Become a Foster Parent
Banjo & Bingo are waiting to be adopted
Fostering is very rewarding and is a great thing to do for animals waiting to be adopted. If you have any interest in fostering a dog, cat or kittens, please call or email VIPP today. This story by Terri Fletcher gives a little insight into fostering animals.
The Need for Foster Families
Often when I tell folks about our work with VIPP, fostering cats and kittens at the Fletcher household, their first response is “I could never foster because I would become too attached and end up with a house full of cats.” I used to say those very words. When Geoff and I lived in Austin, we pretty much avoided fostering for the rescue group that we volunteered for. We did a few short-term fostering stints, but we would hand off kittens as soon as possible to another foster home so not to get too attached.
Fast forward to our six years on Vashon and those words are a distant memory. Since we arrived in the spring of 2001, we have fostered close to 25 cats and kittens each year. Do we get attached? Of course we do, and there are some who have really tugged at our hearts like Thrifty, Doug Fir, Ivy and Fred. They all went on to fabulous homes. Out of all the cats and kittens we have fostered in four years only two have remained with us, and both of those were too shy to be adopted. These two cats also were accepted by our other cats, so they were able to stay on as part of our family.
The flip side of getting attached is adopting out our foster cats and kittens to loving families. It truly is a sweet experience to see adults and kids fall in love with a cat or kitten and know that the animal we have helped out is going off to a good home. We have some amazing foster families at VIPP, but because we don’t have a conventional shelter on Vashon, we always need more foster homes. The fostering may be for up to two months in the case of a new kitten. Or, sometimes we have cats that need to recover from surgery or and illness, and they need a foster home for a few weeks.
In an ideal world, we would not have a need for foster families. Cats and dogs on Vashon would be spayed or neutered and all pets would be microchipped or be wearing a collar with tags to identify the owner. Pet Protectors would be able to dedicate our time and resources to take in animals for families who, for whatever reason, are unable to continue to care for them, and ultimately place them in new homes.
If you have the time and a quiet indoor space to foster cats please email cats@vipp.org and we can give you advice and tips on what to expect when fostering. If you are able to foster a dog and you have a fenced area in your yard, email dogs@vipp.org or call Barbara Drinkwater at 567-5222. You will be giving a cat or dog a wonderful start to the next chapter in their lives.
Terri Fletcher
VIPP volunteer