Frequently asked questions

The adoption fee is R1 200. The true cost of getting an animal ready to be rehomed — vet care, sterilisation, vaccinations, food and often months of rehabilitation — is closer to R3 000, so the fee covers less than half of what Aid4Aid spends. The rest is made up by donations.

Every animal in our care lives with a foster family in the southern suburbs rather than in a kennel, so meeting one means visiting their foster home. We always recommend completing the application and home check process before meeting any animal to avoid any dissapointment and heartbreak.

Yes, you can. However, we generally require that an animal be sterilised before moving to a home outside Cape Town. If this isn't possible, the new owner must cover the cost and have it done by 6 months of age — this is non-negotiable.

Occasionally, but very rarely — and even then, without registration papers. We mainly rehome mixed-breed dogs.

We don't rehome sibling puppies, or puppies of a similar age, to the same home — this can lead to behavioural issues. It's best to adopt one pup, then bring in a second once the first is over 6 months old. Kittens are different — they can readily be rehomed together and make wonderful sibling pairs.

Kittens naturally take to a litter box from a young age, though it's common for a kitten or cat not to use a new box for the first 24 hours in an unfamiliar environment. While we and our foster homes do our best to house-train all pups and dogs, some take longer than others, and accidents can happen while they adjust to a new home.

Yes, though it depends on the apartment and your lifestyle. We'll only rehome kittens to an apartment/flat in pairs, and only if they'll be kept solely indoors once grown. Dogs are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, we recommend pet insurance to help cover unexpected accidents and medical bills. There are various providers today catering to a range of budgets.

Yes, we highly recommend puppy school — for basic training, but more importantly for socialisation. Puppies learn to be social with other dogs, both on and off leash, between 2 and 6 months of age. Puppy school also helps desensitise a pup to everyday, real-world stimuli.

Yes, we do. They're intermittent and often weather-dependent, so it's best to keep an eye on our social media pages (Facebook and Instagram), where we advertise our upcoming adoption days.

It's absolutely false. All dogs, like humans, can learn throughout their lives. One of the most rewarding experiences is adopting an older dog and working with them through training and desensitisation, helping to grow, shape, and mould that new family member.

We only recommend positive reinforcement training, preferably in a class environment with an experienced trainer. Trainers don't really teach dogs — they teach humans — so you'll learn before your dog does!

We absolutely recommend a qualified behaviourist when an animal needs one. Please always check that the behaviourist can provide certified qualifications. They can work wonders with animals in need, but you need to be willing to put in the work too.

All the food, all the veterinary care, and support and guidance for as long as the animal is with you.

Aid4Aid also does the adoption screening and the placement, so you are looking after an animal rather than finding them a home on your own.

When an animal arrives, we adhere to a 10-day quarantine period. After that, we have to wait until the animal is 8 weeks old before it can be vaccinated — only then can we start networking for a home. Fostering can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, or longer; it really varies, and there's no set standard. We prefer not to move animals between foster homes, so we look for fosters who are ready to stay with an animal until we find it a home.

Yes, of course. Your own animals will need to be fully sterilised and up to date with their vaccinations.

There's always some risk, but it's far lower when an animal is fully vaccinated. As with most things — even walking your dog in the park — there's an associated risk, and vaccination helps reduce it dramatically.

Yes, we actively encourage fostering by families with children. It helps animals adjust to and get comfortable around children, which makes their move into a forever home much easier.

Yes, fostering can be difficult — but when you let an animal go to a loving home, you make space for the next animal in need of rescue. It ultimately becomes very rewarding to be part of the rescue process and help more animals.

Unfortunately, our volunteering opportunities are limited, as we don't operate a shelter and all our animals are housed in foster homes. You can volunteer at our adoption days, which involves spending time with the pups and dogs.

Yes. Aid 4 Animals in Distress is a registered NPO (214-400) and PBO (930070315). We hold Section 18A tax exemption from SARS, which means we can issue tax certificates for donations.

We receive no government funding and rely entirely on public support.

Vet care is the biggest line by a distance — about R66 000 a month — and food adds roughly R7 000. One mass sterilisation day costs about R80 000 to run.

The donate page breaks the month down.

Yes — A recurring monthly donation can be set up on our donate page page. SnapScan also supports recurring donations, so a monthly amount can be set up there too.

Since February 2025 we have been running mass sterilisation days in Lavender Hill and Cafda — a school hall turned into a theatre for a day, with vets, volunteers and crates.

1 174 animals have been through them so far.

Yes — in Cape Town, it's a legal requirement. Under Cape Town bylaws, it's illegal to keep a dog or cat over 6 months old that hasn't been sterilised.

Yes, both health and behavioural. Sterilisation at 6 months reduces the risk of various cancers in cats and dogs, and prevents them going into heat or roaming to find a mate — which can also lead to fights and injury.

Aid4Aid works in Cape Town's greater South — Kirstenhof and the surrounding southern suburbs. Every animal in our care lives with a foster family in the area rather than in a kennel, so meeting an animal usually means visiting their foster home.

There is no shelter to visit. Aid4Aid has no kennels and no premises — every animal is in a foster home from the day they are rescued until the day they are rehomed. That is the care model rather than a stopgap.

This is what we call a "foster fail," and it happens often! While we understand the temptation, we don't encourage it, as we rely on our fosters to rescue more animals. If you do foster fail, you'll need to wait until the pup or kitten is over 6 months old, sterilised, and fully vaccinated before fostering again.

No — we focus solely on cats and dogs.

Fostering means looking after an animal while we actively network to find it a permanent home — during this time, we cover all food and veterinary costs. Adoption means paying an adoption fee and welcoming the animal into your home as a permanent family member, at which point you take on all costs, including food and veterinary care.

Yes, we work closely with several other organisations. The SPCA and Paw-a-While are our primary partners for sterilisation drives. We also work closely with Rescue is Life, with whom we sometimes split litters. In addition, we're regularly contacted by other organisations when they don't have space for animals but we do.