For our March foster of the month we are excited to feature Sarah, who has been lovingly fostering cats and kittens from SAFe Rescue, with the help of her family – her husband and sons – for over 2 years now. She has fostered so many different types of cats and has even been willing to take on a few challenging cases.
Sarah first decided to sign up for fostering during COVID-19 shutdowns when her family suddenly found themselves with a lot of extra time and space. They already had a huge love for animals – having 2 dogs and 2 cats in the household, including an FIV positive cat adopted from SAFe! Sarah has been surrounded by animals her entire life and had considered fostering before, but with COVID, it seemed the perfect timing to give it a try. She’s been fostering ever since.
Her biggest fostering success story, and the one she found most rewarding, was with a cat named Renata. Renata was a feral tortie who was not socialized at all prior to her arrival. She hid from any and all interactions for several weeks. She would squeeze herself into corners or onto high shelves to avoid people and was so scared. Finally, one weekend, Sarah’s husband coaxed her out, and she became an amazingly cuddly and affectionate little girl.
Fostering comes with its share of challenges, and Sarah is no stranger to this. Her biggest challenge came with a mama kitty named Sylvia, and her sick babies. Sarah provided all of the extra care and attention that the young kittens needed: expressing, bathing, and feeding. Initially, the babies were clearly not thriving, and one or two of them returned to the Rescue to get the extra care they needed – they, unfortunately, didn’t make it.
Meanwhile, back at Sarah’s, Sylvia, the young mama cat, was struggling and not caring for the kittens. Eventually, in the care of Sarah and her family, and with the support of the SAFe team, the mama cat started feeling better – eventually being able to care for her kittens. During all of this, Sarah was calm and attentive through all the ups, downs, and uncertainties. In the end, all of the cats grew into beautiful, sweet fur-balls, and Sarah was delighted to find out that they were adopted together!
With all of the challenges and vast array of kitty needs, what keeps Sarah coming back to foster more cats? What makes it worth it? In her own words, “I love taking a cat, or kitten, and seeing them evolve into the perfect pet for someone. They are so entertaining, and the journey has always been worth the ride.” Even now, she says that she is looking forward to meeting her next foster.
For anyone considering fostering, Sarah would like to offer some great advice, “never doubt your instincts to ask for help. The cats come from many different situations, and sometimes they need more help than you can provide. SAFe is here to provide any of that extra support and help needed.”
It’s people like Sarah who create foster success stories with SAFe every day, helping cats of various backgrounds with various needs access the support, love, and care they need to not only survive but thrive. This care helps build trust, brings out their true personalities, and allows them to connect with their new humans and their new homes. We are lucky to have Sarah on the team!