As far as the shower curtains go, you can get snap rings that are REALLY hard to undo, you can also get a couple of cheapo plastic shower curtains ($2-4 a piece) and swap them out when they get shreded so you do not have your nicer shower curtain ruined. Personally, I would go with your standard metal hook for holding it up. 1) they don't break easy, and 2) if the curtain does flip off the rod the cat will learn the hard way that climbing the shower curtain isn't a bright idea. I think that over-catproofing can result in kitties who don't learn not to get themselves in dangerous situations. Having a curtain give way underneath of them I believe is fairly harmless as far as learning through "hard-knocks" goes.

 

None of my cats (including hyper nutcase Baby Jonah) bother the shower curtain at all. So although ET does, there's no reason to assume that another cat will.

Be sure to STRICTLY quarantine any foster cats for 2 weeks. IMO that should mean changing clothes (or at least putting on a smock) when you go in with the foster cat. Make sure the foster is neg. for FIV and FeLV before he enters your home.

Keep us posted!!

 

FeLv i can understand, unless your cats have been vacinated against it but i see no reason at all not to foster a healthy FIV+ cat.

My mum used to foster cats and, yep, she kept a few. Her present cat was a kitten born in her house when she was fostering his mum. I remember being at his birth! My mum always says it was very rewarding but also very tiring, particularly when fosters turned out to be pregnant females! We had a few of those!

 

FeLv i can understand, unless your cats have been vacinated against it but i see no reason at all not to foster a healthy FIV+ cat.

You know, melysion, I wish I had given thought to an FIV+ cat before I got ET. I have come across quite a few + cats (FIV or FeLV) through testing at the TNRM clinic. It is SO sad when they test positive, but thankfully we've only had to euth a small few because there are a few organizations that have colonies of + cats. I would have been totally open to rescuing + cats because so many of them are wonderful. I will definitely give it some thought. It isn't even that I'm worried about ETs safety, but rather that I'm worried the kitty would be tough to adopt out. We'll see, I have the holidays to contemplate!

And hoofmaiden, I think I won't go ahead and take down the shower curtain right away, haha. I will give a new cat the opportunity to not destroy it! ET just really likes digging his claws into it and pulling... he doesn't actively climb it!

-BP

 

Good luck! I've taken in plenty of street cats and fostered them but I haven't gone through the shelter (YET, I'll be doing that after the holidays :mrgreen: ). As far as the shower curtain I'd just go ahead and put it over the rail, and maybe see if you could get a fleece blanket and put it in a corner or maybe lean a small box on it's side (so it makes kind of like a cave) or a carrier in there with the fleece and that should keep him/her fairly warm and comfortable. Good luck!

 

I sewed my own shower curtain out of a little fabric and a sheer panel. One litter of feral fosters climbed it and then got onto the window valance and climbed that to the very top. :yikes So...I removed my sheer from the rod, leaving only the clear plastic curtain because that would be easy to replace. After my sheer was down, they didn't try to climb it anymore.

 

Toby spent the first two years of his life looking for a permanent home. He was being cared for by a cat rescue organisation and was placed in numerous temporary foster homes until one day one of his fosterers just couldnt let him go.

So, although you are right in saying fiv cats are difficult to home, without all those wonderful fosterers, Toby would have spend his kittenhood and teenhood in a cage. Two years living in a cage, can you imagine!

Anyway. Fostering is a wonderful thing to do, regardless of what cats you feel able to take on. Good luck. I will be praying for your shower curtains safety! :lol:

 

FeLv i can understand, unless your cats have been vacinated against it but i see no reason at all not to foster a healthy FIV+ cat.

I cannot agree. FIV is not as easy to transmit as FeLV but unless one is going to keep the foster cat sequestered from the resident cat all the time, that's a risk I, for one, would not take. Even in the best intros, bites can happen. There is no way I would risk my own cat's health for a foster cat. There are often people with one positive cat who are willing to adopt or foster other positive cats -- one of our local cat rescue groups has lists of FeLV and FIV positive homes that will take in positive cats. But I think it's asking way too much of someone to take a risk w/ their own beloved cat's health.

And the FeLV vaccination, in addition to being dangerous (it is one of the 2 vaccinations-rabies is the other-that can cause vaccine-associated sarcoma in cats), is not an especially efficacious vaccine. I.e., it only has like an 85% success rate and may not protect all cats.

 

Theres a less than 1% chance that a FIV+ cat will infect a FIV- one (statistically proven). And the bites would have to be DEEP, PENETRATING ones, not a little nip or two. The virus is very fragile and dies in moments outside the cats body. Its actually very difficult for one cat to get it from another - much more difficult than people think.

However, I do understand that there is still a lot of concern about allowing FIV+ and FIV- cats to mix. Sadly, there is still much misinformation out there regarding the condition and many FIV+ cats are still destroyed needlessly as a result.

Anyway, rant over. This thread isn't about FIV+ cats so sorry for veering it off course, ETrescued - I just felt the need to speak up for FIV+ cats! I would not hesitate to adopt a FIV- cat as a companion for my boy - Tobys FIV status wouldn't even enter my head as an issue.

 

Thanks so much for your input and suggestions. Melyson, I have a huge place in my heart for FIV+ cats, we will see what the future entails

I got an email this morning from the SPCA... they took in 60 cats in the last 24 hours. It unbelievable how many surrenders there are, and how little adoptions. I have no doubt that at many wonderful cats will be euthanized tonight, and it is heartbreaking If I wasn't leaving on Monday for 2 weeks out of state I would have picked up one today.

I'm going to go snuggle ET now. Thank you to all of you who've rescued.

I will be sure to keep you posted!

-ET

 

Thats so sad about those cats

I'm going to be snuggling my boy tonight too (well, he always gets snuggles, but he will get extra special ones tonight).

 

Just wanted to give an update/ask some questions.

I contacted the local SPCA to make sure that the foster kitty would be tested, and she assured me that it would be.

However, I'm really conflicted with which organization I should foster. I guess I've been half-hoping I would stumble upon a stray cat so that I wouldn't have to choose. I think that it is very clear that an SPCA cat is at the highest risk of euthanasia, as they have the highest intake. This is where I adopted ET from. They provide veterinary care until the cat is adopted. I also think that they have the most reasonable fee ($50 fully loaded).

I've also been working with the TNRM clinic, and while volunteers come with many different loyalties, the director that I've become closest to is the president of a rescue organization that operates 100% out of foster homes. I am also on her organizations mailing list so I can see every request for foster or stray (still outside) cat that needs trapping and rehoming.

I realize that at the end of the day, any cat that you rescue is a very lucky cat. What would you do?

I am very hopeful that I will be able to place my foster cat, and hopefully that will open up another opportunity for me to rescue. I think ET will handle it well and have a good time being a foster brother. I also fully recognize that the cat may be with me for a long while (read: permanently) so I'm going to be slightly picky about the one I rescue, especially if its an adult.

If all goes according to plan and I secure another pet spot with my landlord, I will be picking up a new foster friend the weekend of Jan 7th :luv

Thank you for all the support!

-BP

 

Good luck with the foster! And I have a feeling you very well may be keeping your foster! You will become so attached to a foster that you will not wish to give it up. That email you told us about, it could happen again if you foster a cat, get it placed, and then have its new owners dump it. I took in a litter of 1-2day old newborn kittens last April when they were found under a loading dock. I nursed them, weaned them, etc and watched them grow into the wonderful 8 month old hellions they are now! :lol: But I had NO INTENTION of giving them to a stranger. I could not live with myself if I gave those kittens so much care and love only to have a future owner dump them. So...I kept them all! I am just way too attached to them to part with them!!! :luv

 

Good luck with the foster! And I have a feeling you very well may be keeping your foster!

Yikes! We'll see :wink: I'm really hoping that I will be able to part with the kitty and find him/her a home. I'm currently in grad school and I think that I can find some colleagues of mine who I know personally that will be up for adopting . Either way, I'm excited!!!

-BP

 

When I foster, I tell myself that once the rescue organization has accepted the kitten/cat into their program and/or they expend resources (vet exam/treatment) on the feline, it is NOT mine, it is THEIRS. That has helped to remind me of my role in their lives. It doesn't make letting them go easy, but it does make it easier to know I *helped* that kitten/cat to learn vital skills and be able to be adopted.

 

Personally, I completely suck as a fosterer. I don't bother to do it "professionally" b/c critters find me anyway. My dogs Sophie and Rachel started out as "foster dogs." So did Jonah. I suspect that new critters are told, "Oh, is your name Foster? Mine was Foster too, for about a week. Then it was Sophie. When you get a new name, you're Staying." :roll:

I HAVE managed to place or get into shelters 3 foster cats in the last 6 years but I still worry about them. It ain't for me.

Good luck.

 

UPDATE: Just wanted to bump this up. I'm back at my apartment so I'm able to foster For some reason, though, I'm hesitant. I got SO lucky with ET... he isn't picky about anything, and so well behaved (minus some area rug damage).

I went to the high-kill shelter today as I had never been there before (adopted ET out of the adoption center) and was stunned by the number of awesome cats. So many were meowing, reaching paws out. Some had pretty nasty colds. It was very strange and sad that I get to pick which one gets saved, but I know that is part of how things work. I met with a director and she gave me lots of information and a fostering application.

I really want to make a difference for another animal. I think ET lives a pretty sweet life and every cat deserves such a life. I know ET would LOVE a playmate, so I'm not worried about that. I definitely need to sort out my anxiety before I make the plunge.

I might, however, take a ride over to the pet supply shop and pick up an extra LB and some bowls. I'll save my receipts, but it might help get the ball rolling... :wink:

-BP

 

I really want to make a difference for another animal. I think ET lives a pretty sweet life and every cat deserves such a life. I know ET would LOVE a playmate, so I'm not worried about that. I definitely need to sort out my anxiety before I make the plunge.

-BP

I think your decision has already been made subconsciously. It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN. And when you do, you will be so happy with yourself. The kittens I rescued and bottle fed when they were newborns are now a few days away from being 9 months old! :luv I never planned to double the number of feline residents here. But when I think what would have happened had I not rescued them and given the kittens a better life, it makes me sad. I could not have lived with myself if I just ignored those kittens. Every day I look at my kittens and I can see it in their eyes how thankful and happy they are for that life. It just warms my heart. Like you, I wanted to make a difference for those newborns.

My local PetSmart has cat adoptions from local no-kill shelters and while I would love to adopt them, at least they have food and warmth. It is the outdoor cats that have to deal with this weather for which I feel sad. But at least 4 of them (5 if one counts the dumped kitty I rescued from where I work back around 11-2008) will be warm and loved.

 

You may have already taken in a cat but I wanted to give you a couple issues you need to consider and could ask the shelter you decide to work with, from my experiences.

When we first started our TNR group several of us had worked with a no k i l l shelter. The director is an animal lover and really understands dogs but is not as savy with cats. Several of my friends had fostered in their homes for the shelter. When medical help was needed for the cats the director didnt want to have the cat vetted because of the cost involved. Which left the foster parent in a dilemma.

We decided wed institute a policy if the foster said it needed medical help it would get medical help no questions asked. Just notify the director because we have to know there is going to be an expense coming. It has worked out well. We have the reputation of having the healthiest, best vetted cats for adoption. Weve even paid vet visits after the cat was adopted! The bottom line is the cat.

Is this an expensive policy. Yes. It has absorbed half of what we take in for donations. Which mean less feral cats that are TNRed. But half the cats we trap were once someones companion cat. So what are you going to do throw it back out. We just cant do that.

It all comes down to respecting the foster parent whose putting in the time to help this kitty.

Id also like to encourage you to not adopt a cat you foster. Each time a cat is adopted out you have saved a life and have room for another cat to save. Look at it as you are getting a cat ready by socializing it and getting it healthy and giving it a good quality of life~ not warehoused in a kennel ~ till it has it forever home. I think so often how great the foster was that had my cat Mz Tess. She is so well adjusted, happy, secure kitty. She was a year and half when I adopted her. It is because of the foster parents that had her. I never have had issues with her. She is a treasure.

 

Merry, while BP only can answer this, I wonder if her aim is less to "foster" and more to "adopt?" Yes, she has the fostering application. But I wonder if she wants a forever home for a kitty so that ET can have a permanent playmate?

That said BP, Merry makes a good point. If true fostering is your goal, then when a foster is adopted out, you will have room for another one. So is a true foster what you wish to do? Or are you looking for a permanent companion for ET?

 

That said BP, Merry makes a good point. If true fostering is your goal, then when a foster is adopted out, you will have room for another one. So is a true foster what you wish to do? Or are you looking for a permanent companion for ET?

Merry, thankfully this shelter operates with a full veterinary facility, and all care the foster may need is provided at no charge. The foster parent is just responsible for all food/litter/toys.

At this time, I'm definitely looking to just foster. If I had the resources to guarantee a "safety net" for funds for a second cat, then I might consider adoption. My hope is that I could have somewhat of a revolving door for foster kitties and I don't think I have the space for any more than 2 cats in my apartment. That being said, I know that many people try to foster and end up adopting for one reason or another. I'm keeping in mind that that could happen. While I could return the cat to the shelter, I want to choose a cat that I could see myself with for the long haul in case it comes to that.

Eventually when I graduate from grad school I will be moving back north (hopefully!) and ET will have a permanent, lifelong companion in my boyfriend's kitten

-BP

 

OK BP, I understand. Sorry if I misinterpreted your intent.

I probably could never do what you wish to do. I just get too attached to cats, I guess. Since I was an only child, my cats growing up were my companions. Not that I feel denied by not having a sibling; quite the opposite. Being an only child means I spent more time with the cats than if I had siblings. So as a result, it would be hard to let go of any cat I took. A long time ago, my mother and I took in a friend's cat for 8 months as they had to live in housing that did not allow pets. When they found cat-friendly housing, mom cried a lot when they came to take their kitty. He really became a member of the family and her other cat really enjoyed a playmate.

I apologize if I am repeating myself, but when I took the kittens, it was my intent to keep two and find homes for the other three. One died as you know so that was two for which I planned to find homes. Mom decided she wanted two so that solved the problem. However, situations beyond her control (or so she felt) meant she had to let me have all 4 kittens. But when I took the boxful of those beautiful babies and clocked out early, I made the commitment to keep all of them if I could not find homes. Besides, how could ANYBODY turn their back on these???

 

I just get too attached to cats, I guess.

Donald you probably have a tatoo that says Softie! That was a major undertaking.
You have to have total devotion to take on bottle babies. Our hats are off to you!
It is so much work and sleepless nights!

I have sucker tatooed on my forehead. I cant turn anything away. I talk big and say Im gona get my numbers down. Then I cave when a crisis comes up with a cat. The only thing I can say is Ive never kept one. Came real near but never have.

ET if the shelter has on staff vets then your "in like flin"! Sounds like a good place. How does this shelter adopt out cats that are being fostered in the homes? Do they have events you take them to?

 

I just get too attached to cats, I guess.

Donald you probably have a tatoo that says Softie!

And this only made that softie tattoo show up more vivid.

That was a major undertaking.
You have to have total devotion to take on bottle babies. Our hats are off to you!
It is so much work and sleepless nights!

My mother also deserves a lot of credit as well, Merry. After all there was no way I could nurse the babies and go to work. So she nursed them while I was at work. But as soon as I got home on the weekdays and all during the weekend, the kittens had my undivided attention. If the GF and I went out, we had to come home for a nursing before/after we went out. I did not even do any hiking last year (and it showed up in my belly! ) but these were my "kids" and as such, they were far more important.

I have sucker tatooed on my forehead. I cant turn anything away. I talk big and say Im gona get my numbers down. Then I cave when a crisis comes up with a cat. The only thing I can say is Ive never kept one. Came real near but never have.

As I said to others in my PMs, I did not wish to take the chance of having a kitten I raised get abandoned or dumped. So I kept them all.

ET if the shelter has on staff vets then your "in like flin"! Sounds like a good place. How does this shelter adopt out cats that are being fostered in the homes? Do they have events you take them to?

I am lucky in that a local no-kill shelter also is a low cost spay/neuter/wellness clinic. So they have 4 licensed DVMs on their staff as well as multiple techs. They are the best!!!

 

ET if the shelter has on staff vets then your "in like flin"! Sounds like a good place. How does this shelter adopt out cats that are being fostered in the homes? Do they have events you take them to?

I think there are adoption events, and you can market yourself. I am in grad school and I think that just putting up some posters around the school would raise some interest. In fact, now that it is the start of a new semester I've actually had friends come up to me and ask how they can go about adopting in cat!

Quick story... this morning a friend came up to me and asked if she could "borrow one of my cats" to convince her roommate that it would be fun to have one! I corrected her and said that I only have one cat and he is definitely not on loan :lol:

Donald, those kittens are adorable. How could you turn them away?! Your dedication is so clear!!

-BP