There are so many great foster stories and is is an incredibly rewarding experience. Knowing that you have saved a life (or many lives), maybe getting an animal healthy or old enough to be adopted, watching babies learn to walk, talk, eat and develop distinct personalities, and then seeing them find loving homes, is all so gratifying. I still get updates from some of the adoptive families.
As I write, I hear my 4 foster kittens playing in the bedroom above, sounding like a herd of baby elephants even though they only weigh about one kilo each! They are hilarious to watch.
I fostered 2 dogs, both of whom were hours away from being euthanized at the shelter for lack of space. Lorna and Panda were fabulous dogs, especially Lorna who couldn’t have been easier. Instead of being EUd, both dogs found adoptive homes very quickly and they are very loved
I have fostered over 60 cats and kittens. One sad story is slightly connected to THS. I was on a sit in Switzerland when I got a text from Dallas from a woman in dire need of help. She was being evicted and needed to find homes for her seven adult cats. If I hadn’t been in the middle of a beautiful Swiss lake, surrounded by Alpine scenery, feeling very privileged, I probably would have said that I couldn’t help. Instead, I spent the day networking with my rescue/foster contacts, and found somebody who could take the cats until I got back to Dallas 4 weeks later.
The cats were in terrible shape. They had fleas, mange (with hair loss), no vaccinations, and none had been spayed / neutered. With a mixture of males and females, it’s a wonder that only one was pregnant.
When I returned to Dallas, I took 5 of the cats. They were fearful and still needed lots of medical attention.
After a few months, their coats went from mangy to long, fluffy, luxurious and they were very affectionate. They were the most work of any of my fosters, but it was worth it
Some fosters can be really easy, some can be more work. People can take whatever animal they feel equipped to take. Kittens with their mother are probably the easiest (because the mom does most of the work!).