As some of you know, I take in an extra cat that needs a foster home from time to time, rotating them out as they are adopted or go to the pet store so people can see them. Here's a quick run-down of how the cats my wife and I have fostered (each in turn) have been doing;
- Beatrice: Bea was the first cat my wife and I took in last year, and she still hasn't found a home. She's been back and forth to a few places, but it's been difficult finding her a home. She's happy here for now, although she'll probably go back to the adoption center soon in the hopes that someone will find her charming.
- Hermes: Hermes was the first kitten that we took in, a playful little orange thing that very quickly found a home.
- Cole: As soon as Hermes was adopted, we got Cole for a few weeks. He'd scream for a taste of whatever I'd be eating, snuggle up on the side of my face at night, and seemed to like standing on my shoulders from time to time. Like Hermes, he was quickly adopted, too.
- Kit: After the kitten glut had passed, a fat adult tabby named Kit came to stay for a while. He was very afraid of people and ultimately had to be rushed to the vet as he had a urinary blockage, but he's fine now and has had several people ask to adopt him. I don't know if he has been yet or not, but being that he has special needs I hope he finds a good home.
- Wyatt: After Kit was taken off to the vet, Wyatt stayed at the apartment for a bit. He had an overbite that made him look a bit like a saber-tooth, but he was such a sweet cat that he was very quickly adopted.
Although I'm uncertain about Kit at the moment, Beatrice is the only cat we've taken in that hasn't found a home yet. This might just be the luck of the draw, but many of these animals were either going to be turned outside or killed if they did not have a place to go. There may be some more little fuzzballs here in the near future though; with warmer weather on its way, kitten season will soon be upon us.
Update: I forgot about one of the more recent cats that came to stay, a polydactyl cat named Little Foot. He was the one that ripped the r, t, and e keys off my laptop (before it was stolen) and he would latch on to "toys on a string," pulling on them and growling like a dog, but he was a fun cat to keep for a bit. He's at the adoption center now, waiting for a good home.
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Wow, kudos to you for taking care of cats and kittens that people just dump off.
Impressive, and good for you.
Don't let Beatrice's slow rate discourage you - i personally had two fosters for a year before one was adopted, and the second shier girl took another 6 months in another shelter after that. These things take time. But kudos for the good work :)
That's great that you're able to do this. We got our first cat on purpose, found the second as a kitten and failed to give him away, and then found the third a year ago and failed to give her away even after she bit me.
She has integrated pretty well (although still separated when we're gone for long--plays very rough) but we found out when we got her that bringing in other cats is not going to work because our second cat, who is very sweet but hates strange cats, started getting FLUTD flare-ups when stressed. That's become a big source of anxiety whenever we travel, unfortunately.
HERMES! I loved that little guy...that picture of him tucked between your elbow and body....his little belly sticking up. Oh, man, what a cutie.
I'd take Bea if I were a hundred miles away and didn't already have 3 of the little fuzzballs.
This is a really wonderful thing that you do. By the way, I am a cat, and Id like to tell you (and your scientist friends) that Ive written a scathingly funny book, The World Is Your Litter Box, which will be out May 6th. The book is cleverly disguised as a cute cat book so humans will buy it, but is, in fact, a how-to manual FOR cats. Check it out on my website, www.theworldisyourlitterbox.com.
Nibbler and I thank you for your good deeds towards his kind. I found my kitty amongst ferals. Thanks also to my local feral guardian (food, TNR, rain or shine).