My name is Becki and I am a foster mom with Voiceless-MI.

When I saw that Animal Rescues of Michigan was doing a blog series about fostering pets and why it is so important, I immediately asked if I could participate. I am not much of a blogger, but this is a topic that I am very passionate about and I get asked why I foster all the time.

I rescue feral and abandoned cats that are on the street.

I started doing it because of one particular cat that I found hiding under my car one day, who was sick and unable to walk. He was clearly in pain, but managed to drag himself away from anyone that came near him, hissing and spitting the whole way. But I couldn’t just let him lay on the ground, unable to fend for himself. So over the next few days I fed him canned food and sat with him while he ate to protect him from the other stray cats in the neighborhood. Eventually he could stand, but still had trouble walking. I decided to bring him into my home and make a veterinarian’s appointment for him.

Everyone thought I was crazy. I was exposing my cat to this cat that I knew nothing about, and he didn’t even like me for the first few days even though I was feeding him. But all I could think was that he needed someone to protect him and care for him. If I didn’t take on that role, there was no one else who could or would. It turned out that he had advanced stage Feline Leukemia and he had to be put to sleep. I cried for days. But I knew that, at the very least, in his last week of life he knew love. He had someone who protected him, cared for him, loved him and cried for him when it was time to say goodbye.

After he passed, I made it my mission to do everything I could to make sure that the other stray cats in the neighborhood would not live their life without knowing what it was like to have a home and someone to love them.

Now, I know that this story sounds all nice and warm and fuzzy. But there is another side to fostering, especially when you are dealing with feral cats. As I type, my arm is covered in scratches, bite marks, and some bruising from the trauma. And yet, the cat that did that to my arm is laying under my bed comfortably sleeping. It is usually moments like this, that trigger people to ask me if I have lost all of my senses and ask why I allowed a wild animal into my house. And even more important, why I KEEP letting them into my house even after being scratched and bit, having my house sprayed, curtains shredded, and clothes ruined. And the answer is always simple for me. Because those cats need love too!

Pets who come into foster care, either as feral cats or pets from shelters or other situations, are usually stressed and have been dealing with a lot of change and confusion. Some of the cats I have fostered have never been touched by a person before. So no matter how much damage is done or how many times I get scratched, I remind myself that the cat is scared and overwhelmed and just doesn’t know how to handle the situation. Once you finally make that break through with a pet and get them to show you their affectionate side, all of the pain and ruined material objects don’t matter anymore. Bringing these cats from fear and anxiety to a calm, relaxed and loving house cat is an amazing feeling and it creates such a strong bond with the cat.

Animals have so much love to give. If you have the time and patience to give them a chance and give them love, they will return the favor. I develop such a strong bond with these cats that it is always hard to see them go when they get adopted. But seeing a cat who had never been touched by a person go into a home with a family where they have more love and attention and toys than they could have ever dreamed of, is beyond rewarding. When I get sad and wish that my foster did not have to leave me, I have to remind myself that there is another cat out there that needs someone to teach them to love.

There are so many reasons to foster pets. Animals in shelters do better in a home setting and it helps their mental and physical well-being, which in turn makes them easier to find homes for. Fostering saves them from the chance that they could be put to sleep if they are not adopted. For every animal that is in a foster home, there is more room in the shelter for another pet to be rescued.

But for me it always comes down to the fact that these animals need to be loved. They need to feel safe and protected. If I can do that for them, even temporarily, it could mean a world of difference for that one pet. For some of the feral cats, it could mean the difference between a lonely, hard life on the street and a safe, comfortable life with a family that truly loves them. It’s a decision that doesn’t even need a second thought for me.

R.I.P. Cat