People have said to me, "I don't know how you can foster such cute, adorable kittens. I'd end up keeping them all!" I thought so too when I started, but it's never crossed my mind since then. Occasionally, I get attached to particular ones, like the runts who have gotten more special attention, but nothing makes me happier than placing one of my kittens in a good home. I didn't plan to be a foster parent. It sort of happened by chance. My husband, John, and I had just lost our cat of 6 years. Missy had been very special to us and her death came suddenly. One night we came home to find several areas where she'd vomited. A couple days later, she was admitted to the hospital and placed in an oxygen tank. They said she had a heart condition, and she had so much fluid in her lungs, she couldn't breathe on her own. I took the next day off, a Friday, and stayed with her. She had an oxygen mask and a catheter hooked up. She grabbed my finger with her paw like she always did, looked in my eyes, and let out a guttural sound. I stayed with her an hour, and then the fluid in her lungs got so bad that she was drowning in it. She passed, and I thought my life had ended. 

Somehow, I managed to drive home, wailing in the car. I couldn't believe she was gone! Only days ago she was a healthy, happy cat. John came home early and we spent the day remembering her. I dug up every picture we had of Missy and we created a scrapbook. I even had a tuft of her fur that I had found a few days ago and for whatever reason hadn't throw out. We glued that in there too. 

Creating that scrapbook was a very cathartic experience for us both, and when we need to be with Missy, we can just open it up and she's there. Well, you may be asking what does this all have to do with becoming a foster parent? Two days after Missy passed, still distraught, I wanted to go by the pet store and look at the kittens for adoption. I thought if I could just hold a kitten that that might help the pain subside. When we got there, there was one cage that contained a basket full of black kittens. Because they were black, we couldn't tell how many there were, but according to the sign there were 6. The sign also said that they were in desperate need for a foster home, because their current foster was in a wheelchair and was afraid the kittens would be run over or caught in the spokes. 

I knew I eventually wanted to adopt another cat, but I didn't think I was ready. What I thought would help, though, would be to foster these kittens, which would surely lift my spirits, and as they got older, choose one to keep ourselves. I talked to John about my idea, and with a little coaxing, we decided to do it. 

It had been so long since I'd had kittens this young, that I must've forgotten a lot. We let them have the run of the house that night, only to discover several accidents in the morning. The spare bedroom became their new living quarters. If you've never played with an entire litter of kittens before, let me tell you it's as fun as can be! And seeing them full of such life, I couldn't let myself dwell on Missy's death. There was joy, also, in knowing Missy caused us to become foster parents. You see, Missy was adopted from an Auburn animal shelter herself. Missy's death has now resulted in us now rescuing many, many cats and kittens that would otherwise have died, or lived short and tragic lives. And so I find comfort in knowing her death had such meaning. 

We did adopt one of the 6 kittens, and named her Sophia. She was the only one of the six with long hair, and I guess you could say she chose us from the beginning, as she was always following close behind our footsteps. We have never regretted becoming foster parents. We've since been turning our spare bedroom into a cat haven. We took out the carpet and laid linoleum, and have made several pieces of cat furniture for them to play and nap on. 

We thoroughly enjoy the kittens and cats we've fostered over the past 3 1/2  years. We hate to say goodbye to them, but with a follow-up phone call, we get to hear how happy they are in their new home, which makes it all worthwhile. There are always new kittens coming through our doors to be cuddled and played with, just waiting for the right person to come along. 

We are always in need of more foster homes, especially during kitten season (March through September). If you're interested in finding out more about providing foster care, please contact us.

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Folsom Felines : Assistance : Foster

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