Fostering

[Desley (booktigger)]

Good luck - the most important things are some way of isolating, I use my bathroom quite a bit, and having the time to spend with them. The majority of rescues wont let you let them out, I have fostered about 60 cats and only a small amount have been allowed, and it is always on the long termers where they aren't happy at being kept in for months. i work full time, so am only suitable for adult cats, which works out perfectly, and I do have cats of my own. It might be worth talking to some rescues in your area.

[Meezer Mum]

i don't have an isolation room (unless of course I placed the foster kity in my bedroom and kept the door shut) so I guess I would not be an ideal choice...i would definitely be prepared to take some days off work though to be present during any initial integration period.  but as I understand it, some integrations can take weeks!

i live in central london so i would imagine that there are quite a few rescue places close to me that need fosterers...maybe i would be best suited to an older cat looking for long-term fostering.  i guess i should call some local shelters and have a chat once i am sure this is a good idea!

[Liz]

We fostered for 10 years before we moved and loved it, our mob then 20 ish got used to kittens coming and goping and it broke my heart on the 150 that went, even the adults shed a few tears when they went, one of the nicest was Ainsley who is now in charge of a 5 star hotel in Perthshire and has moved a couple of feral mates in to - Ainsley turned out after 2 years there to be FIV positive so after trapping and neutering on the hotel grounds got underway henis now Top cat and greets guest and the hotel wouldn't swap him or the 2 ferals for anything - the staff feed the colony outside and all have nice digs.

We now have 40ish - all rescues but mainly ferals ranging from nice to nasy and our latest Blue is hissy and swipey but in isolation in our downstairs study heis FIV free to and we are now working on the dumpees in our rual locale to get them all TNR and as we currently feed them no changes apart form the dangly bits it all appears to be boys!

Not fostering now but still trapping

Work and our numbers put the local CP opff but still do quite a bit for our old branch and currently have 3 ferals from them - here forever aged 14 and 2 at 8 and all loving the home comforts so far have lost my in tray now with warm blanket and another chair moved in the study so I can be on Purrs

At the end of the day it is very rewarding but also everyone you home takes part of you with them - we even have 3 back from owners who fell on hard times and couldn't think of anyone else but us having them!

[Millys Mum]

If you have flexibility to get to vets then working fulltime shouldnt be an issue  some rescues require fosters to be purely indoor while they are with you so being in a flat shouldnt matter.

Check out catchat to find rescues near to you www.catchat.org

If you all post your locations there may be purrs rescue members who could use you 

Fostering is hard work but the benefit of helping the cats outweighs it 

A really important aspect of fostering is hygiene and keeping pets and fosters separate for at least an isolation period.
I wont repeatedly expose my lot to other cats as you never know what they can be harbouring. 

[dabs]

Phone round some of the smaller charities and make some enquiries, I would not turn you down!

[tiga]

Hi Dabs

Happy birthday!

I have my own business although I don't work from home. So I can be quite flexible but do have times when I have to be in Amsterdam for the day. I usually go once every 3 weeks - out on the 7 am flight and back on the 6 pm flight. That would be a problem if I had kittens but fine for adult cats. But I would have no problem nipping off to the vets or whatever. I'm very understanding as a boss!! At least to me!

I would also have to indoor fosters as I live in a flat, but I have a really big spare bedroom so I could isolate if needed.

[dabs]

Hi Tiga

I foster and work full time. I can work flexi hours though which means that sometimes I can skip off if I need to for vets etc. I think it depends on the organisation that you foster for.

It is hard work but rewarding, I have taken in an expectant mum and had to take this weelk as annual leave as the vet reckoned she was due this week. Sure enough she is in first stage of labour as we speak. It would be nice if she had them today as it is my birthday, but then again, bang goes my birthday lunch! Still just think of the waistline.

You can do as much or as little as you want and there are some of the smaller rescues out there begging for help. 

[tiga]

Another tag along here!

I was thinking about fostering too - to see if Riley and Digby would be okay with another friend.

But what about if you work full-time? Do you need to be home all the time to foster adult cats?

I think I might be too much of a sop and end up keeping the first one I fostered  as long as my boys got along.

[Mark]

Fostering is the same as getting a new cat inasmuch as keeping them in for 8 weeks until they think of it as home. There shouldn't be any issue about fostering if you rent as long as you are allowed cats. Fostering isn't for everyone. Mary and I and probably others tried fostering and ended up keeping them  (Alice in my case)
I think you really have to be strong-minded and keep telling yourself they are a house guest. I think even "hardened" fosterers shed a tear at times when cats get rehomed.

I guess if you fostered and it worked well, there is no reason you couldn't rehome - although it would probably mean the rescue losing a fosterer. A cat might accept one cat but not others.

I don't think it matters what rescue you help as long as you are helping a cat - although it helps if you get on with the people invloved. It also helps if you live close to the rescue's nominated vet/s - especially if your foster cat has health issues.

[Meezer Mum]

Hi Jennifer - yes, tag along!   The more info we can get, the better!

[Jennifer]

Ooh, I was just about to make a very similar topic! My question was: do rescues have any problem with people living in rented accomodation fostering, or is it fine as long as the landlord gives written cat permission? Also, would people recommend contacting small rescues first (I don't know if many even use fosters) or going straight to CP?

Hope you don't mind me tagging this onto your post. :D

I think you're right to try fostering! Much better than taking on a 'forever' cat only to have to give it back. Plenty of cats aren't cuddly anyway and it sounds like Castle wouldn't mind those! What a mummy's boy.

[Meezer Mum]

Hi, as you know I am considering getting a companion cat for my recently bereaved siamese, who lost his sister of 12 years in June.  I am still not sure if it is a good idea or not, Castle seems so much more relaxed and less howl-y and clingy than he did a couple of weeks ago.  When I am here he is pretty much normal, as he would have been if his sister was still here - with just the occasional mewl and pace around the living room.

Part of me thinks Castle would benefit from feline company but then I wonder if he might get jealous of another cat getting my attention.  Castle is a very loving cat and he was always first in the queue for cuddles, if his sister came for cuddles he would mostly push himself between me and her - letting her know that he was the alpha cat and therefore entitled to the cuddles.  He never attacked her but he did make it obvious who was the boss - strangely, when she got ill he allowed her to have as many cuddles as she wanted without getting jealous and pushing her away!  He just sat back and watched her being fussed.

With these doubts and questions in my mind I was thinking that perhaps it might be best to try fostering first, to see how he reacts.  I know nothing about fostering at all i.e. would someone with a cat  already be allowed to foster?  What sort of home would be needed?  Are foster homes needed for indoor-only cats? What facilities? How do you manage integrating cats to each other in a small-ish flat? etc. etc.

If anyone has any wisdom they can share on this I would appreciate it, or any fact sheets that they can send me links to?

Thanks