To foster or not to foster?

well that is the question lol
Recently I have been doing a lot of reaserch about my nearby rescues.I am thinking about fostering a kitten or two with my kitten Zack.I have written them various letters with lots of quetions and they still have not written back,so I will ask you guys a few of those questions ok?

would it be a good idea to foster another kitten to be a playmate for Zack?

We will be moving in a year,so tht would be when i return the cat to the rescue,would this casue Zack emotional problems?

How long do yu think I would foster the kitten,a few weeks months or years?

Also Please give me your opinions about this wether I should foster another kitten or not

To be honest, I wouldn't do it if I were you. I just wouldn't take a cat if I had the intention to take it back in a couple weeks. There's just no point, IMO. As for your other cat, it might have trouble coping with the loss, depending on how well it gets along with the new kitten. Also, it could be hard on the kitten being fostered to go back to the shelter, as it will likely develop a relationship with you. I wouldn't look to get another cat unless you plan on keeping it. I've never even heard of somebody adopting a cat from a shelter, just to take it back in a couple weeks. I'm not insulting you or your intentions, this is just how I feel about it.

Originally Posted by Plazzain

To be honest, I wouldn't do it if I were you. I just wouldn't take a cat if I had the intention to take it back in a couple weeks. There's just no point, IMO. As for your other cat, it might have trouble coping with the loss, depending on how well it gets along with the new kitten. Also, it could be hard on the kitten being fostered to go back to the shelter, as it will likely develop a relationship with you. I wouldn't look to get another cat unless you plan on keeping it. I've never even heard of somebody adopting a cat from a shelter, just to take it back in a couple weeks. I'm not insulting you or your intentions, this is just how I feel about it.

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well first off I dont mean that I want to keep it for a few weeks,just as long as the rescue needs a temporary home.Also I would not actually adopt the cat,its a special program where yuo take in a kitty becasue the shelter is not a good place for KITTENS, so I am not adopting it just fostering until the cat IS addopted by someone else.

here is the page that will hopefully explain the program
http://www.anaaweb.org/ingles/index.html
then click on foster owners on the left

please guys respond I need more opinions,as I dont want to harm Zack in any way.please post!!!!

I was a foster mom for kittens for a local organization. It was a great experience. Many were adopted out, but I adopted four of them myself, to add to my household of cats. I had three cats when I started fostering. When the new kittens come to your house, keep them isolated at first until you know if they have health problems. I invested in a small cage, as I had no spare room to keep them separated in. I would keep them in the cage, letting them out for small periods, supervised, until they knew my other pets, my other pets knew them, they bonded to me (new kittens can be scared and hide and it's tough to get them to come to you in that situation), and they knew their way around my house. Even then, at first they would be confined to my kitchen, where I'd block off the entryway (no door). Then gradually let them have full access to my house. When old enough, they'd go to pet adoptions. Some adopted fairly quickly, maybe a month, some would be with us longer. A couple got so attached to us, they had to go to the cat room to socialize them with other people so they'd show well at adoptions.

All in all, a great joy, a lot of work at times, some heartache (one died of massive infection). The ones I adopted after fostering have been my best cats, because I really knew their personalities and kept the sweetest!

MC

Originally Posted by Plazzain

To be honest, I wouldn't do it if I were you. I just wouldn't take a cat if I had the intention to take it back in a couple weeks. There's just no point, IMO. As for your other cat, it might have trouble coping with the loss, depending on how well it gets along with the new kitten. Also, it could be hard on the kitten being fostered to go back to the shelter, as it will likely develop a relationship with you. I wouldn't look to get another cat unless you plan on keeping it. I've never even heard of somebody adopting a cat from a shelter, just to take it back in a couple weeks. I'm not insulting you or your intentions, this is just how I feel about it.

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IMO with no intentions of stepping on toes, I do not agree with this. After 10+years of rescue work, all you are doing is helping one in need. I have fostered dogs/puppies and cats/kittens for as little as a few days up to a year before. In all reality all it has done has helped with socializing the animal to new things. We've taken some that were in really rough condition, rehabilitated them, and, even though, they had formed a bond with us, they went into their new homes with little to no problems. Over the course of our time of rescue, minus the 2yrs that we didn't have a cat after I lost my girl, we placed 44 cats/kittens. We only had 2 to return that didn't work out in their new home and that was 2 that went together, but the new owner had unforeseen allergies to arise. I truly believe in fostering. Also, this will give you an opportunity to see how Zack will react to having a kitten around, so when/if you ever decide to get another kitty, you can get one that you know that works with Zack. I applaud you for wanting to foster. There are so many kittens and cats out there that need people willing to open their homes to them. The biggest thing is making sure that the new one has been vetted, so that there is no danger of bringing anything in to Zack. That's something we have to take in to consideration every time that we open our home up to a new baby. I wish you the best of luck in making the right decision for you.

Well, first off....is Zack neutered yet? What shots does he have?

Be aware, many kittens & cats in rescues have unknonw history. You could potentially bring home a kitten with distemper. I brought home foster kittens....they had giardia. I had to pay out of my own pocket to treat my cats then. I took on the responsibility to clean the boxes 2x a day with bleach, washed bedding every other day, etc. Bathed the kittens, medicated them 2x a day. The kittens had fleas, so now all my cats have fleas....and my home. I didn't treat my cats for fleas as they were indoors only & now I am battling with getting rid of the fleas.

Now I am dealing with something causing one of my kittens to be lethargic & he doesn't walk well. They are 9 weeks old. Depending on what is causing the injury, he may not be with me much longer. I am paying for gas to run him to the vet.

You must be able to give the kitten(s) up, that is the biggest thing. While fostering is wonderful, I have spent hundreds to treat my own animals for things that my foster kittens/cats/dogs/puppies have brought home. I do risk my cats lives to some extent by brining home animals with unknown histories, but my animals are all fixed, UTD on shots, & will now be on flea preventative.

I do not mean to discourage you from fostering, but many people won't tell you what I just did. Any animal you bring home could be potentially contagious.....you must be willing to treat them & your own Zack. Find out whatever rescue you work through if they pay for supplies, if they pay for treatment if your Zack gets ill, etc. The HS here would pay for treatment, but I know that would eventually result in cat(s) being euthanized from a lack of funds, so I pay for my animals vet expenses as a result of fosters infecting them myself.

Good on you for wanting to foster, but it isn't done to be a playmate for an existing cat, and if you are only fostering kittens, it is normally very short term, until homes are found - in teh rescue I foster for, unless there is a health or behavioural issue, they are generally homed as soon as they are old enough, the demand is there, it is the adults that stay in rescues for a while, esp while it is kitten season. I personally dont integrate fosters unless they are older and we know they are going to be long term (such as the two overweight ones, and the two oldies), so my cats dont see the fosters all the time, they do need their own space, esp when cats are coming and going quite quickly.

Thanks for the replies!

Anyway, white cat lover,I think Zack at the moment is having all the shots he can possibly have at the moment for his age.he is *Annie goes to check calendar hehe* about 13 weeks old, I believe,so I am guesssing he is too young to be neutred?! Its funny but actually TODAY Zack is going for another vet appointment with test and shots

also this rescue is a pretty big operation,they have 4 vetenarians at the rescue,and I know that when you adopt a cat they give it to you fixed ,with shots,and they do the medical stuff free of charge and all that, so I guess when you foster they would do most of those things too.Another things is that the program is SPECIFICALLY for kittnes due to the fact that the rescue center is not the best place for kittens and that the people that foster need to take in the kittens to the vets at the rescue.
I suggest you guys take a look at the link,as they explain it MUCH better than me

Originally Posted by Dramagirl601

Thanks for the replies!

Anyway, white cat lover,I think Zack at the moment is having all the shots he can possibly have at the moment for his age.he is *Annie goes to check calendar hehe* about 13 weeks old, I believe,so I am guesssing he is too young to be neutred?!

Its funny but actually TODAY Zack is going for another vet appointment with test and shots

also this rescue is a pretty big operation,they have 4 vetenarians at the rescue,and I know that when you adopt a cat they give it to you fixed ,with shots,and they do the medical stuff free of charge and all that, so I guess when you foster they would do most of those things too.

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All rescue organizations I have known pay for everything for the kittens. Their food, their shots, their vet care, their fixing.

You should get him neutered ASAP whether you foster or not as younger cats (between the ages of 6-14 weeks) do better with the operation. Also, this will probably keep him from ever spraying things to mark his territory. He's the perfect age to be neutered =^.^=

Ok then when Zack goes back to the vet in a few weeks, I will ask about that,and I have to get my parents to agree.