cat fostering update

[Kazz]

Best of luck Tilly, hope all goes well you could become Smudgley No2.......

[smudgley]

smudgley2

Well Jac is right & she's only looking out for you & trying to warn you that you can be taken advantage of & for this (Jacs advice) you must be grateful. I know what it's like. I joined CP as a volunteer who wanted to have 2 foster pens. Within no time I was;
fostering in 4 pens
the lost & found contact
doing all the microchipping for the DY postcode area
the neutering Officer
& on the committee..........Which suits me, as it is what I love to do, but as Jac says, you need to know when to say no, as I have recently found out. I burnt myself out with it all & am now doing less fostering for the time being & have handed over the lost & found to another lady.

So what's involved............well, all rescues are different but I guess the basic cat care is pretty standard. However this is what happens with the rescue I help with.

.......A cat from the waiting list will come into the branch when a space is available. If the cat is coming to you, you may be required to collect the cat. Then a vet check & blood test are priority to be done. (Not all rescues do this) Then the cat is wormed / frontlined / neutered if needed & looked after until a suitable home is found. General day to day care, feeding, grooming & playtime / cuddles. Then the cat is rehomed & the next one comes along. Often on the same day.

What I find hard is.... the time to spend with, not only the care of the cats / trays / feeding etc, but also the time I have to spend with potential new owners & then the time spent with them when they come back to adopt their cat. I also have mountains of washing as I use vet beds & wash them often, there's all the litter & rubbish to dispose of, not to mention the scrubbing & discinfecting of pens / trays etc.

It doesn't cost me financially as all the food & litter is provided, but it does take up a lot of your time.

But if you have the time & you do it on your terms & what suits you then you will be fine.

Another thought. I don't like the idea of the cats in crates / kitten pens / dog cages - call them whatever, but I think they are too small for an adult cat. They are ok for a post op cat or for an emergency case as temporary housing, but not for a foster cat whilst in with the rescue, the cat could be in there for months.

[tilly]

all moving on nicely and should be up and running soon.

The lady was very nice and said to start slowly and see how I go.

more info when I have it

sally

[Fran]

This is great news Sally Bet you can't wait to get started now

[tilly]

Bet you can't wait to get started now

I can't I hope to be up and running soon. The lady is just getting everything I need sorted out. She is very supportive sounding. I am going to start with some easy to home cats without any problem then go on from there to find out what suits me best. ie am I better with nervous cats, young kitten, old cat Etc then the lady will send me those sorts of cats.
Sally

[Mags]

That's good news Sally, lots of good wishes to you..

[Kazz]

Brilliant news, best wishes to you.

[dandysmom]

It sounds really exciting, Sally, can hardly wait to read of your first cat/s......

[yola]

Sally, you've had some excellent advice here, the upshot of which is take it a step at a time and don't overdo it - I'm sure you'll be fine - as long as it's what you want to do you will make it work. You sound like a tenacious lady to me that just makes things happen

Look forward to hearing updates on how you get on

[Kay]

Well done Sally and the best of luck in this fantastic adventure. Can't wait to hear your news.

I too have reservations about the crates though. As Smudgley says not really pratical for what could be long term. Might be worth mentioning it too the rescue. After all if a breeder was too do that then rescues would be up in arms.

Not a critism on your part but the recues.