- Joined
- Apr 18, 2017
- Messages
- 137
- Purraise
- 94
Hi,
I have been thinking for a while of fostering. I am going through a breakup and a move so I want to wait until my resident cat settles down in her new home and is confident before doing it. But I was thinking about starting to foster in the spring. It has been a while I want to do it for so many reasons: because it saves lives, because I love cats, because I hate not being able to help more when I go to the shelter ect.. But I still have a lot of reservations.
I have a 1 year old cat that was raised as an only kitten and I am very much afraid of her reaction. I live in NYC so here apartments are small and fosters often kept in a large bathroom (at least until everyone is declared healthy). I have the intention to keep my cat separated from them, except if it's a long term fostering in which case I would proceed to slow introductions ( I know the procedure for that). But I am still afraid that it might be too much stress for her to have constantly new smell of cats coming and going in her territory. Thoughs? Will she eventually adapt? I expect the initial reaction to be negative, how long before I can expect her to feel less anxious and go back to her self? Any thing I could do to help? Will she forgive me? Would kittens be easier for her than adult cats?
Moreover I am a PhD student and sometimes I have a to work a lot. I can work from home every morning but I still have long days. So I am afraid that I might not be able to give kittens enough time at such a fundamental time in their lives. ( I am talking about weaned kittens or kittens with a mom but still). I can probably give the fosters: 1/2 h in the morning, 15 min at noon, 1/2-1h at night. Is that enough?
How can I expect all of this to impact my relationship with my cat?
And finally how to not fall in love too hard and have a heartbreak when getting them adopted? ^^
Do you have any thing you wished you knew before fostering? I really want to know your experience about it.
I have been thinking for a while of fostering. I am going through a breakup and a move so I want to wait until my resident cat settles down in her new home and is confident before doing it. But I was thinking about starting to foster in the spring. It has been a while I want to do it for so many reasons: because it saves lives, because I love cats, because I hate not being able to help more when I go to the shelter ect.. But I still have a lot of reservations.
I have a 1 year old cat that was raised as an only kitten and I am very much afraid of her reaction. I live in NYC so here apartments are small and fosters often kept in a large bathroom (at least until everyone is declared healthy). I have the intention to keep my cat separated from them, except if it's a long term fostering in which case I would proceed to slow introductions ( I know the procedure for that). But I am still afraid that it might be too much stress for her to have constantly new smell of cats coming and going in her territory. Thoughs? Will she eventually adapt? I expect the initial reaction to be negative, how long before I can expect her to feel less anxious and go back to her self? Any thing I could do to help? Will she forgive me? Would kittens be easier for her than adult cats?
Moreover I am a PhD student and sometimes I have a to work a lot. I can work from home every morning but I still have long days. So I am afraid that I might not be able to give kittens enough time at such a fundamental time in their lives. ( I am talking about weaned kittens or kittens with a mom but still). I can probably give the fosters: 1/2 h in the morning, 15 min at noon, 1/2-1h at night. Is that enough?
How can I expect all of this to impact my relationship with my cat?
And finally how to not fall in love too hard and have a heartbreak when getting them adopted? ^^
Do you have any thing you wished you knew before fostering? I really want to know your experience about it.
