The Joy of Fostering
by Kristina Moen | Apr 30, 2010
“I love the first few days with a new foster cat – watching the confusion turn into joy at the discovery of a paper bag, or fear turn into trust with the discovery of gentle hands and a slicker brush. I am writing this article with a cat sitting under my bed. I just picked him up today from the PAWS Chicago Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, and he is still exploring my apartment. He is quite scrawny, but that will change over the next couple of weeks.
I am a law student transplant to Chicago, and I started fostering about nine months ago. I grew up with a big family and a lot of animals, so living alone in a studio felt lonely. I can’t commit to adopting a pet, as I often leave town for weeks at a time and I am not sure what lies ahead after graduation.
Enter the PAWS Chicago Foster Program! It is incredibly convenient. Each week I receive an e-mail with a list of cats that need foster homes. The e-mail contains information like age, medical issues, and the time frame. This last part is key – I can foster a cat that needs a home for the exact dates that I have one to give.
Then comes the fun part! I never know what the cats will be like – I’ve fostered cats who have leapt out of their crates and greeted me with purrs and cats who hid for two days in the most surprising spots before tentatively emerging. It’s always a new experience. They all have different personalities, and it is fun to get to know each one.
My apartment always feels more alive when I am fostering – there are cats chasing each other around my kitchen island or just sleeping peacefully on my bed. I’ll admit that I am often tempted to join them on the bed, but their presence actually helps me study. My apartment does not feel so silent and sterile.
Fostering is an ideal situation for students because they have such inconsistent schedules. I often see e-mails from students seeking cat and dog sitters over Winter and Spring break. I never have to worry about that. This also seems like the best time to foster because I can foster any cat, as I have no other pets and no children. I have fostered FeLV+ cats, for example.
Fostering can be wonderful stress relief from school. Whenever I get a new foster cat, other students are eager to come by and meet the new resident. Sometimes I foster kittens, and then my apartment becomes very popular! I can see how much joy students get from of a cat purring in their lap or kittens playing with a string, especially during exam period. This kind of socialization is wonderful for a cat who otherwise would have been in the shelter or clinic environment for weeks.
People sometimes ask me how I can give up a foster cat after only a couple of weeks or months. It’s easy because I know that I have laid a foundation of trust in humans that the cat can bring to his or her new home. Each cat will have an easier time adjusting to a home environment after being adopted. I can affect the lives of many animals, instead of just one. That is the real joy of fostering.”