Foster families are needed during kitten season in the Valley (photo courtesy of Arizona Humane Society).

This month, you can be a hero to many pets rather than just one. The kitten season is upon us, and the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) is asking residents for their help fostering its tiniest and most fragile patients by becoming a Bottle Baby Kitten Foster Hero.

Last year, AHS cared for more than 2,000 kittens ranging anywhere from a few days old to eight weeks of age in its Bottle Baby Kitten ICU and Kitten Nursery alone. These are specialized areas where orphaned, underage kittens receive 24-hour care from AHS staff and volunteers that do everything that a mama cat normally would for their babies. This includes feeding and weighing them every few hours depending on their age, providing medical care when needed and getting them to a place where they are stable enough to go to a foster home.

Their moms offer these delicate kittens the best chance of survival but when they are not around anymore to care for them, Foster Heroes are critical to saving even more lives by providing tender loving care while in their homes. It is easy to become an AHS Foster Hero and the shelter provides everything needed, from training to all the supplies, food, medical checkups and more.

For more information on how to become a Foster Hero, visit www.azhumane.org/foster to take the online orientation and apply. Residents who find a litter of kittens and aren’t sure what to do can find answers at www.azhumane.org/foundkittens.