Love of animals just one of many reasons to foster feline

When The Buddy Foundation finally became a 10,000-square-foot shelter with multiple cat rooms and living suites, we mistakenly thought we were well equipped to handle a multitude of feline situations. We did not anticipate how animals would suffer in this economy, becoming as disposable as household objects. Animals have been left piled at the door in cages, boxes or tied to the property.

Some of the cats left behind have had special needs. They may be aged, infirm, injured, sickly or just plain too young to survive without round-the-clock assistance. These felines that require extra attention are cats that we want to put in foster care. We are in need of some feline foster homes. While kitten season has not fully arrived, our foster homes are already almost filled to capacity.

Besides fostering just for the plain love of animals, why do people volunteer to foster? Some people may not want to take on the responsibilities of pet owning because of a busy lifestyle, whether it be work or personal reasons. When you foster, the commitment to a cat or a litter of kittens is not permanent. Besides, when you foster, the financial cost of veterinary care is not yours, but the shelter’s, unless you wish to make a donation. Your responsibility ends when the forever home is found or the animal is healthy enough or old enough to be placed with Buddy.

Can fostering lead to adopting? Sure it can, but not necessarily. Fostering is a good way to determine if that particular animal can be worked into your existing family or not, based on the cat’s interaction with your family, including existing animals.

Some families foster to introduce a youngster to the caring responsibility of the daily care an animal requires.

Buddy provides the supplies and medication to take care of animals that are aged, infirm or recovering post-surgical. Though Buddy has a beautiful shelter, the thought of one of our felines recovering in a home environment is much more appealing because of the extra love, attention and continuity of care.

With kitten season approaching, we will need bottle feeders for extra tiny kittens. Again, we provide the supplies, including mother’s replacement milk. If this is too time-consuming of a commitment for you, we also have kittens that can eat canned food or moistened dry mixed with replacement milk. Sometimes we have a mom cat with nursing kittens. In this situation, mom does most of the work for you.

For whatever reason people initially foster, the end result is an emotional, rewarding experience. Foster parents make a huge impact on moving an animal to good health and to their forever home. Foster care also assists the foundation in increasing its ability to care for more homeless animals in need. That translates to one more additional animal or animals that will not die alone on the streets. Please call or stop by the shelter to volunteer to be a foster parent or for more details.

Adoptables

Carmen is a blue tabby that is about 2 years old. She was rescued from an apartment complex parking lot after she was spotted by her rescuers dodging cars in the lot. This girl is friendly with loads of personality. She appears to be full-grown though she is petite. She will always have a big kitten look. She is a charmer and she knows it. She is also friendly with other felines.

Lucy is a 5-year-old Russian blue that came to The Buddy Foundation as a front-paw declaw. Lucy loves human attention and she actively lets you know she wants attention with her soft meowing. Her coloration and temperament are rare so if you have always wanted a Russian blue but could not afford one, act fast. We will not have her long. She is a real stunner.

Shelter Needs

We are always in need of clumping litter but lately we are running low on cat and kitten food, both canned and dry. Please help.

Rummage Sale

The location is 49 W. Rand Road (previously PetSmart in the Annex of Arlington). The dates of the sale are Thursday and Friday, June 7-8, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Drop-off dates for donations are Thursday, May 31, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We need donations but, please, we are not accepting exercise equipment, mattresses or computers.

Ÿ Contact The Buddy Foundation at (847) 290-5806; visit us at 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, or online at thebuddyfoundation.org.