Advice for Beginners
Don't dive in without knowing your limits! When 'one more' really IS the straw that will break the camel's back, STOP. You really can't save 'them all,' but you can definitely make a huge difference in the lives of the ones you CAN save! Focus on the ones you can help, not the ones that you can't
Most Rewarding Aspects of Fostering
Knowing that you have made the difference in the lives of a small furry creatures that needed you so desperately. You are definitely a hero AND the center of the universe for these grateful kitties!
Saddest Aspects of Fostering
Knowing that for every one you help, there are a thousand others who are not so fortunate. Seeing the numbers of abandoned cats at a humane society or rescue can be too heart-wrenching for many cat lovers. Sometimes, helping just one feels like you're personally failing all the rest!
Temptation to Keep Cats and/or Kittens
Yes, there is always the desire to keep the ones you nursed back to health or the kittens that are so adorable. But you must keep in mind that if you keep the ones you foster, you are reducing the opportunities to help out others!
How I became a foster parent to cats and/or kittens
I had no intention of fostering cats, I was simply interviewing a lady who ran a rescue, with the plan of writing an article for a magazine. By the time I had left that day, I had adopted a cat. It wasn't long before I was joining in on rescues, making trips to various vets, and carting around several crates with cats and kittens in them. This continued for several years, with me welcoming many furries into my large country home. Eventually, my health caused me to have to sell my big house, and downsize drastically. But that was not the end of my rescue experiences!
How I learned to care for my foster cats & kittens
Recently, a call from our local vet's office announced that a box containing four two week old kittens was left on their step. With my experience raising kittens, I was back in business! These little ones had to be bottle fed, and stimulated to eliminate. In many ways, caring for them was like dealing with a newborn baby. They had to be bottle-fed every few hours, frequently bathed, and always carefully handled. They soon presented with congestion, so antibiotics were needed. That powder was easily mixed with their formula, making it no problem with the kittens!
Lessons learned
- Realize that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, kittens die.
- The fact that you are working towards saving one or some means that there now that many fewer in need.
- kittens eventually WILL learn to use the cat box, so hang in there!
- people love kittens, but that doesn't mean they will be good owners
- kittens grow into cats, despite the many disasters that befall them due their curiosity
