The Joy of Fostering

by Judy Kenniker, DRHS Volunteer

Judy with Johnny & Cash

After volunteering at the Humane Society for eight months I decided in September of 2008 to try fostering kittens. The experience brought me personal joy and satisfaction. My first two foster kittens were Meyers and Maggie. They were 6 weeks old when I brought them home. The Humane Society gave me a large dog crate to use for the “kids” house. I helped raised Meyers and Maggie for 4 weeks. Kittens are totally dependent on your care and love which is just like caring for human babies. It is so remarkable to see how fast they grow and gain weight, and what fun to hold the little bundles of fur and listen to them purr. There is some work to caring for these sweet things just as with any cats – keeping the litter clean, straightening up after them, and of course feeding 3 times a day. The food and all supplies were provided by the Humane Society, so all it costs to foster is a little time and a lot of love. It is also fun to follow their path after they go back to the Humane Society. When you take them back to the Shelter it is like taking the kids to college, and you have some tugs on your heart. However when you find out they have been adopted you feel like a proud parent who sees their children become successful.

Judy with June

I had the joy of fostering a second group of kittens. This time it was Johnny, Cash, and June (names are chosen by the staff at the Humane Society). These sweeties were 8 weeks old but needed to gain some weight before they would be ready for adoption. As these 3 began to gain some weight they became very active and lively. I let them mix with my cats (4). The two weeks I had them with me was over too fast, so I took them back to the Shelter. Cash and June were adopted right away. How proud I was. Johnny came up with the sniffles, so before he could be adopted he needed 10 days of medication. When he finished his meds, the Shelter staff took him for a visit to a Nursing Home. Unfortunately he scratched one of the ladies, so now he had to be quarantined for 10 days to be sure he did not have rabies. I asked if I could foster him for those 10 days, and I was given the privilege. Well my story ends by saying that Johnny was adopted – by me and my husband. He joined our household which already had four cats, but now we had five, and four of the group was adopted from the Humane Society. This is the only “down side” of fostering --- you fall in love too easily, and you want to keep them all. But don’t let that stop you from giving it a try. From May to September the Humane Society rescues many many kittens, and need help caring for them. That is when they look for people to foster the kittens to help prepare them for adoption. Give it a try it is a very satisfying experience.