Fostering...How Do You Get Started and Who To Foster For?

Are you thinking about a new pet but not sure about the commitment?  What about fostering?  There are a lot of organizations in the area who are full to the brim with cats and dogs who need foster homes.  There are animals taken to the shelters every day that need either a foster home or adoptive home.

So what is involved in fostering?  Do you have to adopt the animal?  Well the involvement depends on the group and you.  Some groups pay for food and litter as well as vet care (for cats) and some do not.  Some groups will pay for training for dogs and some will not.  It just depends on funding and whether the group has a trainer involved or not.  As far as adopting the animal goes, you should never be required to adopt an animal as as foster parent.  If that is part of the requirement you should not foster for that particular group.

Fostering can be very emotionally demanding and very emotionally draining because the animals you are fostering often have emotional issues from being surrendered.  They are confused, scared and do not know what is going on.  They have to learn they are safe and may have been abused so they have to overcome the mental issues from that as well.  Some animals never overcome the demons from abuse depending on the level of abuse.  The type of abuse may have to be taken into consideration as well.  For instance, if a cat was used as bait for a dog fighting ring he/she may be afraid of dogs and may not be but that will be very easy to tell. 

This is a scared cat that will probably fight back

Medications may also be involved in fostering as well so it may be necessary for you to administer them for a cold or other infection if they have had an injury or ear issues, etc.  Like humans, though, it's important to follow the vet's directions and give the medications as directed.

Fostering is also extremely rewarding, though.  When a family finds your foster is the right one for their family and takes them home and they have already fallen in love with their new pet, you have a sense of pride and sadness at the same time.  Pride comes from knowing where they came from when you first got them and where they are now and the sadness comes from watching them 'leave the nest' so to speak.  I always ask for pictures and send follow up emails checking in to make sure things are going well.  It's very important to do that so the people do not feel they are alone and just got dumped with a new animal and they do not have any support if something goes wrong.

Here is more information about fostering:

http://fosterdogs.com/getting-involved.html

http://matadornetwork.com/change/beginnersguide-to-fosteirng-animals/

www.calvinspaws.org

http://www.wakegov.com/pets/foster/Pages/default.aspx

For those in the Raleigh, NC, USA area I've included two good groups to contact about fostering.  Anyone interested in those groups can either contact them directly or send me a note and I will help you get involved.  There are many ways to volunteer your time besides fostering as well, but that is the biggest need.

Please considering fostering a homeless animal or volunteering with your local rescue organization or shelter.  As always, we welcome your comments, questions, and/or concerns regarding any of our posts and if you would like to see a topic discussed please let us know.

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Watching a New Family Get Their New Family Member

As you all know, I volunteer with an animal rescue organization (www.calvinspaws.org) and part of the job, so to speak, is getting to send an animal home with his/her new family.  I got to do that today.  This family has 3 daughters (two of them young) and the 7 month old kitten that they picked is simply perfect for them.  I could not have picked a better one for them.  Houdini is not phased by anything and loves to play better than life itself.  The girls just giggled loudly every time he grabbed at the toys.  They let the girls hold him in the very busy pet store and played some more with them in the back of the store where all the other cats are for the group.  The family just really fell in love with little Houdini.  Even the dad who said "I'm not really a cat person".  It was wonderful!

The mom said she'd need to think about it but I could hear the daughters begging and begging for Houdini.  Even the dad was convinced.  The mom didn't have a chance.  She came over to me and said "It looks like Houdini is the one".  The little girls just squealed with delight and everyone was grinning from ear to ear...even the parents.  It was obvious the love they already had for him. 

The dad picked out the toys, the mom got the litter and litterbox, we did the paperwork and off they went.  The girls informed me they would definitely play with him a lot.  I did ask for pictures because we, as a group, LOVE to see pictures of the happily ever afters.  I was assured there would be tons of pictures.

I love happy endings.

This is little Houdini.

Finding New Litters and Babies

 Animal rescue people know when kitten season is coming but a lot of "normal" people do not and will often contact rescue organization, their vet or even shelters when they find litters and even infants.  Most of the time these organizations are full to the brim with animals they already have so fostering these babies is hopefully an option for the finder.

The care needed for these little ones can be intimidating, however, but no need to worry.  If you find a mom with babies all you need to do is put her in a small space like a large dog crate, bathroom or spare room with a box for the babies and she will do all the work for you!  Occasionally there is a little one left behind, though, and this is even more intimidating than finding the family.  While caring for the little one is hard work it is not complicated at all.  Here are two links for kittens and puppies to help you figure things out.

http://www.kittenbaby.com/

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2108&aid=863

Animal rescue organizations can also be a great source of information as can your vet.  Do not hesitate to ask but here are some things I like to keep on hand for kitten season:

Kitten Meal Replacement (KMR):  found at any petstore in powder and liquid form.
Baby kitten soft food:  doesn't matter what brand as long as it is a pate form
Baby kitten hard food:  for when they develop teeth and start eating.  I like Royal Canin baby cat but  whatever kitten food available is fine.
Bottle for KMR when they are still bottle feeding and not eating food yet.
A scale for making sure the little ones are gaining weight.

Socialization is key as well so having more than one animal with these babies is wonderful for their development (mental, social and physical).  Adopting kittens in pairs is always preferable because if the parents ever want another cat then the exposure and socialization is already there for them to be accepting of another housemate.

I hope this has helped and as always please let me know if you have any comments, questions or a topic you would like to see discussed here.