cat fostering

[eub]

Today I went to the Seattle Animal Shelter's monthly orientation session for prospective cat foster parents. One thing I hadn't realized was that the single most common reason for fostering out a shelter cat is that it has an upper respiratory infection, and will do better in a low-stress environment (plus, the shelter's isolation space for contagious cats is limited). Others are kittens needing socialization, kittens without a mother, and injured cats. The shelter and the fosterer try to place the cat for adoption directly out of foster care, and they figure usually a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on what the cat needs to recover from, and then how irresistable they are to adopters.

So, I'm thinking of fostering a cat, a relatively easy non-feral non-kitten to start with, since [ominous chords] I have not actually kept a cat.

Logistics:

Would need to be a cat that will be okay during weekdays. Looking ahead, I might be away for a day or two around Thanksgiving, and will be for a week around Christmas; would need help there. Other cat-fosterers can often cover if that becomes necessary.

Cat paraphernalia:

Food. Shelter suggests "Science Diet Growth" (for older cats too?).

Food and water dishes.

Litterbox.

Litter. They say non-clumping for cats under six months; otherwise unspecified.

Scratching post. Cardboard kind will do.

Cardboard crate from shelter usable both as carrier and as hiding place?

Odor neutralizer.

What else?

House prep:

One bathroom can be cat-owned.

Houseplants which are non-toxic: orchid, mint, African violet, mother fern, ginger (presumably), bay (presumably).
Toxic, but dead anyway: tomato plant.
Unknown: Australian tree fern. "True ferns" are reported as okay.

May be best to clear precarious stacks of cruft off high horizontal surfaces.

Pin up blinds cords.

What am I not thinking of?

Comments

[cellio]

Cats are fun!

Toys are a good idea. You don't have to buy them; cats will chase wadded-up paper/foil around. Laser pointers provide hours of fun. Having something on a fishing pole (to get the cat to jump up) can be fun; expect to replace strings.

If you're trying to modify behavior, some (food) treats might help. Or might not; it depends on the cat. Baldur never got the connection; Erik did.

Even the litter that's supposed to be flushable can be hard on older plumbing. I always go the trash route rather than the flush route. This means either a dedicated (small) trash can (with tight lid) near the litter box or a supply of plastic bags so you can carry it outside.

I don't know how common this is, but my cats seem to prefer scratching horizontally to scratching vertically. So they love those cardboard things (I just throw 'em on the floor) but ignore scratching posts. YMMV.

When you get to small kittens you might want to cultivate the "toilet lid down when not in use" habit. (It's a drowning hazard.) Adults will drink out of the bowl if given access; you get to decide if that's any more gross than the other things their mouths come in contact with.

Retractable furniture can be a risk for smaller animals; be careful when getting up out of the recliner or packing up the sleeper sofa. (Not that the latter probably comes up much for you, but I do know someone who had an unfortunate feline accident with one.)

Cat-proofing is different from kid-proofing because cats climb. So look around, and look up, to see what might be at risk. Fragile knick-knacks on the mantle? Stacks of papers on the tops of bookcases? Access to crawl spaces via rafters?

[eub.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yeah, something may have to be done with the hardware shelves, and the electronics tower. Oh, hm, the synthesizer keyboards.