Questions about fostering....

[Lisa0825]

I posted this in the lounge, but mutley_r_us suggested I post it here.

I had to have my sweet kitty put to sleep a couple weeks ago, due to a sudden illness. I miss her a lot, but I don't think I can adopt another pet right now. I see it as potentially an 18 year commitment, much like a child. I am seriously considering either joining the Peace Corps in a few years, or possibly moving to a Latin American country for a year or two for the experience. Recent changes in my financial situation have made these options quite possible, whereas, they were mostly fantasies before. So, since I don't know where I'll be, I don't want to adopt right now.

I was thinking about fostering cats/kittens, but I am unsure what that would be like. If anyone has done this, I'd love to have more info, like how long do you keep a pet? Are they mostly adults or little ones? Is it while they await permanent placement, or do they rotate them through just so they all get time in a home? Do you find it really difficult to let them take them away after falling for them?

Thanks for any info.

[Mutley]

1. Yay!

Give it a couple days. This group can move a little slow sometimes but in a few days this thread will be overflowing!

[City Lights]

2. I've fostered a few cats.

For me and my family, it was a difficult thing to do because we became attached to the cats we fostered. The first time we had to say good-bye, my kids cried when I took her to meet her permanent family, and then cried themselves to sleep that night. Some people are cut out for this; others aren't. When we ended up adopting our 7th cat, which we were fostering, we realized we were foster failures, and stopped fostering. (Plus, we ran out of room ;-).)

The length of time we kept the cat depended upon a number of factors. The shelter I volunteered for had a list of cats waiting for a foster spot to open up. The cats that were most stressed by being kept in cages, or those that had been in cages the longest without a break were on the foster list. Other times it was cats who were recuperating from a cold, etc., that couldn't completely shake it because they were around other sick animals.

The longest time we fostered a cat was about six weeks, but I know other cats remain in foster homes for longer periods, sometimes even years. The shortest was about a week.

Kittens were always placed in foster homes until they were old enough to be adopted out, so more foster homes were needed during kitten season. Adults were in need of foster homes year round.

Hope that helps, and good luck. :hi:

[Lisa0825]

3. Thanks very much!

That's just the type of info I was looking for! :hi:

I think I would be fine with having many kitties pass through my home regularly, but if I were to keep one for several months or a year or more, I would feel like I was abandoning it when I let it go.

[City Lights]

4. You're very welcome.

:-)

BTW, sorry to hear you had to put your baby down. :cry: :hug: It's so hard to say good-bye to a beloved friend. We had to say good-bye to our first cat in 2003. We had him for 15-1/2 years. I still miss him. (He's a legend in our home.)

Fostering can be very rewarding as long as you enter into it with the right frame of mind. We always seemed to bring a foster home wondering whether we'd make him/her a permanent member of the family. :dunce:

"I think I would be fine with having many kitties pass through my home regularly, but if I were to keep one for several months or a year or more, I would feel like I was abandoning it when I let it go."

That pretty much sums up our feeling. The sad eyes when we had to part ways said it all. I had to work hard to convince myself that the feeling of abandonment would only be temporary for the cat. In a few days, or a week, the cat would be purring like mad. ;-)

Please keep us posted on this!

[auburngrad82]

5. Something to keep in mind when fostering

The whole purpose of fostering an animal is to give it a safe and loving environment until it is adopted. Most good rescues are very picky about who they adopt an animal to. If you provide the animal with what it needs, food, shelter, love, etc, then when it is adopted you have done something wonderful. If the home that the animal is going to is a good one, then you should not feel as if you are abandoning the animal.

We fall in love with all of our fosters. Hell, I fall in love with most of the dogs and cats that other members of our rescue are fostering. It's normal if you do your job. Treat a foster as if he/she is a member of your family.

When the animal is adopted, you have helped to make his/her life better. Then you can foster another and help that one too!

[Lisa0825]

6. I guess I just have a habit of

projecting human emotions and mental processes onto animals, even though I have read about how their concepts of time are vastly different from ours. I have this notion of a kitty being taken by an adoptive family and thinking "Mommy! Why are you sending me away?!" LOL!

The differences in mental processing and perception also makes it so hard to forget holding my sweety as she went to sleep. I hate that she didn't know what we were doing and why. :cry:

[Lorien]

7. I foster cats and kittens

if you cruise around the threads in this forum, you can read about various experiences I've had fostering the little ones (just look for the threads that I've authored). My most recent experience was heartbreaking, but it hasn't made me want to stop fostering. I usually have the kitties here for a week to two months. I adopt them out myself at a local holistic pet food store. Usually I have potential "new parents" fill out an application. I then follow up with email and phone calls, and if I like the answers they give me to my questions, they get the kitty. I call a week or two later to see how it's going.Some new owners send me regular updates on their own, complete with photos. So far, all of my kittens and cats have been the perfect match for their new homes and have brought a great deal of joy to their new owners, which is really fulfilling. One older cat was adopted by RedDemFl, and is doing beautifully in his new home. An older kitten-Khephra (named for DU's own Khephra)was one that I thought I would NEVER get adopted out, but the family that chose him has fallen in love with him. He is their first pet as a family (their eldest-a girl named Heather-is 16 and has lobbied for a cat since she was 3 years old)! He goes on family vacations with them and is perfectly behaved. Reading Heather's emails about Kef (they kept the name) is truly heartwarming. Another foster-Goblin-went to a young man living alone with his adult female cat. His girlfriend tells me that Goblin and Matthew seem like "father and son"; they couldn't be more attached to one another. Things like that make it all worthwhile.

The first few adoptions are tough, but once you see how well they're doing, it gets easier. It's also good to know that once the nest is empty it only takes a phone call to refill it. :-)

[Lisa0825]

8. Thanks for the reply. I will look up your other posts.

I contacted a local group yesterday, and exchanged a couple emails with them. They are having a pet fair at a shelter tomorrow, and she wants me to come and introduce myself and talk more about how they do things. Plus, I'll get to meet the kitties :loveya:

[Lisa0825]

9. I visited a shelter today!

OMIGOSH! I am so overwhelmed with kitty-love right now! I knelt down to pet one, and suddenly I was swarmed by a dozen kitties of all colors, and one little one was trying to crawl up my back! It was the best I've felt since I said goodbye to my baby.

I really liked the shelter manager, and got a tour of the whole place. She's thrilled to have another foster mom, and I decided to volunteer there on the weekends as well.

The building is in need of a lot of work, but I really like the setup. It's not like a pet store, with animals locked up. They have several rooms where the cats or dogs all have furniture and toys, and they all seem to get along great. There will be a big back yard as soon as they get the fence put up.

I already see someone I want to foster, if still available after next weekend... Someone dumped a momma kitty with 2 newborns behind the shelter. They are SO precious!!! They need a mom until they are weaned and can be adopted out. It would be so wonderful to have newborn kitties to watch over a while!

I really think I am going to love doing this, and I am happy that I can help out there. Thanks for the information. :loveya: