I usually try not to post from work because I respect my employer.
However...my shelter, Washington Humane Society, just took in 20 cats from an eviction. It's kitten season and we just got 20 more cats. We're open access, not no kill. Do you start to guess why I'm breaking my "don't post during work hours" rule?
WHS is looking for short-term fosters asap. You would not be fostering one of the new 20, we're holding those in the shelter for 7 days before even considering putting them in foster care. You'd have one of the 20 we need to move from the shelter to make room for those new cats. I love my shelter for being open access and for trying to desperately hard to find fosters when situations get tight like this.
Here is their blog entry about it: http://washhumane.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/feline-fosters-needed-asap.html
The coordinator has said that she's willing to "deputize" fosters because the need is so great right now. Please, if you're in the area and aren't already fostering, think about it. If you're unable to take any in (fostering, out of area, allergic, I respect your reasons), talk to your friends in the DC area, please. I can't take any with Toby still healing (vet said one reason for his thing might have been stress, like one commenter said) and Keen the way he is and it being a studio apartment but I have to at least go and ask people for help.
I'm certain that enough foster homes can be found if people just keep passing the word.
Showing posts with label foster cat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foster cat. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Meet Keen
I was home sick today and lucky enough to observe Keen actually playing with a toy in he sunlight. He also sat next to my laptop while I did my work. I think he's finally coming around :)
Senior foster cat relaxing and playing in the sunlight--totally worth a small stomach bug
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Happy Ending
Arthur and Guenvere found a fabulous furever home :) They're going there tonight and a coworker was awesome enough to offer to drive me up to say goodbye during our lunchbreak. So grateful to DeDe. Seriously, good coworkers are everything.
Arthur and Guenevere were purring and cuddly. Arthur licked my forehead and hand before grabbing my head with his paws to groom it. I actually feel right about this. They're going where they are supposed to be. They'll be fussed over and loved and the center of two gentlemen's world. That's amazing and wonderful.
Thank you to everyone who sent vibes or prayers for them to find a furever home fast. They'll be going home tonight with their tube, bunny ears, and a firm foundation of love. I'm so happy for them.
Also, I did ask for a request for photos to be passed on to the adopters. If I get any I'll post them here so you all can celebrate their fantabulous new life, too!
Also, a thank you to the Washington Humane Society shelter staff for being so awesome and helping me and for being such great caregivers and finding these kitties their perfect home.
Arthur and Guenevere were purring and cuddly. Arthur licked my forehead and hand before grabbing my head with his paws to groom it. I actually feel right about this. They're going where they are supposed to be. They'll be fussed over and loved and the center of two gentlemen's world. That's amazing and wonderful.
Thank you to everyone who sent vibes or prayers for them to find a furever home fast. They'll be going home tonight with their tube, bunny ears, and a firm foundation of love. I'm so happy for them.
Also, I did ask for a request for photos to be passed on to the adopters. If I get any I'll post them here so you all can celebrate their fantabulous new life, too!
Also, a thank you to the Washington Humane Society shelter staff for being so awesome and helping me and for being such great caregivers and finding these kitties their perfect home.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
It Hurts. You Deal.
Keen, a 15 year old gray male cat, was depressed and in desperate need of a foster home. Arthur and Guenevere were playful, sweet, and happy at my apartment but not meeting enough people to get adopted. The logical choice was to agree to exchange the kittens for Keen. It was the right choice but it was the most difficult choice I've made in my 25 years of living. I love those 8 month old cuddle-monster cats. Love them. I've raised them since June to be comfortable with people, unafraid, happy, and healthy. My maternal instincts were poured into them.
People ask me again and again how I can volunteer at an animal shelter or how I can foster. They ask "doesn't it hurt?" as though that's a reason not to do something good. Yes, it hurts. Jarrod can attest to how much I've cried since making the decision and giving up Arthur and Guenevere. I've felt a physical pain in my chest that I'm certain is the guilt I feel over the kittens being in the shelter right now. I haven't gotten a full night sleep the past few days because I read until I pass out because I can't stand the quiet worry that creeps in at night.
Fostering and volunteering with animals pulls your heartstrings, makes you wonder if you can take anymore, makes you curse people for what they do to their animals, makes you curse your income for not allowing you to take them all, and yeah, fostering and volunteering at a shelter brings you pain and makes you cry.
"But pain... seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?"
Lois McMaster Bujold, "Barrayar", 1991
That's one of my favorite quotes. I was an epeeist in college and my coach told me to not be afraid of getting hit. You'll get hit, but you need to deal and decide what's more important--pain or doing good. I know that I do good when I foster, when I give attention to a sad and lonely animal, when I exercise a dog who is so excited to leave her cage she jumps for ten minutes, when I play with a bored rabbit whose owner won him at a fair and didn't realize he needed stimulation and love. I did good by bringing home Keen for some foster love. I'm hurting right now. There's a lot of pain.
But, pain is an insufficient reason to not try to help an animal. If you don't get your heart pulled by that animal, some person will screw you over or you'll do something stupid that causes physical pain. We will all experience pain in life. I want my pain to have meaning. I want my pain to come from doing the right things and making the tough choices. Bring it. I'll cry, but I'll deal and go back to doing the right thing again. Saving a life is glorious enough to be worth this pain.
People ask me again and again how I can volunteer at an animal shelter or how I can foster. They ask "doesn't it hurt?" as though that's a reason not to do something good. Yes, it hurts. Jarrod can attest to how much I've cried since making the decision and giving up Arthur and Guenevere. I've felt a physical pain in my chest that I'm certain is the guilt I feel over the kittens being in the shelter right now. I haven't gotten a full night sleep the past few days because I read until I pass out because I can't stand the quiet worry that creeps in at night.
Fostering and volunteering with animals pulls your heartstrings, makes you wonder if you can take anymore, makes you curse people for what they do to their animals, makes you curse your income for not allowing you to take them all, and yeah, fostering and volunteering at a shelter brings you pain and makes you cry.
"But pain... seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?"
Lois McMaster Bujold, "Barrayar", 1991
That's one of my favorite quotes. I was an epeeist in college and my coach told me to not be afraid of getting hit. You'll get hit, but you need to deal and decide what's more important--pain or doing good. I know that I do good when I foster, when I give attention to a sad and lonely animal, when I exercise a dog who is so excited to leave her cage she jumps for ten minutes, when I play with a bored rabbit whose owner won him at a fair and didn't realize he needed stimulation and love. I did good by bringing home Keen for some foster love. I'm hurting right now. There's a lot of pain.
But, pain is an insufficient reason to not try to help an animal. If you don't get your heart pulled by that animal, some person will screw you over or you'll do something stupid that causes physical pain. We will all experience pain in life. I want my pain to have meaning. I want my pain to come from doing the right things and making the tough choices. Bring it. I'll cry, but I'll deal and go back to doing the right thing again. Saving a life is glorious enough to be worth this pain.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
LeCat is a Lap Cat
I picked up my new foster cat, LeCat, last night and he is a cuddler! I'm keeping him in the bathroom for the quaruntine period and he is already trying to break free.
I have a routine when introducing a new cat to my home where I bring the carrier into the bathroom, close the door on curious Toby, and sit on the floor with the carrier open. I prefer to let the cat decide when to come out of the carrier and when to say hi to me. LeCat quickly climbed out of the carrier and began exploring. He found his litter box, drank some water, sniffed the garbage (thankfully didn't tear it apart because it's full of allergy tissues), and then proceeded to explore the new human who was sitting and watching him. I had my back to the door and my legs curled up to take up as little space as possible (it's a tiny bathroom) and he started sniffing next to me and trying to push behind the small of my back. Within a few moments he had climbed into my lap and was head butting for pets with a noticible happy purr. LeCat's eyes were half closed and his body relaxed. I stayed in there for about 30 minutes and was reluctant to leave when I did but my dinner was knocking on my door and I knew Toby needed to see me. Toby had meowed at the door a little in confusion.
I went back to visit with LeCat a few times before I turned in and he was delightfully cuddly every time. Surprisingly so when I sat down to brush my hair and he jumped into my lap! I'll need to give him some good brushings because he's still shedding a lot from shelter nerves, but his coat is lovely and soft. He's mostly a grey and white tabby but the fur is tinged with dark brown on the tips and the stripes on his tail are almost black instead of white. A good pile of his fur is now in my garbage and more scattered around the bathroom tile. Once he calms down he won't shed as much, but last night hair was coming up with almost every pat.
When I left the shelter with LeCat, our coordinator said thank you and joked that I'm their "Pathetic Cat Lady." She then stopped, realized how it could be misconstrued, and started explaining "Not that you're pathetic, you just do so well with the more pathetic cats." I laughed and assured her that I'd understood. The thing is, yes, Nikolai's story was sad and pathetic, and having a 14 year old cat end up in a shelter is awful. But these are the cats who need love and patience to show their incredible natures. LeCat seems like he'll be pretty easy once I get Toby not to be jealous (he had his jealous stance last night every time I came out of the bathroom). For a 14 year old, he's still beautiful and quite affectionate. I don't understand how he came to be in the shelter, but I'm so happy I can share my home with him until his forever home arrives.
Let me know if you're interested and please, pass the word to any friends who want an easy going, super affectionate little cat. I'll try to post a photo by the week's end. I thought about it last night when he was being cute, but figured a flash photograph on his first night might be a bit much.
I have a routine when introducing a new cat to my home where I bring the carrier into the bathroom, close the door on curious Toby, and sit on the floor with the carrier open. I prefer to let the cat decide when to come out of the carrier and when to say hi to me. LeCat quickly climbed out of the carrier and began exploring. He found his litter box, drank some water, sniffed the garbage (thankfully didn't tear it apart because it's full of allergy tissues), and then proceeded to explore the new human who was sitting and watching him. I had my back to the door and my legs curled up to take up as little space as possible (it's a tiny bathroom) and he started sniffing next to me and trying to push behind the small of my back. Within a few moments he had climbed into my lap and was head butting for pets with a noticible happy purr. LeCat's eyes were half closed and his body relaxed. I stayed in there for about 30 minutes and was reluctant to leave when I did but my dinner was knocking on my door and I knew Toby needed to see me. Toby had meowed at the door a little in confusion.
I went back to visit with LeCat a few times before I turned in and he was delightfully cuddly every time. Surprisingly so when I sat down to brush my hair and he jumped into my lap! I'll need to give him some good brushings because he's still shedding a lot from shelter nerves, but his coat is lovely and soft. He's mostly a grey and white tabby but the fur is tinged with dark brown on the tips and the stripes on his tail are almost black instead of white. A good pile of his fur is now in my garbage and more scattered around the bathroom tile. Once he calms down he won't shed as much, but last night hair was coming up with almost every pat.
When I left the shelter with LeCat, our coordinator said thank you and joked that I'm their "Pathetic Cat Lady." She then stopped, realized how it could be misconstrued, and started explaining "Not that you're pathetic, you just do so well with the more pathetic cats." I laughed and assured her that I'd understood. The thing is, yes, Nikolai's story was sad and pathetic, and having a 14 year old cat end up in a shelter is awful. But these are the cats who need love and patience to show their incredible natures. LeCat seems like he'll be pretty easy once I get Toby not to be jealous (he had his jealous stance last night every time I came out of the bathroom). For a 14 year old, he's still beautiful and quite affectionate. I don't understand how he came to be in the shelter, but I'm so happy I can share my home with him until his forever home arrives.
Let me know if you're interested and please, pass the word to any friends who want an easy going, super affectionate little cat. I'll try to post a photo by the week's end. I thought about it last night when he was being cute, but figured a flash photograph on his first night might be a bit much.
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