We hear this a lot... Save A Life Foster, Adopt Don't Shop
But what does it actually mean?
Foster: is a temporary commitment to a rescue/shelter organization to house a domesticated animal or some consider exotic until they are ready to be placed into a furever home.
Depending where you live I'm only going to give an example from San Antonio since not everyone functions the same way. In the streets of San Antonio, Texas. There are numerous strays reproducing by dumping, theft or simply they bolted out the door before getting fixed. There are cats and kittens showing up on Facebook, Nextdoor and the unfortunate website Craigslist. On the side for cats we rarely see who is getting posted for aid, let's say they went to Animal Care Services and they have a very limited time frame to get out into a foster home depending on the age of the feline or adopted out.
When you foster a feline into a home you are giving permission for that animal that you promised to care for a temporary shelter from the kill shelter where they develop anxiety, depression, may carry an illness that needs to be quarantined for x amount of days. That feline knows nothing about you, your home or whoever lives in your home. All they know is that they are in a strange environment that is too quiet for some or too loud depending on the residence. They had placement in a shelter where the kennels are cold because they are metal containment cubes to ensure the feline is being monitored for their wellness and they sit in a litter box so they can develop a scent saying this is my safe place I'm going to make it my safe spot until I know its safe to move.
If that foster is pregnant here's the unfortunate part on their end. They can't consent to any medical procedures they can't say yes terminate my babies. The only consent they had, if any by a tom that had a one night stand. Depending who is in charge of that cat they will abort those unborn kittens because Texas has a high stray problem, the heat lasts a long time so it gives the animals a longer time to go out and explore and meet with a one time date. And those unborn kittens depending on the facility that does it, will remove them through the spay surgery and not allow humane treatment to let them sleep instead they gasp for air when their lungs are not fully developed. Since it's a spay surgery they are never counted on their list for who was euthanized due to space or funding issues because they are under the age of 8 weeks.
The photo that I have placed for this blog is a family that I decided to get all the way from Comfort, Texas a very country area that doesn't have the same resources that San Antonio, Texas have. That family could've been euthanized because 'she' Momma Thistle was an unowned cat carrying an unknown number of kittens at the time. This family was cared for in my home and the day after Thistle was picked up and welcomed into my home she gave birth the next day. Her birth to me was considered unnatural.
This is Thistle giving birth to North.
This was an image I found online so you can see what I mean.
I can't really call it standard for describing the birth process but in Thistles case her sacs were clear not a healthy red placenta that should've come out so she could eat it. Yes cats eat their placenta to regain all the natural nutrition they need so they can feed their babies. Thistle had absolutely nothing to give her family what she needed. I tried giving her a high calorie wet food diet so she can make her milk healthy but it just made her stomach sick she could only eat dry food with some probiotics mixed in. These kittens took longer to develop their milestones since their mom came into my care late they were missing out on healthy calories, and nutrition to develop their sight, their smell for who is mom and who isn't, they eventually were able to eat wet food but momma had to be separated if their guts were sick she would get sick from cleaning them like she should. These kittens were weaned at 5 weeks for their safety and their mom's safety. Thistle went to a different foster home so she could get treated, and then spayed like she should've been before the previous owner dumped her for failure to spay into a home that had a huge backyard with livestock and colony cats that welcomed her like other stray cats do into a fight saying you're not my friend get out of my home. I didn't have to take my Saturday to go into maybe 2hr drive it felt like 2hrs, just to get her out of that situation and make sure her babies had a healthy start.
And those babies did have a better start, they didn't stay outside fending to thrive away from other cats, and livestock but when there are numerous animals living in a field of property with grass insects live there too they could've had ticks, fleas including flies eating off their body and they wouldn't have thrived to see another day. Their mother would've ran away for becoming a first time not knowing what to do other than seeing 3 screaming babies out of her body, maybe come back after realizing oh I'm a mom I have to feed them. Thistle instead was in a foster home crated for her safety and those babies where she could attend to them like she should without the worry of someone or something killing her babies.
Fostering does save lives either with an shelter/rescue or someone decided to call you for help asking what to do this. When you are with a rescue/shelter they provide all the things needed to make sure that foster thrives with fresh food/clean water, litter, gets vetted such as vaccinations/spay or neuter/snap test (FeLV/FIV)/microchip before going into a adopted home. While being independent you are fully responsible for their welfare, getting them fresh food/water, litter box cleaned, you have to schedule their vaccinations, and alteration before they go to a new home. Here's one thing that both have in common financial stress if a feline gets sick both are responsible to get them to a vet. And here's some of the best parts they get to live to see another day.
Thistle went to a adoption program from a different rescue. North was adopted with a separate litter mate. I still have Rosie and Sky my co-dependent fosters. Thistle had a snap test done to ensure her and those kittens were healthy. And they are, her snap test came back all negative despite being in a strange environment before coming to my home.
I originally spelled Rosie's name as Rosy which is a color off a palette Rosy Brown same for Thistle, North Star and Skylight. But her paperwork says Rosie.
Everyone who fosters will always have a different story of who comes into their home. Again fostering does save lives, it will change your perspective over time we can only do so much with what we have. I can't change the past for the ones who were euthanized back in 2020 report by Best Friends Animal Society the 1,029 cats. I don't even know who was carrying kittens because they are never counted on the official report that gets sent to the City of San Antonio to determine their budget. The only thing that will change is the actions of people getting their pets fixed like they should've instead of the oh my cat had babies gotta get rid of them but keep the mom or toss the whole family. It does happen that trend needs to stop it's not going to change overnight because look how far society wise has come and it's going to take more time to get to the right direction.
There was a protest on November 21, 2021 for Stop The Killing this was a dog protest nothing about Cat welfare. We don't get the same report at all. We will never know who was euthanized or who made it out. Our cats lives matter too, they need their voice to be heard as well. I won't know until January 2022 for the 2021 report. Cats get left behind because they're not seen as a man's best friend some live outside without being seen. They're our companions, our spoiled murder mittens, our 3am sprinters. They deserve to live out their lives instead of being pushed back with the saying 'It's just a cat".
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