SPCA foster parent profiles: Dawn

With tens of thousands of animals coming through SPCA's doors every year, we rely heavily on our kind network of foster families to help ease the load.

Many SPCA Centres reach full capacity during kitten season, and large numbers of vulnerable cats and litters come into our care.

Dawn is one of our dedicated fosterers, taking in as many kittens and cats as she's able. By giving them a safe space to grow, heal and recover, Dawn is responsible for countless animals getting their second chance and going on to find their forever homes.

We chatted with Dawn to learn more about her fostering journey.

I’ve been fostering for a very long time, over 10 years now. Ever since I was young I remember loving animals. I was brought up in the country, people used to come up from all over, drop their cats off, and I’d find these abandoned cats and bring them home and nurse them back to health.

Walking home from school through the native bush, I'd sometimes find little kittens with their eyes glued shut from cat flu, and I'd bring them home. I rescued everything—my parents used to get quite tired of it. We even took in sick piglets and calves.

We have a dedicated space for kittens and cats that need a bit more quiet time, but I often foster some other cats and kittens in the main house. We have a lovely old rescue dog as well, and she’s so good with the kittens.

Cats, definitely. One that stands out was a Burmese cat, he arrived to me with nearly all his hair falling out after he was found soaked in oil. But despite how rough he had it, he was a real character! Such a cute cat but he had a bit of a mischievous streak as well.

I also once took in a litter of kittens someone had dumped in a pot on the roadside. It’s just absolutely heartbreaking people get a kitten for free, find it cute, and then the next year, I end up with that same kitten—now a mother with a litter of her own. They’re just kittens themselves, and it happens over and over.

Just do it! There’s always a need for foster homes, and you’re giving them a good start in life. It’s great for kids to learn to look after animals, as long as they’re gentle, especially with kittens. My children grew up with dogs, mice, kittens, guineapigs - everything that seemed to come to us when others couldn’t keep them anymore. And I’d say it was a great learning experience for them.

If you'd like to make a difference for animals in need, you can sign up to foster online. Everything you need is provided by SPCA, and our teams can likely match you with an animal that fits your circumstances.