Foster A Pet Month - Cats In Bloom PA

🐾 Calling all animal lovers! Did you know that it's Foster A Pet Month? 🎉 This wonderful month shines a spotlight on the incredible act of fostering and its impact on animals in need. Fostering goes beyond just saving lives; it creates temporary havens filled with love and care for pets patiently waiting for their forever homes. To commemorate this special occasion, we're thrilled to share the heartwarming stories of three exceptional foster carers (with three separate blogs) who embarked on their incredible journeys. So, let's dive right in and be inspired by how they've made a difference, one furry friend at a time!

Cats In Bloom PA

MA: What inspired you to become a foster carer for pets, and what do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of fostering animals?

CIBPA: A sweet grey cat who was pregnant started hanging around in my back yard, and I wanted to find her somewhere safe to have her kittens. After reaching out to multiple rescues, one asked if I’d be interested in fostering the family until they were ready for adoption, and they would provide vet care. After some convincing, my husband agreed, and my craft room became a cat room.

The most rewarding aspect of fostering is watching the sick or injured cats that had a very bleak future prior to our help blossom into the sweetest, most thankful cat you can imagine. They truly understand they need our help, and the appreciation they show in return is worth every dose of medication, every ounce or worry, and every bit of love we pour into them to ensure these kitties have the best chance at a future we can give them.

MA: Fostering pets can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, but it can also be challenging. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start fostering pets, and what qualities do you think are important for a successful foster carer to have?

CIBPA: Fostering is definitely a learning experience, and the best thing you can do is find someone to mentor you who is willing to answer any questions you may have, regardless of how silly they may seem.

You would be amazed how many little things can make you scratch your head, and knowing you have someone, even if they are across the country (or the pond!) who can guide you, it adds a level of comfort that is vital. You also need to realize that most fosters are not like the famous ones seen on social media, with gorgeous and perfect kitten rooms, lavishly decorated and flawlessly cleaned.

Social media is all about appearances, not reality. Real life will show litter scattered like confetti, food strewn around, and a caretaker trying to clean the mess quickly before it happens again. Toys are everywhere, scratching posts fray, and cardboard houses are chewed. Fostering is messy, but so is life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

MA: What have been some of the most memorable experiences you've had while fostering animals?

CIBPA: One of our earlier fosters, Tori, arrived in a 5-gallon bucket, brought to my husband by a neighbor boy who found her. She had an injury to her right eye that a vet compared to halloween makeup, it was so scary looking. We were fairly certain she would have to lose her eye when she was older, but until she was big enough for surgery, we would medicate.

3 months of 2x daily meds, and her eye was left with minimal scarring, to everyone’s surprise and delight. Tori grew and turned into a “terror”, and learned tricks similar to a dog in an effort to stimulate her, and became an avid user of our cat wheel, running so hard that the wheel would seem like it was going to pop off the base.

On a cold March day, my mom texted me about a cat who she hadn’t seen since summer who looked like he needed some help. Thinking it was feral, I prepared a shelter as well as some other supplies and went to check out the kitty in question. Looking very much like an elderly cat, Wilkins was curled up in my mom’s lap on their porch, wrapped in a blanket, and shivering almost as hard as he was purring.

Looking like he had been struggling for some time, with fur so thin I could see his skin through it, I made an impromptu decision to bring him home with me to foster, knowing he wouldn’t survive in the cold in his condition.

With lice destroying his fur, fleas, ear mites, missing and broken teeth, and an old injury to his left eye which left the lid scared in a way so it was permanently open, as well as an abscess in his side, Wilkins was nothing but loving and so happy to have someone to care for him.

With the appearance of a senior, while only being 3-4 years old, this handsome orange and white cat had been through a lot in a short time, also contracting FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus).

After surgery to help his eye, remove some teeth, and clean his wound, Wilkins made a stunning recovery, showing how truly gentle he was and how he clearly was a lover, not a fighter.

He became a doting uncle to two kittens, and if not for his dislike of the family dog, he would have found his home with us. But he went to the cat cafe where he quickly became a favorite, and was adopted into a loving home.

MA: Last question, anything else you would like to add?

CIBPA: If you’re thinking about fostering, do it! Start small to get your feet wet, and realize that the cats don’t need the Taj Mahal, they just need a few basics needs met, and importantly, YOU to thrive. Rescues will never have enough fosters, and even helping one cat (if fostering isn’t for you) means the world to that kitty.

 

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