How I go into Fostering

Brief Personal History: When I was born my mother already had a cat named Samantha who lived to be 20 years old, we also later had a small Shit Tzu dog Bandit and a second cat Seppy. After Sammy's death I was promised I could get my own kitten (several months after a mourning period). I was already a big cat fanatic and had (still have) any items featuring cats including a large collection of cat related books (both fictional, science fiction and cat care). My plans to get a cat (a himalyan or siamese) where cut short when my sister brought home a 4 week old orphaned ball of fuzz named Cuddles, about a year later I finnaly got my own kitten, April a "barn cat" who has proven to be a great friend over all these years. Cuddles ended up being my cat also and passed away only a few years ago to bone cancer. So at the time this all started we had 3 cats and one small breed dog. (p.s. yes, I did get my siamese, 13 years later!!)

Foster history; It started with a dog:
Although I love cats I am also very fond of dogs, I walked neibhours dogs and really wanted a dog of my own (Bandit belonged my sister). I spend many hours after summer school down at the Humane Society (I bet they though I was a pest!! I was there everyday!!!!!) talking to all the cats and dogs. I went on walks with one of the dog walkers sometimes. I fell in love with a mid-sized hyper lab mix named Bamboo, a very sweet dog that probably was more then I could handle. I really wanted him! I had the money, that wasn't the problem.. my parents had said NO MORE ANIMALS!! (exspecialy a large sized dog!).
One day when I was there I saw someone talking to a group of puppies (she is my boss now actually) I asked if they where hers and she explained they where her foster puppies, I went and got an information sheet about the program (this was back in 1992-3). After failed attemps to convince my parents Bamboo should live with us, I gave up on that idea.
I fell in love months later with another dog, Jacob a border collie mix with short hair.. I figured I couldn't go on spending all my time there and not be able to do anything to help, besides... fostering I could help out more animals! So after asking agian if I could have a dog (and the answer still being NO) I said, well can I foster? The answer (to my surprize) was YES! I was thrilled, it was given as a birthday gift that I am very happy to still "have".
After a phone call, filling out an application (now quite tattered over the years!) and an interview (held with my parents as I was living with them and under age to foster by myself) I was accepted as a foster parent. I called every day practicaly, until one day they called and said they had something to foster.
I was given a choise; 5 underwieght kittens or a mother nursing babies, being my first time I took the kittens feeling it be best to start with something "easy". Those kittens where the best, they really made me feel great when they where all able to go back and get adopted.
Loosing a foster is hard... After they got adopted we where given 2 orphans supossibly 4 weeks but turned out to be younger, they where slightly deformed and had extra toes but nothing to serious. We bottle feed them and started them on soft food and baby food, soon one started to get very ill, we took him to the vet (mid-night emergancy) who gave us some medication and said he'd be find the next day, unfortunitaly this wasn't the case, the next day he was much worse and dieing, we rushed him to the shelter where he had to be euthanised (It was coccidia or toxoplasma... I forget now), his brother was put on medication and made it to adoption after a long battle. Even though I had the little one who died for only 2 weeks I still miss him to this day.
More determined to save lives The shelter losses most foster people after a foster animal doesn't make it, exspecialy if it's early on. They figured I (we) would no longer be interested, but when the kitten when back for adoption, guess what? 3 underwieght orphans came home... and so it all started, since then we basicaly never have been without a foster cat or kitten(s).
Lots of people ask how I can do it, or how I can give them up... Yes I miss all of them now totaling over 100 cats and kittens, but I could never own that many cats and have them all be happy, healthy and well cared for, some of the cats might not have got a second chance if I had not fostered them, and the more I try to help the better I feel.. yes I have lost some, not many but some, it's hard and very sad but it happens and working with the shelter for so many years I know how hard they try to save an ill foster animal.
Sometimes fosters stay for life After a number of foster cats, I fell in love with a adult named Felicity, I returned her for adoption, but wanted to adopt her, I never said a word assuming that the answer would be NO... too late I found out the answer was YES.. Felicity was adopted however, so for that I am always happy.. then Tuli came along a kitten from a group of "feral" kittens, she never really made it to the adoption stage, she was far to shy and very timid of strangers. We adopted her ourselves and she is now 6 years old. (later We did want to adopt another adult cat Sylva a mother kitty but at the time I was still living with my parent and couldn't) After loosing Cuddles to bone cancer (and down two 2 cats and 1 hedgehog) we wanted another cat, I found the perfect kitten in Donavin a siamese mix, he turned out to have some serious allergies and as a kitten under foster care almost died a number of times.. I had always wanted a siamese, he didn't remind me of any other cats we had fostered and we where ready for a 3rd family member.. so Doni was adopted, he is now 3 years old....
Rescued pets too We now have 4 cats (April, Tuli, Doni and a cat we rescued from euthansia by her owner Gwenie. 1 hedgehog, 1 egyptian spiny mouse and 2 fancy mice all of which where rescued...future pets? Not in the near future!!! Future fosters ---well we have those now!!