Foster Cat Rudy

I haven't fostered any cats for awhile. My last foster was over the summer, and into the fall, and her name was Bear. She was very fearful and it took a really long time for her to be comfortable. I had her almost 4 months and I'm happy to say she ended up going to a wonderful home.

My most recent foster was named Spaz, and he was another fearful guy. The shelter manager always ends up giving me black cats, and now it's a joke because pretty much every black cat that comes in that needs a foster, I think she pretty much just picks me :)

Spaz was a small guy of only 6 months and he was a hisser. He would hiss out of fear, and was never aggressive. But, he really loved "rough" (strong) petting up around his head, neck and ears. And no joke, the first time I got him to purr, I shed a tear. He was with me for about a week when I wrote a bio for him that we put up on the website:


Meet RUDY! Rudy is a 6 month old guy who is quite shy. Don't be deterred by the nervous hiss he may give you at first, as he is incredibly loving and sweet. While not a lap cat, once he is comfortable with you he enjoys hard scratches and petting up around his head and ears, and he'll eat treats right out of your hand! He has the deepest purr and will lean in for more while kneading his paws into the ground, and when he really trusts you, he'll give you that oh so rewarding head boop (a sign of love in the cat community!). He let's you know when he's had enough by scooting away to a quiet corner. Rudy would do well in a quiet home and would be fine with other cats and calm dogs as long as he is given time to adjust. He'll do fine with older, quiet kids who will go slow around him and let him get comfortable. Rudy is in a foster home getting some extra lovin' and getting acclimated to family life. Email us at info@lowellhumanesociety.org if you'd like to schedule a time to meet this fella at the shelter (and take him home!)

Also, the shelter manager was kind enough to let me rename him (let's be honest, Spaz is a pretty crummy name!). Rudy is the name I have picked out if we ever find a male Boston Terrier to add to our family.

Well, a few days after the bio was posted the shelter got a call that someone wanted to meet him! I brought Rudy to the shelter and talked with the girl who was interested. It was going to be her first pet so she had a lot of general questions, and I helped her as best as I could. I explained how I would sit and talk to him in a quiet voice and explained about his hiss, that it was fear based and not aggression based. She told me she is a rape counselor so she knew a lot about talking softly and giving someone (in this case an animal) time. I thought it was a really good fit and then she told me that what drew her to Rudy was the bio on the website! I have to be honest, it felt so good to know that what I wrote was what made her to decide to call.

I'm happy to report that Rudy (who she will probably rename Freud, but that's ok, it's still better than Spaz) was adopted and is now living the good life in his forever home :)

xoxo

Bear's New Owner

As many of you know I foster cats for Lowell Humane Society. It's often tough for me to get to the shelter because of other commitments, so it's great that I can help out in this way and it is so very rewarding, for both the cat and for me :)

My longest foster, named Bear, went to her new home yesterday. A woman reached out to the shelter when she saw Bear because she reminded her of her Persian that she lost last year after 17 wonderful years together. His name was Baron, and she used to call him Bear! When she lost Baron it was very hard and she didn't think she could have another cat, but when she saw Bear I think she knew it was time.

We communicated back and forth via email a bit and it really sounded like the perfect match. Well, it was! Here is the email I received from Stacy after she adopted Bear:

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Hi Crystal,

I don't know if they told you yet, but I picked up Bear today. She has done great so far. She slept in my niece's arms the whole car ride home, and then until about 9pm tonight as well. She seemed a little nervous when she walked into the house, but she seems ok when we are holding her. I had her in my arms until I came upstairs a little while ago. The shelter gave me a bed for her that looks like a padded cube with a hole in the front. She seems to like sleeping in there after I introduced her to it. She is in it on the end of my bed right in front of me now. I put her feather toy from you in there with her, hoping something she loves that is familiar will make her feel secure. She also seemed to like one of the leather recliners, she jumped in there a couple of times. I hope she has a good night. Our house is a little big, so I hope she doesn't get overwhelmed. I am sure she can also smell some of the spots my cat Baron "marked" (we are still "finding" his spots on warm days, and trying to clean them, but after 17 years, there are many lol), so I am sure she knows this is a cat-friendly house haha. I went to Petsmart and got her a new purple collar with a flower and bell on it so I can try to keep track of her when she hides.

I will send some pictures tomorrow. Thank you so much for taking such good care of her. You are an angel. I am sure she misses you and your family (even the dog lol). I promise to take good care of her.
*************


And here are the photos Stacy sent me today :)

The one with the picture of the feather lying outside of the bed just cracks me up, as every time I'd give her that to play with, she'd take another feather off- pretty impressive since she doesn't have many teeth.


This folks, is how I know I chose the right profession. All the feels.

xoxo