Unwanted pets get a helping hand from foster carers

Holly was our first foster cat. She'd been hit by a car and lost a leg and half her tail.

She stayed with us for a couple of months, eventually adopted by a girl who came to visit her and immediately fell in love, taking her home that day.

There are about 700 foster parents registered with the RSPCA and many more with other animal welfare organisations, people who take in pets temporarily until the animals can be adopted.

They might go into foster care rather than the adoption pens because they've been mistreated, removed from people pending a court case. They may have been abandoned and are too young to be desexed or weaned (all potential adoptee shelter cats and dogs are desexed), or they might be animals with special needs.

While it goes without saying that foster carers have to love animals, they're often people who would love to have their own but can't make a long-term commitment.

"It's a matter of matching the animal to the carer," says Katina Balson, who runs a private cat rescue.

She's seen a growing trend for younger foster carers. "There are a lot of young people out there who are going to be moving or going overseas but want to help. Others want to 'road test' an animal – seeing how it might fit in with their family."

Balson also says that fostering allows the animals' personality to develop.

"It's hard to get to know an animal from inside a cage," she says. "Foster carers can tell potential adopters more about the animal, its needs and personality."

But how do you care for an animal, make a connection, then let it go? Rankin says that after years of nursing animals back to health, it's gratifying seeing them go to new homes. But she admits she tends to get attached to the foster animals that are involved in court cases.

Known a as "black tags", these cruelty-case animals can't be adopted until legal action is resolved, which can be months – plenty of time for a deep attachment.

Of course, if as a foster carer you find you can't bear to give up your foster pet, and have the time and commitment, it's always possible to adopt them yourself.

Balson affectionately calls these people "foster failures" and admits that she herself is an offender, her own former foster cats kindly deigning to share their home with a steady stream of temporary visitors.

Holly, whose loving new owner sent us a Christmas card and photo last week, is one of the lucky ones. Last year, the RSPCA was forced to euthanase 12,000 cats. The reality is that there's just not enough space or funds to provide for all, so without the hope offered by foster care, for many their lives will be brief.

The period from November to January is traditionally the worst with an extra 900 kittens coming into the RSPCA shelter due to the breeding season. And it's not just cats and dogs – the organisation fosters out everything from rodents to ponies.

Different rescue centres have different criteria, but to foster an animal through the RSCPA, you need to do a one-day information course.

If you're interested in fostering contact your local shelter.

Reference: www.news.com.au

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