Charity hails a record rise in animal fostering as families across Scotland step up to save lives from their living rooms.
The Scottish SPCA has seen a dramatic 170% increase in animal fostering in the first quarter of 2025, with 178 animals placed in temporary homes between January and March—up from just 66 in the same period last year.
The charity says the growth reflects a focused drive to reduce pressure on centres and support animals to recover and thrive in home environments.
Fostering in a loving home helps animals to recover and rehabilitate
Anna O’Donnell, Scottish SPCA fostering and adoption lead, said: “It is fantastic to see our fostering programme continue to grow, with more foster volunteers and an expanded fostering team to help more animals find suitable foster homes. Fostering in a loving home helps animals to recover and rehabilitate in a supportive environment, further reducing long stays in our centres. The plan is to continue this expansion through the course of this year.”
Among the many families stepping up to foster are Matt and Anna Wintle from Ayrshire—an ordinary couple doing extraordinary work.
Since signing up as Scottish SPCA fosterers in late 2022, they’ve fostered 12 cats and 43 kittens, transforming a corner of their home into what they lovingly call their “Caternity Ward.”
“Our first foster was a ten-week-old kitten called Jim Hopper—he never left,” said Matt. “We adopted him and carried on fostering. Then came a pregnant cat, a crash course in kitten care, and a houseful of tiny chaos.”
The couple, who both work full-time in IT and aerospace, say the flexibility of remote working and support from the Scottish SPCA has made it possible.
Matt said: “It’s hard to explain how satisfying it is – you have to experience it.
“It’s just wonderful to know we played a small part in giving them a helping hand from a rough start into a loving forever home.”
Fostering isn’t just for professionals or retirees
The couple also want others to know fostering isn’t just for professionals or retirees. “It’s just normal people seeing an advert and throwing their name in the hat,” said Matt. “All it costs is a little time and space—and the rewards are huge.”
The surge in fostering comes alongside a 6.9% increase in adoptions and a 5.5% drop in animal arrivals, suggesting the charity’s preventative and community-based welfare work is having a real impact. The Scottish SPCA continues to prioritise smarter, more sustainable approaches across its rescue, rehabilitation and adoption services.
This growth in animal fostering is a cornerstone of the Society’s 2025 strategy—to keep pets and people together wherever possible, reduce strain on centres, and make space for the animals who need care the most.
Many of animals don’t cope well within a centre environment, some have come from situations where they may not have been well socialised with people or other animals, and others may never have experienced the care and affection they deserve.
In these situations, the charity knows quickly moving animals into a home environment is the best thing for them.
Being on foster builds their confidence and can improve their health and wellbeing
Not only does it give them much needed love and affection, being on foster builds their confidence and can improve their health and wellbeing.
Animal fostering also allows us to learn more about the animal, meaning we can find them the most suitable permanent home, and helps to free up space in our centres so we can rescue more animals that are in desperate need of our help.
Think you could foster? Find out how and register your interest at https://www.scottishspca.org/find-a-pet/fostering/
