First time foster

I've thought about fostering before, but didn't want to upset my cats too much by bringing in more. Now I've got a foster kind of by accident.

I work at a treatment center for women with eating disorders. Last night at work there was a gorgeous baby wandering around outside, trying to come in every time somebody opened a door. When the patients got up this morning they all went crazy over him. He's eartipped, so has obviously been TNR'd, but doesn't act at all feral. Everybody who walks by gets head butts and purrs. One of the girls was sitting on the patio and he hopped into her lap and went to sleep.

So how did I end up with him? One of the girls really wants to take him home, but she won't be going home for another three weeks. They were all trying to figure out how they could get some cat food and take care of the kitty for the next few weeks, but that wasn't going to happen. I finally agreed to take him home and keep him for a few weeks. I have no idea whether the girl will actually take him when she goes home. I may end up with a seventh cat.

So without further ado, here is Buddy (although maybe I should have named him Frankie, after Old Blue Eyes).


I'm thinking he's a lynx point DSH. Probably less than a year old.



Look at those gorgeous blue eyes. And the big paws. He's still got some growing to do.




You can see how skinny he is, and his fur is pretty rough. I suspect a few weeks of regular meals will take care of that.

He's been on my screened-in patio for about 14 hours now, and he's eaten 2 day's worth of food, drunk half a bowl of water, and used the litter box. I'm not sure my crew are even aware he's there. He's going to have to stay out there for a while. The earliest my vet can see him is next Thursday. I'm planning to have him tested for FIV and FeLV, plus get his first vaccinations. Any suggestions for other things that need to be done?

Buddy has been here almost a week and is doing very well. I kept him on the patio--separated from my cats--until yesterday after his vet visit. He is FIV and FeLV negative. Fecal test is negative for parasites and he does not have fleas. He did have ear mites, so got medication for that. He was definitely already neutered and now is up to date on his shots.

The vet put him at about 7-8 months old. He's 9.4# now, and is probably going to get quite a bit bigger, at least if he grows into his feet. He's looking so much better already.


He's such a sweetheart. I was petting him one time and he flopped over on his back. I wasn't sure it that was an invitation for belly rubs or for an attack. I started out giving him chin scritches and worked my way down. Guess what. He l-o-o-o-o-v-e-s belly rubs.

I brought him in the house and put him in a large dog crate with his food and water. There were a few hisses and some growling, but no poofy tails or halloween cat backs. Merlin did manage to steal some of Buddy's food through the bars of the cage.

I let him out on the patio for the night when I went to work because I didn't think it was fair to keep him confined for so long.

Where I work the women and the adolescents are in two separate facilities. I work two nights a week at each location. Last night was the first time I had been back to the women's center since I took the kitty home. The one who wanted to take him home is definitely interested. She'll be flying home and is asking what she has to do to take him on the flight. She will also reimburse me for anything I've spent on him taking him to the vet. It may still not be possible to work out the logistics, but we have about two weeks to get everything in order.

Oh, and she's going to call him Gizmo.