Foster Hero Story: Meet Ann & learn how she built a family via foster

Yes, Fosters can infiltrate your heart! From a one to three cat family, the “foster” method!

Ann shares that she likes fostering because it gives her a chance to make a difference without having to adopt more cats. However, she is also a lovely illustration of building a feline family, the foster way. If you can open your home to multiple pets, fostering is a great way to find pets that ‘click’ with your two and four legged family members, and help many needy pets along the way!

Ann, tell us about this recent foster experience.

Well, I fostered 4 kittens from 4 weeks, until they were old enough, and, working with the shelter, I was able to find them adoptive homes. I named them Cloud, Purr boy, Charlie and Tip. The kittens had lost their mother and were too young to be adopted. I decided to foster them because I had 2 cats who I believed would accept them and might even enjoy having them in the house.

What do you appreciate about being a foster family?

I like fostering because it gives me a chance to make a difference without having to adopt more cats. These 4 kittens were especially rewarding.

I was so pleased to find two wonderful homes and each one took home two  of the kittens, so they didn’t have to be separated. Charlie and Tip went to a doting single man who continues to send me photos of them a year later.

You mentioned that you’ve been a ‘foster failure’ in the past ? 

We had fostered another kitten (Catness) at 4 weeks old and we decided to keep her because our 8-year-old male rescue cat (T’Challa) bonded with her. They played constantly and T’Challa kept an eye on her whenever she went outside even though I had her on a leash. Apparently, he didn’t trust me to keep her safe (ha, ha).

Catness was about 9 months old when I fostered the four kittens and she fell in love with them, especially one of them. The biggest challenge when fostering is fighting the urge to keep the animal that has become a part of the household. So far I have adopted 2 of the 6 different foster placements I have had, so we have gone from having one cat to having 3 cats!

Note: A “foster fail” by definition is an endearing phrase used in the pet rescue world. A “foster fail” happens when a pet who was only supposed to be a temporary foster is so lovable that their human just can’t say goodbye, and the pet winds up becoming part of the family.

Who else in your family supports your foster work?

Each foster placement I have had has presented unique challenges. I am lucky that my husband supports my desire to foster needy animals and also that our current cats tolerate having strange cats in the house. As long as my husband and our kitties are OK with fostering, I will continue to do it. My husband is a true hero for supporting our fosters!

What advice would you give to someone considering become fostering pets?

I encourage anyone who has space, the family support, and the love in their heart for needy animals to consider fostering. Yes, there will be challenges, but the rewards are great!

Ready to help a foster pet? You can search for pets in need on our site, just visit https://app.911fosterpets.com/animals