November 2025
This extra special, Thanksgiving edition of Foster of the Month has some exciting news about developments in our foster program, plus a sneak preview of one of our Giving Tuesday feature cats! We encourage you to read to the end for the full scoop!
Meet Karien
Though Karien is a longtime animal lover and pet keeper, fostering is a new experience for her. In fact, she only just joined SAFe’s foster team in March!
“I had thought about fostering over the last few years,” she explains, “But I wasn’t sure how my resident pets would react. After my sick cat passed away, it seemed like the time was right.”
Eight months since registering as a foster home, Karien knows she made the right call.
“Not only is it rewarding to see a sick kitten heal, but watching kittens play is better than any reality TV show!” She says. “Watching them be silly and cuddling with them is my favorite part of fostering.”
She adds: “The hardest part is saying goodbye…so I always try to remember that I’m just borrowing them!”
Early Cases
After finding success raising two litters of foster kittens in the spring, Karien faced her first big challenge in July.
Above: Kittens Gus, Rocco, and Cally get comfy and cozy with Karien, their foster mom! This trio was one of Karien’s first foster litters.
One-month-old Nixie was bright and playful, but she struggled to keep down food. Her healthy appetite and high energy indicated that her digestive issues stemmed from stress rather than medical causes. And while her symptoms could be managed with probiotics and medicine, getting to the root of Nixie’s GI trouble meant finding a way to manage her anxiety.
At first, Nixie responded to her foster placement by yelling, especially at night–a telltale sign of separation anxiety. Karien worked with SAFe’s Foster Manager, Michelle, to develop coping strategies for Nixie, showing her that she was safe even if she wasn’t getting attention 24/7.
Left photo: Nixie strikes a pose. Right photo: Nixie gets affectionate with her bestie, Josie.
“Karien had never fostered before she started with SAFe, but we soon discovered she had quite a bit of cat savvy,” says Michelle. “Even more important, she is great at asking questions, taking coaching, and then applying it effectively. She is open to trying things and learning and has provided such wonderful care for our kitties this year.”
These traits led Karien to be selected for a particularly special case.
Pip’s Tale
Pip arrived at SAFe Rescue in March. He was a little over one year old–technically an adult–but he was closer in size to an adolescent kitten. Similar to Nixie, his digestive problems puzzled SAFe’s care team. But unlike Nixie, Pip’s behavior didn’t indicate stress. Nor was he particularly lethargic, as is common when cats have tummy trouble. Blood tests, x-rays, and fecal tests failed to give a clear answer.
Cats that display medical symptoms while in care are sent home with a waiver at adoption. This waiver contains details of their symptoms, what has been done so far, and expectations of follow-up care. Without a solid diagnosis for such a waiver, our team was hesitant to put Pip on the Adoption Floor.
Unique problems call for unique solutions. Pip deserved a stable home environment, but he would also need frequent medical checks. After much discussion, SAFe decided to introduce a pilot program to meet both needs: “fospice.”
Left photo: Pip prepares for another round of X-Rays. Right photo: Pip gets snuggly!
Fospice: A Different Kind of Fostering
What is fospice? A combination of the words “foster” and “hospice,” “fospice” refers to longer-term foster care for special cases like Pip. In some ways, fospice is effectively a form of adoption, as the foster kitty is fully integrated into the home (as opposed to being fostered in a separate area of the house).
However, unlike a formal adoption where ownership is transferred, fospice animals remain legally within the care of SAFe Rescue. So while the cat lives offsite, the Rescue continues to provide and pay for its food, resources, and medical needs. This ensures consistency of care, while ultimately putting SAFe Rescue in charge of major medical decisions based on established health history.
Karien’s excellent track record made her the perfect candidate for the maiden voyage of the fospice program. Early in September, Pip went home with Karien to start their new life together. So far, things have been going great!
“Fospice is quite different because it involves fully incorporating Pip into our home and family,” Karien explains. “But it has been quite rewarding to watch Pip thrive and to see my resident cat engage Pip and be playful again. Pip is totally acting like the younger brother who wants to do everything his big brother does!”
Karien adds that, “It also warms my heart to experience the dedicated support from my husband and friends who help when I am out of town.”
As for her fostering experience as a whole?
“I spend more time talking about cat poop than I ever thought I would!” Karien admits.
Stay Tuned for More Pip!
Fospice is still largely uncharted territory for SAFe Rescue, but like everything we do here, we’re in it together! Keep your eye out for a feature story about Pip in the lead-up to Giving Tuesday (December 2nd), plus even more updates as we continue to grow our foster program to accommodate more kitties in need.
Thanks for reading and being involved in SAFe’s community. Extra thanks to Karien for sharing her story and being the rockstar ambassador of fospice care at the Rescue!
