George has been volunteering at Fix Our Ferals, a local spay-neuter clinic, for several years now, and feeding feral cat colonies for nearly that long, but we hadn’t taken the next step – fostering cats waiting to be adopted. Finally, about a month ago George caught one of the cats that he feeds, brought her to be spayed, and decided that she was socialized and definitely adoptable.
Foster situations range from doing it on your own up to formally volunteering with an established group. With Hermione we really lucked out – she was accepted into the adoption program at the San Francisco SPCA, and was quickly adopted! Next, coming to the rescue of a friend who just couldn’t squeeze one more foster in (you know there’s a crazy cat lady tipping limit), we took in Buttercup.
A very affectionate little girl, Buttercup captured the heart of her new parents the very first time at a pet store adoption, and George settled her into her forever home last week. Right now we’re completely smitten with the sweetest 8-month old tabby with a kissable white streak on his nose, white stockings, and extra toes on his front feet (polydactyl).
We named him after Thelonious Monk, George’s favorite jazz pianist. He’s a super friendly cat who doesn’t stop purring.
Interested in learning how to help by fostering in the East Bay, or looking to adopt a dog or cat? Send me an email at heidirand [@] gmail and I’ll pass your question on to the experts.
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