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.

Volunteer

Mission Level
Success! And ongoing.

Most people seem to want to volunteer, at least, I always did. I think one of the most valuable things you can give someone is your time. You can always save a couple bucks to give to some charity or attend a function or buy a product where a portion is donated – but to give your time. . .

Money comes and goes. Words are pretty airy.

You are only given a very specific and measured amount of time.

Time is huge.

You can do a lot with time.

My Pre-Volunteering Life
I grew up in a pretty charitable house. Even today, once a month my Mom buys baby food and delivers it to Catholic Services for their food pantry.

We always got our Christmas wreaths from the Boy Scouts (and later our Christmas trees).

Giving
I won't go as far as to say "giving back" because I don't think I am paying someone or something back. I think giving is just giving. I'm not paying forward or back or karma. It's about just helping out because you can and not expecting anything  back.

Adopt-a-highway

As a friend once told me, ". . .it's a giant waste of time or money." Ha. Basically  At least you are doing something to improve the world. Sometimes things have to come from your own heart entirely.

As a child, I rode at a stable called Thorncroft that mixed people in therapy (emotional, mentally or physically handicapped) and participated in a study which showed how riding a horse stimulates the same muscles as walking and does a whole other bunch of good stuff.

I even participated in a “Adopt-a-Highway” program through my job.

First Steps – What to Do?
I hemmed and hawed about what I was going to do for quite some time – mentoring kids, stocking food banks. Soup kitchens.

I think there are three things you need to figure out when volunteering.

• What skill someone else could use that you have.
• How much actual time you have.
• Where to go to participate in something. 

You can figure these out in any order you would like. Then it’s just a matter of finding out where you can fit.

Time
You are going to have to figure out how much time you actually have to donate. Remember, even as a volunteer you need to be true to your word, show up when you are asked to and do the best job you can.

I find a lot of people who say they can do something often do not honor their commitments. This includes the famous, “I will totally help out. I’ll be in touch!” Which ends up to mean, “I never wanted to do anything and have no intention of following-up.”

You don’t get paid to volunteer and it is work (even if it’s fun). It can suck up an otherwise lazy Saturday or a busy Monday night. Know the amount of time you can donate and pretend it is your job. People will rely on you when you say you can do something – they will get hopeful. Don’t lie and crush their spirits.

If all you can do is an hour every month, show up for that hour and month. If you can do three times a week, show up three times a week. If you find you want to do more or have to do less, make arrangements and be transparent about why.

Anything is better than just not showing up.

Skills
A lot of places look for people with certain skills or abilities. Maybe you are an accountant or a lawyer or even a carpenter. These are pretty useful skills to non-profits or small places with all volunteer staffs.

You might have skills. My skills include:

• Archery. 
• Falling down. 
• Napping.
• Uno.

But, don’t short-sell yourself and over think like I do. Skills also include:

• Driving (Check out Beverly Foundation).
• Cooking (Check out Cooking Matters)
• Digging (Check out UB Archaeologist).
• Shopping (Check out the YMCA).

What makes you happy? What do you like to do? Someone wants you to do that for them, I promise you. Plus, you have the opportunity to meet some people and have some fun – even if you are just picking up trash or running a cash register at a thrift shop.

Finding a Place
There are a lot of big groups you can look up like the Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters or even a place like Volunteer Match which covers a lot of different groups. You can even find places that you can travel while doing a good thing (if you have the funds to do this, don’t ever expect a volunteer operation to give you something – other than the feeling you get from helping out).

Religious groups like a local church is another awesome place to go to get in some grassroots volunteering since they often work very close to the community. You don’t have to be religious or a member to participate. Remember, you don’t have to subscribe to a spiritual path to drop off a casserole once a month to feed the hungry.

What I Did

Cuddle ambush

I fell into my volunteering situation. I had wanted to do something through the church because they have a lot of sturdy programs, but, I shied away because it can cause me a lot of anxiety to meet new people and stuff.

Here’s the story: I went to adopt a cat. The cat was already adopted. I got another cat. I got on the adoption email list. They emailed they needed help at the kennels. I cleaned cages in the store where the most adoptable cats go bi-monthly for three months. Then I learned they needed help in their shelter where sick/weird or recovering cats are. I now clean little boxes of poop there for 20-30 cats.

In the process, I went through three Feline Leukemia positive cats – fostering them in my own house. But, more on fostering later.

So, now I am a volunteer cat woman.

Future Plans
Finding something you like – even something you aren't good at but can learn – is a great way to give back. I’m not great with kids or people. I don’t want to go into a big city or be part of a huge committee. I just want to do my thing, get my hands dirty and go home. I enjoy the interaction with the cats.

After all, in the beginning, God gave man dominion over the animals. This means we are suppose to protect and take care of them. So, I am doing my little part.

Also, it totally breaks up my week. It’s something different to do and I have met some people I otherwise would never have known.

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.