Focus on Fosters: The Forgotten

Foster-PoemThe rescue community is widespread, varied in its methods, and made up of primarily locally based networks for rescue, foster, transport, vets and adoption.

Facebook and the internet have helped the rescue community make great strides towards a better solution for our pet over-population issue by providing a medium for sharing animals on a much greater scale.  Thousands of animals are killed each day just for space.  Those who work tirelessly day and night to save so many animals from certain death are the true angels in my eyes.  We all must know our boundaries and keep within them as much as we can to avoid stress, burnout and financial hardships.

But that is a story for another day.  Today I want to focus one aspect of fostering in rescue that largely goes un-noticed, where more animals get lost in the cracks every year.

Foster homes are such an integral part of the process.  They are the ones who first get these animals from “those” places and give of their time, love and money to transform a traumatized being into a potential loving family member.  They are the ones who usually end up with permanent fosters, usually more than they can handle.  Possible financial issues and feline temperament clashes come with the territory.

Many foster animals fall through the cracks and don’t get the exposure they need to find the perfect loving home for them.  These animals (IMO) are the ones who should be networked more rigorously.  How many times do you hear “All fosters are full”?  Does it occur to you that if more people adopted from foster care, then the more those fosters can rescue and socialize another kitty to be your next family member.

Advantages of adopting from a reputable foster vs. a shelter/animal control facility:

  • Known long-term health issues, if any
  • Short-term health issues have often been resolved, like upper-respiratory infections
  • Known temperament — within a home environment — means less surprises. A foster parent can often write a full dissertation on what a foster animal is like, unlike the list of checkboxes on a cage card at a facility.
  • Luxury to set up transport if adoption is to be long distance — no need for urgency at 2AM.
  • More-socialized kitties waiting for you to choose the kitty right for you and your family.
  • By selecting an animal that should be a good match for your family, it decreases the odds of the animal being returned.  Happy endings mean one less animal in the system.

Everyone wants to save a kitty, but once the kitty is “safe” in foster…the nobleness of adopting wears off and they are off to the next kitty that needs immediate help.  Meanwhile, there are hundreds if not thousands of kitties in foster care waiting for their chance.  Adopting from a foster saves 3 lives: the foster kitty, the next kitty a foster home can help, and the next kitty who gets a chance today because a kitty went to a foster home yesterday.

Consider your options before you adopt.

4 thoughts on “Focus on Fosters: The Forgotten”

  1. Thank you! As a foster for an extremely high kill over populated shelter system with not nearly enough rescue help we found ourselves here in years of the past.We opened our hearts and homes to those in immediate danger when everyone was begging and pleading for help.Then not long after we found ourselves on hard times only to find that we were forced to survive with our 7 fosters whom became long term without anyone worrying about them but us( Not mention the rescue was mia).They were forgotten.Thankfully after opening our hearts and home once again for a temp foster,we found a wonderful woman whom took on the kitties that didn’t have forever homes yet.Now I believe they all are in forever homes.If it wasn’t for that blessing and help from our friends we would most likely still have those same fosters years later.Don’t get me wrong we love and adored the fosters but no doubt they do get forgotten in the foster system because they were no longer in danger.Actually forgotten fosters is in the top reasons we hear people not wanting to help out those in need of foster.We thank you for bringing this to attention of those whom are not aware.Until more people are aware,fosters are going to continue to have to turn away.Believe I know first hand having to say we are full still and knowing an animals life depends on it is more than heartbreaking.

    1. Trish, you are one of my foster heroes. I only have one, and he was an accident. 😉

  2. I am a foster home for a local “no-kill” shelter. I’ve had fosters anywhere from 2 weeks to 2.5 months. Generally, they come to me sick or with behaviors/social needs that need to be worked on. It’s exhausting. Over the past 3 years, I’ve fostered 50+ kitties….I’ve had one die in care (we were all pretty sure she would but hoped a good environment would help her pull through), adopted one and 2 are waiting to be adopted. Even though I get tired and at times frustrated with the overworked staff at the shelter, I love it.

    And to all my fellow foster homes…THANK YOU for everything you do!!!

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