behindthescenes
‘It’s essential to get to know the cat sympathetically as it can directly affect the type of home we feel the cat ultimately requires’ they have never lived apart and as such lovely boys, it is my hope someone special will come along for them eventually. In the two years I have been fostering, this is only the second time I have seen cats in my care having to be handed in for a genuine reason such as this. It is more usual for foster cats to be strays: either dumped somewhere by an uncaring owner; lost from their usual area – cases of reuniting cats to loving owners does occasionally happen – or worse still, the owner moves house and leaves the hapless pet behind. The latter situation occurs more frequently than would be supposed even just within our particular area. It never ceases to amaze and appal that someone could do this to any animal. In the case of cats that are brought to me by their owners, it’s usually simply that they no longer want them. I like to get the measure of the cats in my care and this can take a week or two. It’s essential to get to know the cat sympathetically as it can directly affect the type of home we feel the cat ultimately requires. Some are bold and can happily adapt to life in a home with other cats – or dogs – but others really need to be ‘only’ cats. It helps that I have cats of my own as well as a Boxer dog as I am able to gauge a foster cat’s reaction to my own pets and it can tell me a great deal about how likely they are to adapt to living with other animals. Once I have their character traits worked out, I can pass this information on to the Area Co-ordinator along with a photograph or two so that the cat can be advertised as available for adoption. If a cat has been with me for a while, I like to allow him some freedom in the daytime by letting him out of the pen. Of course this can only be done with cats that have been neutered, ‘MOTd’ and who have been with me for a few weeks. They usually enjoy this time mooching around my very enclosed garden and getting some fresh air.
At 5pm, I go to the pen with fresh water and a dish of tinned meat and the cats that have been outside are enclosed back in the pen for the evening. I give my foster cats tinned meat twice a day but they are always left a bowl of dry biscuits in the pen as well, so that they can graze on them as they wish. While there, I clean the litter trays again, tidy the pen and have a cuddle with them.
Spreading the word After supper, I go on to my laptop so that I can check that our branch‘s Facebook page is up to date. I remove any photographs of cats that have been homed and likewise upload pictures and information of any new cats that have been brought in. I can also add news or events happening in our area relevant to our branch. It’s my hope that more people who have adopted our cats will eventually join us on Facebook because at the moment, as fosterers we rarely get feedback about the cats we have looked after once they have been adopted. It would be nice to hear about their progress now and again. A couple of times a week, I also spend time writing my blog which is all about my experiences of fostering. My three cats and one dog also give me plenty of rich material for the blog in between the more serious issues that I write about with regards to fostering, but the ultimate aim is to raise awareness about the cats in our care. Just before bedtime, I go out to the pen for the last visit of the day. Not much is usually required at this time, just cuddles and a cat-chat before we all settle down for the night. I love fostering and gain real satisfaction from it. Whether nurturing a timid or scared cat who may have been mistreated or hearing the purrs of a scrawny and undernourished cat that has been living rough after being dumped, the day I wave them off to a loving new home is a huge achievement. I work on instincts: if a foster cat doesn’t react well to a potential adopter, then I will carefully consider whether the cat should be homed with them. Cats are pretty good at choosing who they want to live with and when they display contented behaviour towards their potential adopter, no one is more pleased than me. Am I sorry to see them go? Always. But there are continually more cats waiting to be rescued and my pen is never empty for very long. I can’t help every cat, but I can do my best to help as many as I can.
Photos: Carole Dorran
You can read Carole’s blog here www.writelink.co.uk/community/ blogs/posts/pilchard If you’re interested in becoming a Fosterer, then get in touch with your local Cats Protection branch whose contact details can be found by phoning our Helpline on 03000 12 12 12. Carole and pen pal Crunchie
The Cat Spring 2011
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