The Foster Experiment (completed)

Winnie, Warhol, Willow and Wembley

The Foster Experiment

Spencer was our first foster dog.

Fostering was something we had talked about doing for ages, but we just didn’t know how the cats would react. (The cats being: Morgan, the emerald eyed brown tabby who would go toe to toe with anyone, and Tito, the mellow, longhaired hunter cat. There was Grace, the insecure Grey/White sweetheart that the boys loved to pick on, Sara, the tiny-headed dilute torti that had brought so much joy into the house, and finally, Simon, the spooky siamese without a voice (thank goodness for that!))

Of course, we didn’t know if Spencer, our grumpy old spaniel, would be okay with us bringing more animals into the house either, but judging by the way he was with the cats, he’d be okay, as long as they stayed away from his treats/food.

Finally we decided to stop talking about it, and just do it.

The first time we tried fostering, we took home two sweet little white mice, and they died.

The cats (Sara in particular), were devastated.

It was tough on us too.

The second time, we took in two white rats that were very outgoing, and the cats and Spencer totally dug them. 

Unfortunately my allergies did not, and my eyes were red, swollen and itchy all the time. The more they itched, the more I scratched, and I sneezed for days on end.

Though we didn’t want to do it, we brought the rats back to the shelter, and they were sent to a Pet Shop where they were adopted the next day.

Bubba and BC

That was exciting, a rush, and it whetted our appetite to try something larger than a small animal.

When I was asked to foster an adorable tiny grey tabby kitten, I said we could do it, but only for one night.

He was so sweet, and cute, and Spencer loved him, and if I hadn’t brought him back the next day, he would have stayed forever.

We called him Bubba.

During the short time Bubba was around, we were able to gauge how receptive the cats were to a kitten. They just ignored him, which we took as a ‘good enough’ sign.

After that, we were ready to try it “for real”.

There was a posting on facebook from Ladybird Animal Sanctuary (an amazing charity we love supporting), that said they were looking for a foster home for a mom, and her five kittens. The cats were in a high kill shelter, and because they were black, they had 24 hours to live.

This was literally a life and death decision, and after a quick discussion on the matter, we agreed to take them on. We contacted Lisa at LAS, and she brought them over that night.

In one night we doubled the pet population in the house from 6 to 12, and the litter box count jumped to 8.

It was at this point that we found ourselves saying: “What did we just do?!”

We set them up in the small bedroom in the basement. 

In it was: a big brown condo, two large cat beds, and the litter boxes.

And they trashed the place in minutes.

Poop on the floor, on the walls, on the bed.

Water was spilled every where, litter was scattered about, and screaming black kittens climbed us like trees. 

Sharp nailed, and uncoordinated, the kittens clung to us, and held their balance by stabbing us in the flesh.

Then came time to lock them in the Foster Room.

One-at-a-time, BC and I would try to squeeze out the door as a skinny Mama Cat, and her teeny babies tried to get out.

“Another one got out!”

“I know, I’m still trying to catch this one!”

“Where did the other one go!”

“Which other one?”

“How many did we get?”

“I can’t remember.”

“How many are in the room now?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Why did we do this?!”

“I can’t remember.”

When friends came to visit the fosters while we were off in Vegas for the 2012 No More Homeless Pets Conference, they said there was literally: “An explosion of kittens when we opened the door.”

Eager to come out, less so to go back in.

Our resident cats knew what was going on, but their behavior didn’t change much.

Sara and Spencer, as per usual, were glued to us every time we went in the basement for a visit.

Sara was a little nervous, but Spencer hung out on the other side of the x-pen, and tolerated pretty well, their stabbing little claws.

Part of the fun of fostering, I have always thought, was that you got to name them.

Lisa asked that we use the same letter for all of them, because it makes it easier to know which litter they are from.

We bounced around name ideas, and ended up with the names:

Wendy - A skinny Mama, but so affectionate and friendly and always happy to see anyone. She raised some amazing kitties.

Winter - Exactly like her mother, only smaller.

Willow - Original name: “Little Girl”, because she was so small and sickly, but we worked hard to bring her back to health, and she has flourished ever since.

Winnie - She was the original “Favorite”, (if such a thing does exist), outgoing, friendly and affectionate, we secretly hoped no one would pick her. She went quickly.

Warhol - For the longest time we thought he was Willow, though in personality, they were very different. Engaging, playful and cuddly, we knew that he would fit in anywhere. And he did.

Wembley - Nicknamed the “Big One”, because he was bigger then Sara, at 3 months. A big eater, and big time into playing, he was less social with humans, but boy did he love his siblings. He grew into an unforgettable cat.

Morgan the mighty.

Once we got into the groove of having fosters in the house (see: getting up earlier, cleaning more litter boxes, then fighting to get the fosters back into the room, before feeding the resident cats and then walking the Spencer), this was of course a perfect time for Morgan to get sick.

Very sick.

Bladder stones, an extremely evasive surgery, and an over-the-top vet bill that was worth every penny, because he is still here, living the high life.

But at the time, it was stressful beyond belief.

What we would have loved to do at this time, would have been to clear the fosters out of the house so Morgan could recover in a quiet, pest-less house.

Ladybird Animal Sanctuary rescues animals from high-kill shelters, and puts them into loving foster homes (like ours), but doesn’t have a sanctuary, yet.

This meant there was no place to send the fosters, realistically, and at the time there was little demand for black kittens.

We posted all the kittens info on the blog, and blitzed facebook.

Then, thankfully Lisa contacted us with news that an application had come in.

Again, because there is no actually sanctuary, the people would have to come to our house to visit, but Lisa would be there too.

We liked that we could stop it from happening if we had a bad feeling about the people.

Turned out, the family was awesome! 

Fred, Melanie and their amazing kids (youth ambassadors for LAS), were looking for two kittens, and spent a lot of time cuddling and playing with them. We could tell right away that they were great with animals.

We really liked them, and when they came back to us with news that they wanted Mama Wendy, and sweet little Winter, we couldn’t have been happier.

Last we heard, was that when the kids were sick with the flu, Lilo aka Winter, and Mama spent the whole time in bed with them, keeping them company.

Brought tears to our eyes.

But then again, tears became a big part of the process.

Wendy is loving life.

Yes, we felt relieved every time another one found a loving home, but we also grew very attached.

And though we were getting a lot of preliminary interest for the remaining kittens, nothing was really panning out like we hoped.

And what was worse was that a cat-flu started working it’s way through the house, and no one was immune, not even Grace, who is never sick.

And as worried as we were for “our” cats, we were even more worried for the fosters, they were small, motherless, and always had a runny eye, or bum.

We had tried so hard to not transmit disease between the house cats and the fosters, but it is impossible to do. There is no “right” way to foster, though doing it with love and cuddles is a good way to start. And a good way to spread disease as well.

So, In an attempt to drum up more interest, and get them out, we made the video “The ABC’s Of Fostering Black Kittens”, and it attracted a lot of interest. Way more then we ever could have expected, and became our most viewed video to date.

The next one to go was Warhol, and this came thankfully quick, as he was very special, and I was very attached.

I never met the people who took him home, but they wrote us and told us he was doing great with their kids and their other cats, (just like we knew he would), so that is good news.

Next up, came Winnie’s turn.

Winnie aka “The Favorite” was so cute, and though we loved her to pieces, she went to one of BC’s co-workers, and hit the jackpot of forever homes. Winnie’s name is now “Indy”, and is doing fantastic, and is very loved.

Now, all that was left was Wembley and Willow.

At this point, the best way to describe them, was as: “Terrors”.

Wembely only wanted to eat, and to play, and Willow was still very aggressive if you handled her.

The good news was that they were very attached to each other, and could keep themselves busy wrestling and nestling, so everyone pretty much ignored them.

And because there was only two of them, they had a lot more of our attention, and Wembley, in particular, became more affectionate and social. He would sleep with us while we watched TV.

We started getting too attached, as you would expect, and were happy as hell when a super nice family, with a very well behaved child, came to take him away.

He is doing great, and is loved beyond belief.

Now with 5/6 in happy and loving new homes, we kept telling people how “lucky” we were that Willow was the last one, because she had been the least friendly, and we weren’t very attached.

We just hoped that she could be good long enough, to make someone think she was nicer than she was, and get her out.

Then, a funny thing happened.

We fell in love with her.

With Wembley finally gone, she blossomed, and became so loving, and cuddly, and would be the first to greet you when you came home, or when you woke up.

BC decided we should keep her.

"Indie" aka Winnie, with her new friend

I was tempted, of course, I loved them all, but my feeling was, that if we couldn’t let them all go, we couldn’t foster again, because we couldn’t be trusted to not keep one every time, and then become one of “those” people.

Aka, crazy cat people.

(Too late for that, I fear).

Finally, a great application came in for Willow, and it was real tough.

Because we loved her so much, and because she fit perfectly with the rest of the crew, (even with Spencer), we didn’t want to give her up.

But we had too.

Or did we?!

Prior to Willow leaving, there were tears.

And after she left, there were many, many more.

Somewhere between heartbreaking and heart-wrenching, it was very, very tough. But we were confident that she went to an amazing and loving home, and will live out her life spoiled rotten.

What did we learn from our fostering experience?

First off, we took too many cats. 6 was too much, and was way more work than we had originally thought.

Next time, we’ll take less.

Secondly, we were so worried about how the cats and Spencer would react to having fosters around, but other than the colds, they did better than we could have ever expected.

Now we know, and it is so comforting that our animals love and trust us so much.

When Morgan got sick, it was hard that we couldn’t clear the kittens out, but we believe that fostering through Ladybird Animal Sanctuary had a lot of benefits to it.

Being a part of the process, and knowing that you could pull the plug if you didn’t like the people, was a huge relief, especially as the kittens stayed on longer, and we became increasingly more attached.

The use of social media in helping these amazing animals find their homes was so important, and worked so well.

We are so grateful for everyone’s support during the process, and for helping spread the word.

And to our families, our friends, and all the people who gave these wonderful kittens a second chance at life, thank you for your love and support.

We will definitely foster again, through LAS and OMHS, CARE, and any of our other favorites rescues.

And we will continue to support animals in need, in any way possible.

Note: If you’ve never given fostering a try, maybe it’s time you did. It was so rewarding, and powerful, and you will feel fulfilled, and more ambitious.
And, you'll make the world a better place.
Try it today!

The Compassion Experiment

February 4, 2013

Updates:

Willow!

"Hi there!

The ride home was a breeze. I kept her in the carrier on my lap and talked to her and pet her the whole way. She never complained or wimpered... she's a brave little girl!

When we got home I first introduced her to our Husky, Blue. He seemed to take to her right away and gave her a big kiss on the nose. She's still a little unsure, probably because he's so big, but I see them really getting on well.

The biggest challenge was explaining this little girl to Manny, my other cat. Last night he was kind of upset and 'yelled' at her a couple of times, as to be expected, but today he's done a complete about face. Now he just follows her everywhere and sniffs her toys... and eats her food!  I'm so hopeful that these two will bond... for now I'll let them take their time and go at their own pace.

Willow has been a dream to have around. Last night I brought her up to my bedroom and set up some food and water and put her litter box just outside the door, and a bed similar to the one Beth had up on my bed, which she claimed as hers right away. I wanted her to feel she had a safe place for the first little while until she gets totally comfy and confident with her new home. This morning I was so proud of her because she had a huge poop. How rediculous is that!:  : )

She has done remarkably well. She's had a very busy day today playing with just about everything that isn't attached and has been sleeping for a couple of hours now. I expect it's going to be an active night for her... and me!  ;-)

I just love her and feel so blessed to have her here. She's such a sweet, playful little girl, and very smart too! Her foster parents are to be commended for such a wonderful job they did... please let them know how thankful we are. I'll keep you posted on how she does and plan on sending lots of pictures too.

Thank you so much for this sweet little girl. She's going to make a wonderful addition to our home!"

Winnie!

"When we got home, I let her out of the carrier and she skulked around exploring for a bit. But I would say within an hour, she was walking around like she owned the place! Honestly, she adjusted so quickly, I was very (pleasantly) surprised! Her first night, we left the bedroom door open and she hardly bothered us at all (my boyfriend is staying with me until the end of December when he gets his new place in Toronto). Saturday night, my boyfriend actually threw me a surprise birthday party and we had 20 people in the house. She was right in the middle of it all! She spent the night chasing balloons and decorations around the house and seemed to be loving all the attention from everyone. She even seemed to like my 18 month old nephew. All of my friends were so impressed that she was such a party animal! I had several volunteers for cat sitting if needed already J

She typically just does whatever we are doing, so if we are on the couch watching TV and relaxing, that is what she is doing. If we are up and about in the kitchen, that is where she wants to be. If we are in bed for the night, so is she. She is a very social animal and I just love her already! And so far, she seems to have no interest in running out the door. I’m always watching for that, but even with people going in and out at the party, she never once tried to “escape.”

So things are going very well, pictures will follow shortly (I just loaded some on my other laptop last night!)"

Warhol!

"Warholis doing really well. He is setup in the spare room with blankets, litter box, food and water. He has a plush ladybird pillow pet that he likes to sleep on. He has also taken to playing with a plush bunny.
The kids adore him but then again it is pretty hard not to. :). Our adult cats are interested. The torti has a kind of non-chalance to the whole thing, you can almost see her rolling her eyes as she walks by the spare room,   whereas Beta is more interested in what's going on. 

When it was time for bed Warhol meowed a little bit then quieted down for the night.
Thank you again for making the adoption happen. Warhol is awesome
Will keep in touch and send pictures soon,
Blessings."

Winter (Lilo) and Wendy!
"The cats have settled in very well. They have the studio/computer room as their main spot and they've been exploring the house comfortably for the last 24 hours. Still a little cautious around the dog but far better tonight. You are right they are really wonderful. Affectionate and playful but most of all really friendly and serene personalities."

Wembley!

"So far so good! Wembley is the most affectionate cat I've ever met.
When he isn't right on top of one of us, he is lounging beside us revving like a purr machine. He loves the kids, sleeping on the keyboard as people are typing, sleeping on us, and playing. 
He has mostly been living in our office/family area as this is where we spend most of our time and we've brought Widget in for visits a couple times. 
Right now Widget (mostly) and Wembley hiss a little at each other if brought in close proximity and otherwise just keep an eye out for each other. We have been taking the introduction really slow and there really isn't any aggression so I suspect a little time/exposure will sort it out.
Attached two pics we took his first day here.

All the best."

Wembley in his new home.