Meet Claire
When Claire moved to Seattle from the East Coast last January, she found herself missing her childhood pets. To make lemonade from lemons, Claire decided to try something she’d always wanted to do: fostering kitties!
Not only has Claire been able to make new furry friends this way; she’s learned a lot of lessons in feline behavior and the value of patience.
Her Fostering Experience
Claire’s very first pair of foster cats were Milk and Cookies,* a brother and sister who were extremely snuggly with each other and a bit skeptical of everyone else (at least initially.)
“They needed space and time to adjust to my home,” Claire explains. “As badly as I wanted to hang out with them all the time, they needed my patience.”
Above: Milk and Cookies were Claire’s first foster kitties.
Even though Claire was still missing her family’s pets and wanting that closeness, she knew letting the kitties take things at their own pace was the best way to establish trust. So she gave them space, while still being sure to monitor them from a safe distance. (Cookies was recovering from eyelid surgery, so it was extra important to pay attention to his progress.)
Claire learned how to strike a balance between being watchful of her fosters and mindful of their social needs. Before long, both siblings were exploring their environment and approaching her for pets–though Cookies was more likely to sit still for pets than Milk, who preferred playing!
“It was so rewarding to see them slowly get more and more comfortable!” Claire reflects.
Claire faced a similar situation with her most recent foster, Picasso. Thanks to that first experience with Milk and Cookies, she knew exactly what to do.
“He came to me with a cone and stitches and he was understandably a little mopey,” she explains. “After plenty of treats, he warmed up to be a sweet, cuddly cat who I spent many nights on the couch with.”
Above: Picasso didn’t love his cone, but he adored couch time with Claire!
Advice For Future Fosters
Since she started fostering last year, Claire has taken in more longer-term cases: cats that spend time in foster care in order to overcome behavioral or medical challenges. Cats that started out less outgoing have transformed before her eyes, showing that every kitty has potential to blossom.
“I find it so fun to meet and get to know different cats,” she tells us. “It is so rewarding to see them open up after a week or two away from the shelter and see their different personalities.”
Though Claire had never fostered before coming to SAFe, she had no trouble transitioning into the responsibilities of a foster home. She’s a natural…but she’s also humble and would like to give credit to SAFe’s Foster Team for their help!
“SAFE makes the [fostering] process so smooth,” Claire says. “They are always there to answer your questions and provide support.”
Finally, Claire wants future foster families to know that even the bittersweet parts are still sweet.
“Even though saying goodbye is hard, the fostering experience is so worth it!”
Thank you, Claire, for providing a safe and welcoming space for cats to open up and be themselves. We are so lucky to count you among our fantastic fosters!
*Cookie’s name was changed to Cookies with an ‘s’ when arriving at SAFe’s Adoption Center.
