Meet our fosters!!

Meet our first foster cats - Lola and Farrah.  Aren't they beautiful??  

Last week, Trevor and I became fosters for the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.   We expected to get dogs as fosters, but when we heard the need for cat foster homes, we gladly took these sweet kitties in.  You see, the shelter is at capacity for cats.  They cannot take anymore strays or owner surrenders.  Its not because they don't have the room, its because they don't have the staffing.  Each cat is required to get 15 minutes per day of enrichment and they don't have enough staff or volunteers to manage any more than they already have.

When kitties are put out on the floor for viewing, they get adopted pretty quickly.  But cats living in close quarters, under stress, pass illness very easily.  Then, they don't get the peace, quiet, attention and distance from other cats to get better.  And when they don't get better, they can end up being put down.  So once they get sick, their chances of survival go WAY down.

When Trevor and I had our interview to be fosters, the shelter worker told us that nationwide, less than 2 percent of cats make it out of shelters alive.  That is unacceptable.  We can't save all of them, but we can save some of them.

Enter Lola and Farrah!  Farrah has an eye infection and gets eye drops twice a day.  She and her sister Lola were owner surrenders and are bonded. The shelter workers said they sleep next to each other and needed to stay together.  We brought them both home and put them in the spare bedroom, now nicknamed "the cattery".  Here they can relax and stretch out.  They have food, water, a little box, comfy places to lay or hide and our love.  We go into the room several times a day and just sit with them or play or give them medicine.

Every once in a while, Farrah goes into the carrier as if to say "I am all better, we are ready to find our forever home".  She and Lola have very special personalities and it has been fun to watch them loosen up and be themselves.

 Lola, the gray one, was very nervous when they arrived at our house, but she has certainly gotten comfortable. She is very sweet and wants to be petted all the time.  She seems very carefree - she plays, stretches and sits in the window.  She is just a love.  She wants to pet butterflies and play in the glitter!

In contrast, there is Farrah. She is the more pragmatic of the two.  She seems to know that this is just a stop on their journey and while she enjoys being petted and occasionally will play, she is definitely more serious.

They are amazingly sweet.  It makes me sad that their previous owner surrendered them.  There was one day when I cried about that and told them how sorry I was and that we would get them healthy so they could find a great new home.

We will go back this week to get a medical recheck and I am hopeful that Lola and Farrah will get the all clear to be up for adoption.  I wish nothing for them but a lifetime of love and comfort. I hope that their next owner will keep them safe and will be with them until their last breaths.  I have no doubt they will be wonderful pets and will know that they were saved.

If you are interested in these two sweeties contact the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.  Please know that there are millions of animals waiting to be adopted at your local shelter or rescue.  Foster homes are also needed.  If you don't have the time or space, you can always volunteer or donate.  They need us.