How to Host a Foster Pet for Thanksgiving

If you’re interested in fostering a cat or dog for Thanksgiving, you can visit participating Best Friends shelters to meet your new best friend. You’ll be matched with a pet that’s perfect for you. Best Friends will supply you with everything you need to take care of your pet at no cost to you; this includes staples like food, treats, crates, leashes, and toys.

The day after Thanksgiving, bring your holiday foster back to Best Friends so that they can return to the search for their forever home. Fostering a pet, even for a short while, can help both the animal you foster and the shelter they’re from. You can give the shelter valuable information about their behavior and needs so that the shelter knows how to better match them with a forever family—and while you're fostering, you can shower your companion with love and attention.

Can I Adopt My Thanskgiving Foster?

Now, we know what you’re thinking: What if you don’t want your surprise Thanksgiving guest to leave after the holidays are over? 

If you find that your Thanksgiving foster turns out to be the perfect addition to your home, let Best Friends know that you’re ready to adopt, and they’ll help you through the process. You can also choose to continue fostering for longer, if you want to keep your new friend around until they can find a permanent home. 

Participating Best Friends locations are in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Northwest Arkansas, Salt Lake City, and Kanab, Utah. Visit Best Friends’ website to learn more about fostering for the holidays and find a participating location near you.

How to Keep Pets Safe at Thanksgiving

Before Thanksgiving dinner, Best Friends wants to make sure that you know a few essential pet safety tips for your new guest and other pets you already own. 

“While those puppy dog eyes can be hard to resist, it’s important to fight the urge to feed pets table scraps or toss them a bone,” says Erin Katribe, veterinarian and director of national veterinary programs at Best Friends Animal Society.

“Too many rich, fatty, or simply new foods can cause an upset stomach or even pancreatitis, which can be life-threatening. Plus, turkey and other poultry bones can break up or splinter in a pet’s stomach,” she adds. For their safety, it’s important to avoid feeding your furry friends any table scraps—or allowing them access to places where there is accessible food, such as the kitchen counter. 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t give your pets a special holiday dinner. “Instead, stick to pet-safe treats,” Katribe says. “There are lots of great, seasonal options available in stores, or you can have fun making your own with pet-safe ingredients like pumpkin, applesauce, and cinnamon.”