Rescuing Cats: FosterCat Needs Foster Homes
I’ve featured a number of cats on The Creative Cat who were available for adoption through FosterCat, Inc., like Pretty Boy, above, who is staying in the home of a generous family who fosters cats for FosterCat.
I’ve also featured cats like Emily and Amelia who are also in the FosterCat family, but actually live outdoors, cared for by a person who feeds and loves them, but can’t take them in.
FosterCat needs foster homes, it’s that simple. Emily and Amelia could at least have a place to stay if FosterCat had more foster homes, and FosterCat has put out the word that they are looking for special and generous families to agree to foster for them.
About FosterCat, Inc.
FosterCat is exactly that—an organization that fosters cats until they can find a forever home. There is no shelter, just a system of homes and people who are glad to open their hearts to a kitty in need. Everything in the organization is done by volunteers, and all fundraising goes either into direct care for the cats in foster or to promoting the organization to find new foster homes or to place cats.
No animal likes to spend time in a cage. Any shelter will tell you that an animal who has spent time prior to adoption in a foster home is much more likely to be relaxed about the transition to a forever home.
FosterCat was founded by a group of individuals who saw adult cats spending weeks or longer in cages in a shelter, often becoming less adoptable all the time as they became less socialized and more stressed, and often not transitioning well to a permanent home after living in a cage, sometimes returned to the shelter for behavior issues related to stress.
Fostering cats, most importantly, saves their lives because they are no longer in danger of euthanasia from overcrowding in shelters. Secondly, it keeps them in a good frame of mind while they wait for their dream home to come along, and if they have any health issues they can be more closely attended in a foster home. Fostering families can vouch for their personality in a much more realistic way.
FosterCat and their fostering families
FosterCat is set up to support the families who foster with medications, food and litter as needed plus any veterinary expenses associated with fostering the cat. How could anyone lose? The kitty gets a safe temporary home and you get to love a kitty, and you are supported in kitty’s care. FosterCat screens potential foster homes with an application and home visit, so go to the “Become a FosterCat Foster Parent” page on their website, read more, and download the application.
The volunteers of FosterCat get cats out into the public as often as possible to increase chances of adoption, and maintain their own website of adoptable cats, advertising the website address to encourage people to browse for their next kitty. The organization also participates in local “Adopt-a-thon” events and utilizes the cat adoption program at PetSmart, frequently cycling cats into the store and back home so they don’t spend too much time in the cage, but just enough to remain socialized about meeting the public.
When foster space opens up, they visit shelters to pick up cats in danger of euthanasia, they keep in touch with rescue organizations and occasionally take private surrenders as they did for me when a large black and white cat walked into a meeting I was attending.
And Rachel, at right, was rescued from a Jewish cemetery with all of her kittens. She had a rough time living in a hollowed out tree and trying to feed her kittens until a nice woman rescued her and her babies. All of her kittens found homes and now Rachel’s turn. She is good with other cats and loves people. She is a very dear, sweet and petite girl who is just full of energy, who especially loves to be petted and craves attention. She has been spayed, tested for feline leukemia and vaccinated. If you’d like to adopt this little gray tabby and white girl, click here or on her photo.
Volunteering for FosterCat
Volunteers for the organization don’t have to foster cats in order to assist. The list of volunteer activities is long and varied, from driving cats to vet appointments to helping organize the annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser.
If you’re interested in becoming a foster family for FosterCat, you can contact FosterCat at [email protected] or send a message along to me and I will be glad to forward it. If you’d like to make a donation to FosterCat on behalf of any of the cats you’ve seen here or just to help them out, visit their website at www.fostercat.org where you can make a donation using PayPal or find contact information where you can send your donation.
The website also includes alumni stories from adopters who have reported back months or even years after the adoption, and a memorial page for any kitty, not just alumni.
And I’m pretty proud of that website—I designed it, and all but one of the kitties you see in the header photos is or was one who lived with me, at least as a foster.
All photos courtesy the kittens’ foster homes.
And read about other kittens and adult cats who are looking for homes.
Can’t adopt? Foster! Can’t foster? Donate or volunteer.
There are so many ways you can help cats who need homes and care. You may not have room to adopt another cat, but can foster a cat or kitten for a few weeks. If not that, you can volunteer at a shelter or with a rescue, or donate. You do this because you love your cat, and by doing so you help all cats. No matter which of these actions you take, you help to save a life, and make life better for all cats.
- Adopt one of the cats I’ve posted here, or from any shelter or rescue near you, or from Petfinder, to open up a space for another cat to be rescued and fostered.
- Offer to foster cats or kittens for a shelter or rescue near you.
- Volunteer at a shelter or rescue.
- Find a group of volunteers who work with homeless cats and help them with their efforts.
- Donate to a shelter or rescue near you.
If you can foster kittens or adults cats to help prepare them for a forever home, please run to your nearest shelter and find a cat who needs you! Anyone can help with this effort at any level, even if all you do is donate to a shelter or rescue so they can help to pay for the food or medications needed for their foster, or the spay/neuter/veterinary care during a clinic.
Need to know more? Read Fostering for Your Shelter and Fostering Saves Lives
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And a big thanks to the people who have gone out of their way to rescue an unneutered polydactyl tom who had an huge abscess in his cheek, a really old orange cat who was filthy with his own waste and dirt and food, who transported a friendly adult female on death row whose only transgression was a URI, and who rescued all the momcats and kittens and bottle fed all the orphaned kittens and who feed all the cats outdoors who they can’t take in. The stories fly by every single day and I can’t keep up with them, but I’m so glad people take the time for this.
Browse some rescued cats and kittens!
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sendin all R best fishes two ewe pretty boy, emily & amelia that ewe all finds yur forevers home
…yet this week……XOXOXOXO
Thanks Tabbies! The more good wishes we get, the more likely it is to happen.