Last week we asked our Facebook community to vote on the topic of our next live Q&A -- and you wanted to learn more about helping pets during the holidays. So on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 3-4 p.m. ET, Petfinder shelter outreach director Sara Kent will be answering your questions live.

But if you want to start helping pets NOW, don't wait. Find an adoption group near you that's participating in our Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program and sign up to get an adoptable pet out of a shelter. (Not sure you're ready? Check out our gallery of pets in need of foster homes and you may change your mind!)

But don't forget to log in to Facebook (and make sure you've "liked" Petfinder's Facebook page) and join us on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 3-4 p.m. ET so we can answer your questions.

PS: Here are 13 more easy ways to help homeless pets!

Today we're kicking off our Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program. Each year, we encourage you to help pets in need by taking in a foster pet during the holiday season. (Find out how the program started here.)

Why is fostering so important -- especially during the holidays?

By taking in a foster pet, you'll be:

1. Giving shelters and rescue groups extra help during a time of year when they are usually short-staffed.


2. Giving other foster parents a chance to travel or just take a break.


3. Freeing up a spot so the shelter or rescue group can take in another pet.


4. Giving your foster pet the time he or she needs to be ready for adoption. (Learn common reasons pets need foster homes.)
   

A West Fargo, ND, man and his assistant recently proved themselves strong-armed and soft-hearted by pulling three kittens to safety out of a wasps' nest. Jim Johnson, who is being hailed as a hero by cat bloggers, talked to Petfinder about his adventure.

On Oct. 7, Johnson, owner of Jim Johnson Construction, had stopped by a property to do some work when his assistant Eric heard a mewling sound. They discovered the source in a nearby basement window well, where three 3-week-old kittens were trapped inches from a nest of wasps.

The situation was bad -- two of the kittens were unconscious and covered in wasps; the third was trying to fight off the stinging insects.

Jim didn't think twice about helping them, despite the fact that wasp stings are painful -- and potentially deadly to those who are allergic. "When you see something
in dire straits, you just have to act," he tells us. 

Jim told Eric to cut the plastic cover off the window well with his utility knife while Jim retrieved a large pine board he planned to use to kill the wasps. But as soon as Jim swatted a few wasps, more started to swarm.

Jim switched tactics. He put on Eric's sweater -- it was big enough to come down over his hands -- and reached into the window well to pull the kittens out.

June is Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month! And we're kicking it off with an adorable video of a mother cat hugging her dreaming kitten.

The cats in the video are definitely lovable -- as are the more than 145,000 adoptable cats posted on Petfinder right now. If you want to help for Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month, here are just a few things you can do:

• Adopt a cat! Read our article, Adopting the Right Cat for You, or watch the video.
  
• Foster a cat or kittens for your local shelter or rescue group. If you foster a nursing cat with kittens, you'll be helping a whole family in need, and will get to enjoy nonstop cuteness until the kittens are old enough to be adopted. (Read eight reasons you can foster a cat, even if you think you can't.)
• Help spread the word: Here are 10 simple ways you can promote Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month -- most of which you can do without leaving your computer.

Tell us: What's the cutest thing your pet's ever done?

Each week this month we've shared stories of fostering pets and tips for becoming a foster parent in honor of our Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program. (Read our past posts here.)

Want to foster a pet for the holidays? Find a participating organization near you.

One of the questions I'm most frequently asked as a pet foster parent is, "How do you let go?" Similarly, a lot of people tell me they don't foster pets because "I could never give them back."

That's why this week I'm sharing my top five tips for letting go at the end of a foster period. While they're not exactly foolproof (we just decided to adopt our last foster cat, Wes), these tips have helped me let go of well over 20 foster cats and dogs and place them in loving, happy homes -- that aren't my own.

In honor of our Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program, we've been posting about pet fostering each week this month. (Read the previous posts about pet fostering.)

Want to foster a pet for the holidays? Find a participating organization near you.

Fostering pets has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and is something I encourage everyone I know to do. But I've learned some big lessons along the way.

For the experience to turn out well for the foster parent and the rescue organization (and, most of all, the pet), it's crucial that all parties communicate and be clear about their expectations and responsibilities.

Here are some questions to ask the rescue group or shelter before you sign up to foster (the group will most likely have you fill out a foster-home application as well). Don't be alarmed if the group doesn't have answers to all the questions you ask. Each organization has its own procedures.

Questions about the pet:

1. How did he come to be with the shelter or rescue group and how long has he been there?
2. Why does he need a foster home now?
3. Does he have any medical concerns or need medication?
4. Has he been neutered (or spayed, if the pet is female)? If not, when will he be?
5. Is he up to date on his vaccinations and has he been tested for diseases such as FELV and FIV (cats) or heartworm (dogs)?
6. Since conditions such as kennel cough and upper respiratory infections cannot be tested for, how long should I keep him separated from my own pets?
7. Does he have any behavioral issues or concerns? How are they dealt with?
8. Do you know how he is with kids, cats, dogs and/or strangers? Can my children or pets meet him before I commit to fostering him?
9. Do you know how he does when left alone? Is he crate trained (dogs)?
10. Is he housetrained (dogs)/litter box trained (cats)?

Read 10 important questions to ask about the fostering process after the jump.

Last month we asked you to send us your stories about fostering pets. The e-mails flooded in. Some of you foster on a regular basis, like Kim S. who has fostered over 50 dogs and cats. Others of you have responded when shelters had animals in special need.

One story was about Sunshine, a kitten who was sick and put in isolation at the shelter. Dina and her daughter volunteer at the shelter and knew that Sunshine was usually very social, so they took her home for two weeks while she got well. "It was a wonderful experience and we're considering fostering a lonely cat for the holidays," Dina says.

Carol C. has some tips for those interested in fostering a pet. "I find that it takes about 7-10 days for adjustment with older dogs, and potty training almost always has to be re-taught. The way a new dog is introduced to the family seems to play a large part in how smooth the adjustment is, and I take the time to plan that out and execute it as closely as I can to my plan."

Carol's plan includes "preparation of the home environment (I have different zones in my house -- from a puppy room to a housetraining area that is accident-proof, all the way to free access to the whole house, when earned) and the ability to change what isn't working until something that does work is stumbled upon." She also suggests that an aspiring foster parent take into account the pet's exercise needs, dominance level, size and strength to make sure she or he can handle the pet in a positive way.

It's time for our second annual Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays campaign, a program to help get pets out of shelters and into foster homes for the holidays -- and hopefully adopted! Learn more about how it all started here.

Fostering a pet is a great way to give back during the holiday season. It gives animals a break from shelter living and decreases the number of pets shelter staff have to care for. (Shelter staff deserve a holiday break too.)

This year more than 1,500 shelters and rescue groups signed up for Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays and are ready to welcome great new foster homes. We hope you will participate, and to help, we'll be blogging about fostering all this month. We'll address some of the most frequently asked questions about fostering, how to avoid common pitfalls and what to do if you hit trouble.

Want to skip the info and sign up now? Find a participating organization here. Then contact that shelter or rescue group directly and tell them you're interested in fostering.