy milk replacer, hard and soft food, blankets, bottles and bottle-feeding supplies, high-calorie churu treats and warming pads or rice-filled socks. Monetary donations are also accepted.

Donations may be made to FRAS any time during public hours 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. Aztec’s shelter accepts donations through a donation box outside the building or during public hours. Tucker mentioned that if someone is dropping off a donation and does not want to leave it in the box, they may ring the doorbell for a staff member to come to collect it.

While foster animals are often difficult to give up at the end of the foster period, Nedyalkova said, “Fostering is incredibly rewarding. Getting updates on previous fosters that have been successfully adopted into caring families makes the occasional sleepless nights of bottle feeding and time spent cleaning up messes well worth it.”