Find out what it takes to be a volunteer foster parent for cats and kittens from the Seattle Animal Shelter at a free orientation session.

This month's session will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. March 3 in the upper level conference room of Seattle Animal Shelter, 2061 15th Ave. W., Seattle. To attend, email sasfostercatsorientation@gmail.com before 5 p.m. March 2.

Volunteers are provided with a "case manager" for advice and a foster-care manual. Attending the orientation does not obligate you to fostering an animal.

Seattle Animal Shelter counts on volunteers to provide temporary homes to injured, sick and immature cats so they can be nurtured and rehabilitated. Foster homes also give adoptable cats a break from the stresses of the shelter environment.

For volunteers and their families, the foster program provides an opportunity to learn about the responsibilities and benefits of having a pet without a long-term commitment, according to a statement from Shelter Director Don Jordan.

Click here for more details about how the foster program works and how it is funded.

For directions to the shelter, go to http://www.seattle.gov/animalshelter/ or call 206-386-7387.

Sammy, a 10-year-old domestic shorthair/dilute tortoiseshell, is one of the many cats and kittens in foster care waiting to be adopted. For more information about this mellow gal, go to http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24739700. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Animal Shelter)