Why I Foster: Meet Heather
For Heather, fostering started with a simple desire to give scared cats a little more time, attention, and comfort. What began during her volunteer shifts quickly grew into a deeper commitment to helping animals feel safe enough to show who they truly are. Heather shares how patience, compassion, and a little extra love can help even the shyest cats come out of their shells and find their way home.
1. What made you decide to foster for the first time, and do you remember how you felt the moment your first foster animal arrived home? I was volunteering in the cat condos for a few hours a day, and hated leaving the ones that seemed scared. I figured I should try fostering to give them more socialization and get them to better show their personalities and also a little extra love that didn't stop when my volunteer shift ended.
2. Was there a specific animal — or a moment — that made you realize fostering was something you were meant to do? Russell was my first "spicy" cat who hissed and spit whenever a human was near, but after a week of Churus and cautiously petting with a long, soft-ended toy, he came out of the cat cave he spend 95% of the time in, rubbed his body against my leg and was purring. It melted my heart and actually surprised me! My patience and attention helped him come out of his shell, and it made me so excited for him.
3. What does fostering mean to you personally? I am a big animal lover overall, and being able to give a chance to so many animals to find homes is wonderful. I see fostering as a way to fill the gap between an animal finding a loving family and a family finding a loving pet. I know pets can change lives on both sides of that equation.
4. How do the animals you foster seem to change between day one and the day they go to their forever home? The tiny neonates start off so dependent on me for everything and are so vulnerable. After a few weeks, they have grown into independent, playful kittens with their own little personalities. The scared ones go from trusting no one and shut down to curious, sweet love bugs.
5. How do you think the animals you've fostered have changed you as a person? My fosters give me patience, compassion, and dedication. Knowing they depend on me to help give them a chance adds more purpose to everything I do.
6. What keeps you coming back to foster again and again? The kittens never stop coming! There is always a need and these animals make me smile and laugh everyday.
7. What's the most meaningful thing an animal has ever "told" you without words? "I'm safe here. I can trust you." This is the scared kitty that finally asks for a head rub, starts purring, and learns that us humans aren't so bad.
8. How does your household — family, kids, other pets — respond when a new foster comes through the door? When I come home with new fosters, I always get asked, "What's up with this one?" because they know that I usually go for the animals that need a little extra help. They are actually proud of my dedication and are always excited to see how they change. They encourage me to give it all I got, knowing that this is somewhat of a calling for me.
9. What does giving an animal a safe, loving temporary home actually do for them — in your experience? A foster home allows the animals to have a warm, safe space to become beautiful pets. They have more interaction, dedication, and attention than they would have being in the shelter. Fosters can give individualized care that would otherwise be impossible, which significantly increases their ability to thrive.
10. Have you ever received an update from an adopter that made your whole day? What happened? A recent adopter shared photos of how a mama cat was settling in and was enjoying her kitten-free life after working so hard caring for her litter of 4. She was previously solely dedicated to that task, but as a young cat herself was playing and lounging around now without a care in the world.
11. How does it feel to see a foster animal find their forever home? It makes me so happy to see the adopter's faces light up when they meet my fosters. It feels great to know that they are going to be loved on and have so many happy moments because of their new pet family member.
12. What would you say to someone who's hesitant to foster because they're afraid of getting too attached? Just know that you will get attached – a lot – but you have to remember that you can do so much more with the number of pets in need. Think about how many times you will fall in love! Each new foster brings more joy into your life. Keep a photo album or memory wall of photos to remember each one, and look back at all of the lives you have impacted.
Sign up now to become a foster.
