An archive of reports from one of our fosterers, Jill, based in the Cambridge area.
Jill's latest updates can be found here.

Since becoming a fosterer from November 2009, I have had three pairs of cats plus a single male and at present have another single male. I am enjoying meeting all the lovely cats which have come into me so far, they have all shown their own character and I have been very lucky to have met some lovely friendly cats and enjoyed meeting the people who have come and given them nice homes, it is very rewarding.

The first pair of cats were named Ted and Arthur who went to a nice lady in a village who said I was welcome visit them in their new home, which I enjoyed very much.

The second pair of cats were called Tinkerbell and Memo who went to a nice couple in another village, which again, I had the pleasure of visiting, it was nice to see them settled in their new home.

Toffee my latest cat was successfully re-homed in Cambridge by a nice couple who again invited me to visit them to see Toffee in his new home and I was pleased to see Toffee had settled in so well. Toffee was with me for nearly six weeks so it was not too long for him to find a nice new loving home.

I feel I have had a good beginning since November as these cats have found nice new homes quite quickly, so I have had a good turnaround.

My latest cat is named Oscar who was brought into me recently by a nice lady on behalf of the owner who can no longer look after him. He is a twelve year old grey male and is a very friendly sociable cat who is looking for a loving nice new home. I hope we can find the right home for him soon along with all the other cats and kittens in our care. I am enjoying being a fosterer, it is so rewarding to see all the cats and kittens finding loving new homes and meeting so many nice people along the way. I look forward to many more success stories.

Jill, August 2010

In November 2011, I will have been a Fosterer for the Cambridge Branch for two years and in that time, I have found it enjoyable and rewarding.

Since my last piece on the Web-site back in August 2010, we thought it would be nice to update you on how I have been getting on with the cats that have come into me.

The last cat that I had at the time of writing was Oscar who had come into me during July, 2010. I am pleased to say, Oscar was found a lovely home in Cambridge by a lovely couple in October, 2010, so he was not in the cats pen for too long, I did visit him afterwards and he had settled in very well.

Then came along Patch and Blackie, they were brought in by a lady who was having to move to rented property and therefore, could not take them with her. Patch was her first cat and Blackie was a stray cat who this lady was not going to keep but found that Patch and Blackie got on so well with each other that she had the two together. They were a lovely pair of cats and settled in the cats pen straight away and were always so friendly and seemed happy looking out of the windows, watching the birds etc. They were with me for eight months which was a very long time before the right people came long. This was a lovely family in a village who took to them instantly. They invited me to visit them in their new home and was very pleased to see they had settled in and were very happy and relaxed. When I left the house, the cats were sitting side by side on the settee ready for a cat nap. This again, was very rewarding to see, especially after eight months of being in the cats pen.

People say to me, you must become very attached to all these cats especially the ones that are with me for any length of time. In reply, I always say, you do become very attached and miss them when they go, but I have to remember why I do what I do, and that is to find all these cats kind and loving homes and give them a chance of a new life which they deserve. I always do my best to look after them well while they are in my care and see them develop into their own characters.

To bring you up to the present time, as I write this, my latest cat is named Thorn. He was a stray and was being fed by a Mr. Thorn, hence the name. He was rescued by Cambridge Cats Protection as it was felt he would benefit from a nice new home rather than being outside all the time with no proper home. He is a male Ginger, approximately one and a half years old.

When Thorn first came to me on the 18th July, he was very nervous and would hide up in his igloo bed but after a day or so he would come out for his food and after about a week, he was coming out a lot more. He was rubbing round my legs, and then for no apparent reason, he would put is paw out and go for me. I must admit, I had a few scratches at first, but because he was a stray and nervous, it was not easy for him to adjust. I thought, I have just got to give him time to come out of his shell and gain confidence and sure enough, he certainly has.

Thorn has been with me for just over two months at the time of writing this, and he is now so friendly, he eats every type of food I give him and he is purring and dancing, even when he is eating, he appears to be so much happier now and I hope the right person can come along and give him a loving home and give him all the time he needs to settle in again so he can bond with his new owners just the same as he has bonded with me. I am very pleased with the way he has come on and did not think it was possible to see such a transformation.

I am still enjoying being a Fosterer and meeting all these lovely cats and look forward to looking after many more while they wait for their new homes and hope to report on some more success stories in the near future.

Jill, September 2011

Adopt a cat from the Cambridge Branch
To find out more about fosterers read our page about foster care at the Cambridge Branch

December 2011: Could you be a fosterer? Cambridge branch are currently appealing for new indoor fosterers who do not already have a cat, to host a homeless cat in their home. See our appeal or contact Cambridge Cats Protection on 01223 234010 for further details.