Foster an Animal

Mission Level
Success! It's ongoing . . .

I actually did not foster one animal - I ended up fostering three animals (and will probably foster more). I am not allowed to have dogs in my apartment, so I fostere cats.

I should mention, I love animals. I am not a "dog person" or a "cat person" or a "goat person" or whatever - I have never met an animal I have not been fond of. I grew up with one cat and had a summer job as a pet sitter where I had a whole selection of animals to take care of. I rode horses, too. Love animals.

My fostering started off with me just wanting a cat - a pet. I filled out the application with a local rescue group, Pet Adoption and Lifecare Society. I was then told the cat I wanted, a handsome black boy named Forrest was already adopted. I was offered a selection of other black cats.

I ended up saying I wasn't looking for a black cat, I was looking for a cat. I offered up my living arrangements and asked if there was some cat without an eye or leg or something. Maybe a stinky cat who hates everyone and is about to be euthanize or something.

My little Charlie

After some back and forth, it was decided they had a need for fosters to take on some Feline leukemia (FeLV) cats because they tend to have a shorter life expectancy and no one wants them.

I ended up fostering a  cat who was called "Macadamia" but I renamed Charlie. Names are important, he was totally not a Macadamia.

I only had Charlie about two months before he died. He was a sweet guy who loved to snuggle and be held. He was a little talker, too. He told me when it was time to go to bed and time to get up.

Losing a pet, however long or short you have had him/her, is always painful. I missed Charlie a lot but I missed having an animal around more. I went back to PALS for two reasons - one was to get another cat, the other was to get Charlie's brother who was then called "Almond." I had met Almond when I went to pick up Charlie, and even then Pat (the president) said it looked like he had picked me. I had to go back to pick up this cat.

Lucy the calico and Henry the bandit

Almond, as it was, hated being alone and had a little companion named Lucy, both were FuLuk positive and I ended up coming home that night with two cats.  I never had two cats. I didn't think I would ever have two cats, but, then I had two cats.

I ended up renaming Almond to Henry because he looks like a Henry No, I don't name all my animals human names. Sometimes you have to see an animal and you can tell what his/her name should be.

His little friend was a girl I had met before named Lucy. She came with that name and it worked for her. I had hoped she would have been adopted into a nice family, but, no one came for her.

A few months after bringing them home, Lucy ended up getting Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) and I had to put her down. To months later, I had to put Henry down after he contracted pneumonia. I had to leave him for a couple days and I don't think that helped. But, there was not much that could have been done, either way. I got to spend the last night with him and put him down on Christmas Eve.

Putting an animal down is hard. Death is a natural part of life, and when you know an animal is suffering, there is some comfort in knowing you are ending that suffering. However, it's never easy and there is always some pain. Henry, I will say, was the most painful of them.

And The Cat Came Back

I am trying to work. . .

Now, I have this cat named Lucky.

I didn't want to get another cat so soon after Henry died and I was enjoying the time to myself and lack of cleaning and worrying I had to to do. But, when people learn you are a sucker and have a sob story, you end up taking in another cat.

Lucky should only be with me for three months. I am not sure what the exit plan is, I don't want to ask again because I have a feeling he might be with me for longer. I am hoping he gets a good home after the three months and tests negative for FeLv. He only tested he was exposed.

Common Questions
Here are the common questions I get about my fostering thing:

• Do you pay for everything? No, I pay for food and litter. Not medical. 
• Do you pick the cats? Not really, a lot of time, it is what is needed. I do pick when I want a cat. Mostly.
• Is it sad? If you love animals, you know they are pretty awesome. They offer me a wealth of fun and laughter. The good outweighs the bad, a million fold.
• Are you a crazy cat lady? Only two of those words really apply to me. 
• How can you give them up? No one really comes back for them, they are with me until they die. I think it will be hard to hand Lucky over to someone, it would have to be a stellar home and I will have to get updates.
• How can you watch an animal die or put an animal down? It's part of my job as a human, God gave us dominion over the animals, that means it is up to us to protect them. Animal husbandry is important and making those decisions is hard but when they are for the best, they have their own rhythem.

Thoughts
I would suggest anyone who can foster an animal should. Fostering means you do not own the animal and depending on the group you work for, you might not have to buy food or pay any medical (I didn't pay medical).

Not crazy

You will have to be home, though. I think this is the wall I am hitting now. These animals might have been passed around, abused and removed from everything they know. They might have been abused or starved. It is important to give them some structure and be around for them.

I know a lot of people tell me, "Oh, it's just a cat. Cats hate people." That is not true. Most are very lonely and miss you when you are gone. They want to snuggle and get attention. They can feel emotions, it's just a different level. For example, cats don't feel guilt. They do feel lonely and hurt.

The real bright side is that because you foster, you get the animal out of a shelter or kennel which is always a better life. Plus, because the animal is in a home environment, s/he can become more adoptable due to lower anxiety and more love. There are so many animals out there who need homes, a shelter should be the last resort.

Also, if you foster, you can have more animals.

Be Part of the Adventure

Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.