Moggie Monday - Anne
05 June 2022
I became involved in fostering because we fostered years ago in London and enjoyed it. I met the coordinator of St Albans branch socially, got talking cats and she invited me to volunteer.
The advice I would give new fosterers is to expect the unexpected. Often the information we get about cats is a bit sketchy. You might be expecting an old cat and get a pair of kittens instead. It’s part of the fun.Since I live out of the immediate area I usually foster the pregnant cats and kittens or anything that needs a long term foster The last cat we fostered was Molly. She is about one year old and was rescued from a lorry park. She had four kittens – all of whom are in the process of being adopted.
We have one pet of our own - Baby our fourteen year old fluffy ginger girl. She does not approve of us fostering, but as the cats are in an outdoor pen she just pretends they are not there.She is a “foster fail” -a pregnant Mum and her one kitten which was born in our house. She is a complete Diva and horribly spoilt.
The most frustrating thingas a fosterer is when a cat comes into care is that unless it has been signed over we cannot do anything until we have had it for two weeks. This means the cat has to make two trips to the vet and most cats don’t enjoy car travel or vet visits! The most rewarding thing is bringing a cat back to health from a poor state and seeing the cat put on weight and their coat recover.
My most challenging case was a rejected kitten. Sadly, although it went to a hand rearer, the kitten died after a couple of days, probably from pneumonia contracted when she got so cold.
Some people say they would struggle to give up their foster cats to new owners. As a fosterer you need to remember the cat is not staying. If you keep the cat you won’t have the capacity to foster other cats. Our cats go to good homes which have been vetted and we get excellent feedback from new owners who are usually thrilled with their new pet.
We get a lot of support. Our co-ordinator and deputy are accessible and reliable. Decisions are made quickly and always in the interests of the cats. We can get advice from other experienced fosterers in the team. Everything needed is supplied and expenses are paid promptly. If we want to go on holiday either our own cat feeder will feed the fostered cat or the cat is transferred to another fosterer in good time.
Anne