Hey everyone I have made a few posts in the forums but thought perhaps I should introduce myself more formally. My name is Nicole and I am a full-time law student working in juvenile defense. Because law school is a breeze and hardly takes up any of my time (insert dripping sarcasm here) I foster pregnant cats and kittens for a local no-kill shelter out of my tiny one bedroom apartment. In addition to my fosters, I share my pad with my perfect 2-year old torbie named Ella, five fish, and a frog named Fernandos.
I became interested in fostering after I adopted Ella. I brought her home only to find she had a host of health problems (respiratory infection, eye infection, food allergies, and ringworm). But, I was committed to her and to getting her healthy by whatever means necessary. So, I was shocked and appalled when more than one vet told me to: a) return her to the shelter because she was "defective" or b) that I needed to have her euthanized (yes, I did storm out of both vet offices using some choice words). It really opened my eyes to what life is like for abandoned cats and I decided not to complain or be sad about it but to do something about it. I chose to foster queens and kittens because I feel I can make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time. So, in a year I have had three Moms and two abandoned litters- a total of 22 in all (I did take a 4 month hiatus through the winter months), and can happily report that all have gone to good homes. Fostering definitely takes my already busy life to an interesting new level, but getting that head butt of approval from a Mom that I have worked so hard with makes it all worth it. While the law satisfies my mind, fostering satisfies my soul, and I can't imagine being whole without it.
I stumbled across this website by accident but I am so glad I found it and wish I would have known about it when I first started fostering because I had so many questions and things I had to figure out by trial and error. I am looking forward to being able to get support when new issues come up, but also passing along what I have learned to others, and just generally sharing my love of cats with like-minded individuals!
I became interested in fostering after I adopted Ella. I brought her home only to find she had a host of health problems (respiratory infection, eye infection, food allergies, and ringworm). But, I was committed to her and to getting her healthy by whatever means necessary. So, I was shocked and appalled when more than one vet told me to: a) return her to the shelter because she was "defective" or b) that I needed to have her euthanized (yes, I did storm out of both vet offices using some choice words). It really opened my eyes to what life is like for abandoned cats and I decided not to complain or be sad about it but to do something about it. I chose to foster queens and kittens because I feel I can make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time. So, in a year I have had three Moms and two abandoned litters- a total of 22 in all (I did take a 4 month hiatus through the winter months), and can happily report that all have gone to good homes. Fostering definitely takes my already busy life to an interesting new level, but getting that head butt of approval from a Mom that I have worked so hard with makes it all worth it. While the law satisfies my mind, fostering satisfies my soul, and I can't imagine being whole without it.
I stumbled across this website by accident but I am so glad I found it and wish I would have known about it when I first started fostering because I had so many questions and things I had to figure out by trial and error. I am looking forward to being able to get support when new issues come up, but also passing along what I have learned to others, and just generally sharing my love of cats with like-minded individuals!
