Springtime in Asheville — the tourist trickle back, Biltmore blooms, and kittens flood local humane societies and animal shelters by the thousands. It's an adorable plague.

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is already rallying volunteers to help cope with the influx, which tends to pick up in March — and since Brother Wolf alone cared for 1,127 kittens last spring, local shelters will need a small army to keep up.

Brother Wolf, Asheville Humane Society and the Buncombe County Animal Shelter are all recruiting adult volunteers to open their homes to foster cats.

How do I foster a cat?

Foster families provide a safe, loving environment for animals until they're ready to be matched with forever homes — while the shelter foots the bill for food, supplies and any medical expenses. Fostering pregnant or nursing mama cats is a great way to experience the wonder of birth without contributing to overpopulation, and it requires minimum effort from the foster family, says Meredith Pitcairn of the Asheville Humane Society.

"You just need a small room or space to keep them and ensure mama cat has everything she needs, and she takes care of the babies on her own," Pitcairn said.

But if you want all that kitten love to yourself, you can volunteer to foster orphaned newborns until they're weaned and ready to be adopted. Since newborns require round-the-clock feedings every hour or two, it's a significant commitment.

Learn more about helping kittens

Brother Wolf veteran foster mom Andee Bingham will host a free workshop on how to care for 'bottle babies' on at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lenoir-Rhyne University (room 315), 36 Montford Ave., Asheville.

Want to know more about fostering, or just looking to fill your Instagram feed with joy? Check out animal welfare powerhouse and Instagram darling Hannah Shaw, better known as "the kitten lady," who has inspired thousands to foster kittens in need.

If you're not able to foster, you can still chip in for kitten season through the Asheville Humane Society and Brother Wolf's Amazon Wishlists— powdered formula and kitty litter are always in demand. And as always, Brother Wolf says, the best thing you can do for animals is to make sure your own pets are spayed and neutered.