See, Heidi? It's meant to be....
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How Foster Kitties Make Failures of Foster Moms
- Thread starter valanhb
- Start Date
Good luck with your decision - I personally have only kept 2 out of over 50 fosters, the first one was about my 18th cat, and we didn't think she had long left, so I allowed myself to get attached thinking she only had a few months, so might as well have as much love as she could - 2.5 years later, she is still here, happy and healthy!! The second was another 13yo who hated humans so i didn't think it was fair to rehome her. One of my fosters was here 14 months, and i could still let him go (mind you, he did spray cos of the other cats, so in one way it was a good thing!!). I Do have 2 long term fosters at the moment, who will live their life out here, but not through my choice, one is cos the rescue she is from doesn't feel they can rehome a 17yo (I personally wouldn't have picked her, there isn't that bond between us, but she is here for life), and the other is a 15yo with CRF, so the rescue dont want to home her, and the vets have agreed.
We are going to become foster parents to cats. My daughter is wonderful with Saffron and our other cats. She filled out her own application to volunteer at the shelter so we decided to foster. We have the room so our next venture is to either foster our strays in our yard.
Or do some from the shelter. My fear is ending up with 30 cats that I can't let go.
But still, keep this one. This is kismet. What's one more lovable around? However she could also be meant for someone you find worthy of her.
Or do some from the shelter. My fear is ending up with 30 cats that I can't let go.
But still, keep this one. This is kismet. What's one more lovable around? However she could also be meant for someone you find worthy of her.
So far I have managed to let go of my fosters, but it is hard! I know that one of these days one will come along that I can't let go of. I actually feel worse for Riley because he loves all his kitties and gets depressed when we don't have one for a week or two.
Gracie was my foster failure. She was six weeks old and I was only supposed to keep her long enough for her to gain one pound. Well... now it's 4 years later and she's gained about 15 pounds.
Tell me how to make it stop!!!!
How she won me over... For starters, I named her. Big mistake. And she got along as well as could possibly be expected with my other cats. And probably my biggest downfall for me... she was mouthy. He liked to gnaw on people. She never bit hard. She never broke skin. She never meant it maliciously. But she likes to chew on hands. Then lick, then chew a little more. We joke that she shows her love with teeth. But knowing that the shelter I was fostering her for was a kill shelter with no tolerance for biting, I was afraid that no one else would put up with her bizarre little quirks. I couldn't bear the thought of her being PTS, so she's ours.
She's my personal space heater at night, and my alarm clock in the morning. And I'm so glad she's mine.
How she won me over... For starters, I named her. Big mistake. And she got along as well as could possibly be expected with my other cats. And probably my biggest downfall for me... she was mouthy. He liked to gnaw on people. She never bit hard. She never broke skin. She never meant it maliciously. But she likes to chew on hands. Then lick, then chew a little more. We joke that she shows her love with teeth. But knowing that the shelter I was fostering her for was a kill shelter with no tolerance for biting, I was afraid that no one else would put up with her bizarre little quirks. I couldn't bear the thought of her being PTS, so she's ours.
She's my personal space heater at night, and my alarm clock in the morning. And I'm so glad she's mine.
Firefox is my foster failure
altho i wasn't fostering her for any particular shelter... just couldn't bear how sick she was - so i took her in & nursed her back to health.
never have found a home for her, altho i have tried!
never have found a home for her, altho i have tried!
How are the intros going?
These are touching stories.
Sometimes that one cat tugs at your heart and then you are done for.
Sometimes that one cat tugs at your heart and then you are done for.
For the record......its not just fosters who make failures of you......one of the biggest reasons that we got out of the breeding business was because it got to the point where I cried every time one of my babies went to a new home.......and at that point I had my original breeder pair, one cat who was payment for stud service, and two kittens that I just couldn't part with.....if we'd kept breeding, I'd probably have either a hundred kitties or have had a nervous breakdown, lol!
NyghtShade, Merri, and Pippin... They ruined me on fostering. NyghtShade mostly... I failed... we kept the manx baby. But... I did let Merri n Pippin go. They got addopted out by a close friend of ours, then he moved in with us for a few years, so we... still had them under our feet, in our hair, and knocking stuff off our counters and tables. I decided that I could foster again for the mess those two made. Then I look at shade and my heart swells, and I realize that giving up the babies when they are still babies... Perhaps someday...
