Saying Goodbye To Fosters

[Aj2015]

Hello everyone,

I have been fostering kittens for my local city shelter since they were 1 week old. I started with 7 kittens and lost 4. 3 survived and just today at 9 weeks old, I took them back to the shelter so they can be adopted. I expected to get attached and I expected this process to be tough, but today was heart breaking. These little kittens have been running all around my home with freedom and space. I have made sure they had good food and were healthy as well as happy. Today I watched them get placed into a tiny cage (thankfully in a quiet room), where they were obviously nervous and stressed. I felt terrible as I left, like I was completely abandoning them. I have been there person for 8 weeks and now I’m gone... I talked to one of the workers about one of my kitten’s constipation issues and left them extra kitten food that I have been feeding them. But she was busy and I could tell not particularly interested in what I had to say. She mentioned giving them their third round of booster vaccines which they are not due for, so I quickly intervened and told her I had just brought them in a week ago and are not due again until the 11th. All of this to say, I could use some encouragement for those of you who foster and go through this emotional pain when saying goodbye. I really would feel better if I was handing them off to new homes, but returning them to the shelter was gut wrenching.
Secondly, I don’t know that I could do this again for my city shelter. I don’t feel they pay enough attention to the kitten’s health because they are so overwhelmed with animals. Nor did they keep any contact with me as a foster home or express interest in hearing information about the kittens when I returned them. Has anyone else had similar experiences? Are your shelters more supportive/intentional with the kittens and foster homes? Should I expect this with most shelters? I want to help out in this way again, but if this is normal I don’t know that I can. Thanks for reading and any words of wisdom.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I have no words of wisdom for you, but know that I think you're awesome for doing what you did. Those kittens might have been put down had you not been willing to foster them. I contemplated fostering for my local shelter but I know myself. If I attempted to foster I'd have to buy a bigger condo because I'd wouldn't be able to give the fosters up.

 

[fionasmom]

You did a really wonderful thing for those kittens. I do think that the shelter worker could have been more attentive to what you wanted to say as you did just do them a big favor by fostering. I hate to ask this, but does the shelter guarantee to find homes for the kittens or is there a "time limit" to their stay there? If they are guaranteed homes, I would feel better about it despite having left them as per the agreement.

I never foster because my couple attempts were heartwrenching when they were adopted...and to good homes.

 

[Aj2015]

I have no words of wisdom for you, but know that I think you're awesome for doing what you did. Those kittens might have been put down had you not been willing to foster them. I contemplated fostering for my local shelter but I know myself. If I attempted to foster I'd have to buy a bigger condo because I'd wouldn't be able to give the fosters up.

Trust me, it was quite tempting to keep them as well. Not a wise choice unfortunately, but so tempting. Thank you for the kind words.

 

[Aj2015]

You did a really wonderful thing for those kittens. I do think that the shelter worker could have been more attentive to what you wanted to say as you did just do them a big favor by fostering. I hate to ask this, but does the shelter guarantee to find homes for the kittens or is there a "time limit" to their stay there? If they are guaranteed homes, I would feel better about it despite having left them as per the agreement.

I never foster because my couple attempts were heartwrenching when they were adopted...and to good homes.

They are not guaranteed homes. There isn’t a “time limit”, but I’m sure if they couldn’t get a kitten adopted after a long time and space was crammed, it’s future would be bleak. They say there kittens get adopted pretty quickly, but of course, you never know
It’s just a painful process. I had hoped to be able to handle this better emotionally, knowing doing this for them was better than doing nothing for them, but...ya, it’s just really hard.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so with you on your concern and pain.

Where I am located there is a network with a local shelter/organization, and they partner with a local PetSmart. The local (no kill) rescue shelter gets funding (along with donations) from PetSmart to help with testing, vax's, and spaying/neutering, mostly with volunteer vets/staff. PetSmart then provides the 'arena' for adoptions every weekend. But, the key to all of this is the volunteer fosters who are able to do fostering through financial support of the local shelter and PetSmart. These fosters do need donations as well, because they often are taking care of many cats at one time.

I have helped (long story short) with a current stray and her 2 babies, as well as 4 adoptees who were dumped on a doorstep that the stray graciously accepted as her own.

All of these girls/guys are going tomorrow for testing/vax'ing/spaying and neutering. They are being taken care of by a volunteer foster mom who will also see them through healing before adoption. This volunteer is willing to keep mom and all of the kittens for as long as it takes to get them adopted.

It is heartbreaking just worrying about them getting through tomorrow, much less their adoptions, hopefully awaiting them shortly.

My point in all of this, is what kind of connection does the local city shelter have - and is something like partnering with pet stores possible? I think our local PetSmart has made a world of difference in the viability/survivability of this local rescue shelter.

 

[Aj2015]

I am so with you on your concern and pain.

Where I am located there is a network with a local shelter/organization, and they partner with a local PetSmart. The local (no kill) rescue shelter gets funding (along with donations) from PetSmart to help with testing, vax's, and spaying/neutering, mostly with volunteer vets/staff. PetSmart then provides the 'arena' for adoptions every weekend. But, the key to all of this is the volunteer fosters who are able to do fostering through financial support of the local shelter and PetSmart. These fosters do need donations as well, because they often are taking care of many cats at one time.

I have helped (long story short) with a current stray and her 2 babies, as well as 4 adoptees who were dumped on a doorstep that the stray graciously accepted as her own.

All of these girls/guys are going tomorrow for testing/vax'ing/spaying and neutering. They are being taken care of by a volunteer foster mom who will also see them through healing before adoption. This volunteer is willing to keep mom and all of the kittens for as long as it takes to get them adopted.

It is heartbreaking just worrying about them getting through tomorrow, much less their adoptions, hopefully awaiting them shortly.

My point in all of this, is what kind of connection does the local city shelter have - and is something like partnering with pet stores possible? I think our local PetSmart has made a world of difference in the viability/survivability of this local rescue shelter.

I wish your foster kitties the best! It sounds like they have a wonderful future ahead of them with some loving people to help them get to their new forever homes. I would have loved that! But still so hard to let them go and trust everything goes well I am sure.

This shelter is run by the city. They partner with a local pet smart in a smaller way. The pet smart takes cats and cares for them and adopts them out from their store to lighten the load on the shelter. I don’t think they financially support the shelter though. The shelter had its own vet who the city pays. I live in a pretty poverty stricken area. Donations are hard to come by and people often don’t take good care of their animals.

There is a second shelter in the town as well, not run by the city, but I feel they are even worse off financially. Completely overwhelmed, dirty, poor health of their animals...the city shelter has a hard time getting fosters and has poor organization of their fostering system. To foster these kittens I literally walked in, they told me to pick a momma and her kittens, took a copy of my license, had me sign an agreement and that was it. They didn’t even have my phone number to contact me.

It just seems like a big mess that needs a lot of work. And sadly I don’t see things changing soon. I want to help out these animals, but I cried way too much yesterday because of all this. :/

 

[FeebysOwner]

I guess the main difference is the fact that the rescue organization doesn't house these cats - that task is performed by volunteer fosters. There is no physical shelter for them to stay at - other than with fosters. The fosters take the cats/kittens in, raise them in prep for testing/vax'ing/neutering & spaying, and then take them back afterward and keep them until they are adopted. So, once they are on the rescue centers web site, they are also being 'displayed' at PetSmart. As far as I know, there is no where else for them to go other than stay with fosters until they are adopted. Of course, there is a network among the fosters as well, so they support each other too, and there is some 'working out details' among the fosters themselves that I am guessing the rescue org. doesn't directly manage.

Also, this rescue center requires a signed contract/agreement with their fosters, but they also required a signed contract with the adopters. All of these cats are microchipped as well. And, in the contract the adopters have to agree to never declaw the adoptee and to return the adoptee to the center if for some reason the adoption doesn't work out.

At what point do you have to 'turn them over' to the city shelter? Is there a network built up within the fosters that you can participate in?

 

[lavishsqualor]

ITo foster these kittens I literally walked in, they told me to pick a momma and her kittens, took a copy of my license, had me sign an agreement and that was it. They didn’t even have my phone number to contact me.

That sounds really awful! In Orlando fostering is harder than adopting. They run a criminal background check.

 

[Aj2015]

I guess the main difference is the fact that the rescue organization doesn't house these cats - that task is performed by volunteer fosters. There is no physical shelter for them to stay at - other than with fosters. The fosters take the cats/kittens in, raise them in prep for testing/vax'ing/neutering & spaying, and then take them back afterward and keep them until they are adopted. So, once they are on the rescue centers web site, they are also being 'displayed' at PetSmart. As far as I know, there is no where else for them to go other than stay with fosters until they are adopted. Of course, there is a network among the fosters as well, so they support each other too, and there is some 'working out details' among the fosters themselves that I am guessing the rescue org. doesn't directly manage.

Also, this rescue center requires a signed contract/agreement with their fosters, but they also required a signed contract with the adopters. All of these cats are microchipped as well. And, in the contract the adopters have to agree to never declaw the adoptee and to return the adoptee to the center if for some reason the adoption doesn't work out.

At what point do you have to 'turn them over' to the city shelter? Is there a network built up within the fosters that you can participate in?

Ya that would be so different, to have no physical shelter! I think here it is hard to find people willing to be fosters...there is no network no :/ I think the foster homes they get tend to be pretty random. They send out requests via their Facebook page. They take them back at 8-10 weeks.

It sounds like you have a great system. I wish we had something like that around here for sure.

 

[Aj2015]

That sounds really awful! In Orlando fostering is harder than adopting. They run a criminal background check.

Wow! Ya nope, anyone can do it here. They are overrun and understaffed....on a positive, I went back and adopted one of them today. I couldn’t handle leaving him to whatever fate he happened to come to at the shelter. He is doing well, but after two days with them he had diarrhea, was panicky when I got him out and dehydrated. He immediately drank a ton of water when he got to my house. It’s just terrible. I’m glad I have him, but even more heartbroken for the other two. And the many kittens that go through those doors.

 

[Aj2015]

 

[FeebysOwner]

Awwww. Thanks for at least getting one of those guys out of there!

Maybe you could consider hosting a FB page to communicate with other fosters from that city shelter? Just a thought - maybe a bad one...

 

[lavishsqualor]

Wow! Ya nope, anyone can do it here. They are overrun and understaffed....on a positive, I went back and adopted one of them today. I couldn’t handle leaving him to whatever fate he happened to come to at the shelter. He is doing well, but after two days with them he had diarrhea, was panicky when I got him out and dehydrated. He immediately drank a ton of water when he got to my house. It’s just terrible. I’m glad I have him, but even more heartbroken for the other two. And the many kittens that go through those doors.

You are a saint.

Thank you for adopting him.

I've been thinking about those poor kittens ever since I read your first post. I'm an incredible wuss when it comes to things like this, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[lavishsqualor]

PS: He's a very handsome boy and SUPER lucky to have you.

 

[fionasmom]

I am also glad that you got him. As was suggested, do you think that via FB or some other outlet you could communicate with others or would that be stepping on toes? Do you think that you could find adopters for the others? I once had to turn an Akita into a pound as it was not dog compatible but I was able to advertise locally and it was adopted quickly despite the fact that I did not have possession of it.

If this was so awful that you can't do it again, don't feel guilty or beat yourself up. You did what you could to the limits of what you could stand.

 

[Aj2015]

You are a saint.

Thank you for adopting him.

I've been thinking about those poor kittens ever since I read your first post. I'm an incredible wuss when it comes to things like this, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

Awww I know what you mean! I just hate for any animal to be suffering. I can’t provide for all of them, but want to help those that I can. Thanks for all the encouragement and sweet words. It really means a lot!

 

[Aj2015]

I am also glad that you got him. As was suggested, do you think that via FB or some other outlet you could communicate with others or would that be stepping on toes? Do you think that you could find adopters for the others? I once had to turn an Akita into a pound as it was not dog compatible but I was able to advertise locally and it was adopted quickly despite the fact that I did not have possession of it.

If this was so awful that you can't do it again, don't feel guilty or beat yourself up. You did what you could to the limits of what you could stand.

I definitely think it is a great idea to start a Facebook page for other fosters. I would have to get that info from the shelter, but it could be a good way to get support for each other. I don’t think that would upset the shelter at all I have worked pretty hard to find homes for the other two, with no luck. I had a few people interested but ultimately decided not to because they weren’t ready for a kitten. And I definitely didn’t want to pressure anyone who wasn’t up for the commitment. Apparently my other two kittens are headed off to a pet store to try to get more people to see them and hopefully adopt them. So I hope they get more care there and find good homes quickly.

I could use some advice about my new kitten, Perrin. Before I took him to the shelter (2 days ago) he was just starting to get some diarrhea. I had changed his wet food (same brand, but chicken and salmon instead of chicken and tuna). I told the shelter about it, but I don’t think their vet looked at him. They had him on a different type of food then I did (even though I gave them extra of mine to keep it the same). So now that I have him back, I noticed he still has loose stool. I do have him back on chicken and tuna in an attempt to see if that’s better on his stomach, but don’t want to change it again on him and upset it more. His stool is greenish in color. He is acting great otherwise and I have an appointment for a checkup on Monday...any advice for the diarrhea? I am hoping it’s just from all the food change, but would like to get it cleared up quickly.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement everyone. It really does help to talk to people who understand my emotional struggle with this process. I don’t think I could do this again with this shelter, but maybe I’ll be able to find a better organization to help in the future.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think it is a good idea that you have put him back on the food you originally had him on - before you even made a change. He's been through a lot in the past few days, so with any luck in the next couple of days you'll see him normalize.

Good to have another vet check up after him being back in the city shelter!

Let us know if his stool returns to where it was before all these changes! Either way, keep us posted!

 

[Aj2015]

So far his stool is still diarrhea, not much change. Still hoping it improves over the weekend!
He is getting along wonderfully with my golden retriever though