Cat fostering|our first experience

We are foster parents for fur babies. We have been fostering dogs since 2016 and last week was our first experience fostering two adult cats. So read on about our cat fostering experience if you are animal lovers, pet owners, animal rescuers or just love companion animals!

Note- this post was supposed to be the sequel of the last travel post which was about our first post- pandemic vacation to Pittsburgh. But I am putting in this recent cat fostering experience post here and now my next post is the New York vacation we took after visiting Pittsburg. So stay tuned for my next travel post, after you enjoy reading about our fist time cat fostering experience.

Background

We are a family of four with busy and active lifestyle. Both of us parents work full time and both kids have academic load and extra curricular activities. Both my teens are animal lovers and have always asked us for pets since they were little. They understood our reasoning when we would explain that we have a very busy daily schedule and take vacations at least twice a year, and our household may not be ready taking in a pet and giving our full attention to a pet with the commitment for years. When my older one was 12 she started volunteering at animal shelters and helping out. In addition to volunteering opportunities she also applied to fostering services and in Nov of 2016 we got our first foster dog- Ruger. It was such a great experience fostering that we continued it and still do it to date. So far we have fostered 8 dogs- as short as 1 week to as long as 2 years! If interested, read this post about our fostering experiences.

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COVID times

Since March last year, we have fostered four dogs including Tigger, Haley, and 2 short terms- Luna & Montana. Almost all of our fosters are moms who have recently have had babies. As soon as the puppies are weaned, generally in 4-6 weeks, moms are spayed and then after recovery are put for adoption. Montana was the only one who came to us before the surgery and everyone else were already operated on and we kept them till they found their forever homes. The most recent one we fostered was Luna and she was with us briefly few months back. We did not have a foster for almost 4 months and my teens were really missing fostering.

Cat fostering

Since we were not getting dogs, this time my younger one started applying for cat fostering. I believe she is more of a cat person as opposed to my older one who is a dog person. Of course as a family we all have the common intention to help out and are willing to foster any companion animal. So her research started by talking to her piano teacher who has 6 cats! We got so lucky as she applied to 3 organizations on Friday and we heard back from them over the weekend, filled and completed all paperwork, and the cat fostering was available as soon as Tuesday! I signed up for their Facebook page and the same day I found these two adult cats looking for a foster home from Wednesday to Monday. Of course we said yes and picked them up as soon as the shelter opened at 10 am.

The next day we learned the news that the other foster who are going to take them on Monday had their travel plans extended and would not be able to foster them. We were asked if we would foster them for 2 weeks longer and we said yes! We have our foster cats for almost a week now and we couldn’t have had a better start. We are enjoying fostering cats!

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Our experience

We got so fortunate having Artful Dodger and Oliver Twist together! Both are so different from each other with totally opposite personalities but they give each other company and are so happy being together. Being the two of them together, they entertain themselves and are very comfortable with each other. Dodger is the more playful and explorer kind. Oliver is the quieter and more patient one. Our first experience with litter box, feeding and caring for cats is going on well so far. We were hesitant to foster cats, after loving dog fostering for 5 years, but this couldn’t have come at a better time. They are totally adorable cats. They let us pet them, follow us around like a dog (sometimes), greet us when we come home (some times, not always), are litter trained, eat and play well, and are such good companion animals to have around.

I would advise this to any dog lover, who is not sure about addition of cats to their lives, to give it a try. I know so many homes with only dogs or only cats, but over the years have come to know many households with both dogs and cats who harmoniously live together. We are not there, yet, but hoping some day to give that experience a thought.

Fun quotes about pets

Sharing here some of the quotes I love about having a dog or cat at home.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our life whole

Roger Caras

Dogs eat, cats dine

An Taylor

I used to love dogs until I discovered cats

Nafisa Joseph

When I am feeling low all I have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns

Charles Bukowski

It’s funny how dogs and cats know the inside of folks better than other folks do, isn’t it?

Eleanor Porter

Everything I know I learned from dogs

Nora Roberts

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself

Josh Billings

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats

Albert Schweitzer

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remain unawakened

Anatole France

Summary

Fostering is so rewarding! Giving temporary homes to homeless pets or abandoned mixed breeds till they find their forever home is fulfilling and gratifying. Fostering pets can help reduce stress and may improve your mental health. Fostering is fun, flexible and enjoyable. I would encourage anyone to give dog or cat fostering a try.

Dear readers, we would love to hear from you. Do you have a pet or rescue animal in your home? Are you a cat or dog person? Any experience with fostering? Do share your story, if any.

Related posts

Fostering a dog

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