Stacy Hurt, a fellow cat blogger, has been fostering kitties in an unofficial capacity her whole life – either caring for someone else’s cat or perhaps a stray. But in an official capacity, Stacy has been fostering for about two years for MeoowzResQ. She currently is a “vacation foster” – which means she cares for cats whose foster parents are away, or for kitties that are waiting for their “permanent” foster home.

In the past two years, Stacy has fostered 20 cats, not including all of the “vacation” kitties!

Stacy shares with us her fostering experience

How did you get into fostering?
After I attended my first BlogPaws event I felt I could do more (than just be a go-between good Samaritan), so I took a litter as soon as I got back.

Have you had any foster fails?
Two! One was a kitten from that first litter; the family was moving out of state and didn’t want to take her (a year later). So they contacted MeoowzResQ and asked if I would take her back until they found a foster. My wee Siamese never left after that. As soon as I picked her up, I promised her she could stay forever. The next foster fail was one that I was only a vacation foster for; but as soon as I brought him in the house my adult daughter and her boyfriend fell in love with the little ginger darling who is now ‘Bruce’.

How many of your own cats do you have?
I have three now including the Foster Fail.

Any other pets or other foster species in the house?
I am fostering a gorgeous Corn Snake for some friends who are teaching ESL in Spain for a year. His name is Linus. I set up an Instagram account just for him called ‘yourweeklycorn’ so his owners can see him and share with their students.

What surprised you the most about fostering?
How there’s always room in my house and my heart for ‘just one more’.

What is the best part about fostering?
All the LOVE.

What is the worst part about fostering?
Saying goodbye.

What do you think most non-cat people would be surprised to learn about fostering?
About all the different personalities in cats. So many think you can just toss a bunch together and it ain’t no thing. But we know that’s a recipe for disaster if you don’t do it right. Non-cat folks would probably be surprised at how loving and social cats really are in the right environment.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about fostering?
Open lines of communication with your rescue. Get all the info first. Vets’ names, contact info, etc. MAKE SURE you keep all new kitties segregated from existing ones until their tests are done!

What’s a typical morning routine with the fosters like?
Up; feeding; litter box clean. Then I go to work. At home in the evening – feed dinner, check boxes again. Playtime!!

How much litter and food do you think you go through on a monthly basis?
144 cans of Fancy Feast monthly between four cats. Two large tubs of litter from Petco.

If you have other cats in the house, do you keep the fosters separated?
Separated at first; then if cats are amenable, introductions. I try for full integration for long-term fosters. But as I now just do vacation fostering, it’s best to keep them separated for the short period I have them.

What’s a fun stat you can share?
Two separate two-gallon water dishes; 8 food dishes; one terrarium; one Ornj scaled member and two Ornj furred members; one TubbyTuxie and one Meezertude.

Do you have a favorite foster story to share?
Winston and Cosmo. Winston is a grey tabby and his sister Cosmo is tortie. Winston had found a couple and they had him less than 11 hours before returning him, as he cried when left alone. (Little wonder; he’d been bonded to his sister and spent all his time on my lap.) They had him overnight and said he still cried. When he came back, I very nearly kept him as he is really a special kitty; but alas, my daughter’s ex’s mom was looking for a bonded pair. She came and met them and fell instantly in love. She still sends me text messages of them and I visit them in Irvine when I can.

And just for fun…

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia

Do you have any pet peeves?
No, I have enough pets as it is.

Do you have any hobbies or interests?
I am a textile artist, calligrapher, painter and quilter. (In addition to my day job.)

You’re stuck on a deserted island with only one cat friend – Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub or Maru?
Maru!!! He’s the only one making his name for his behavior and not his physical aberration.

Do you have a favorite rescue organization or charity?
Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org)

Thank you to Stacy for sharing her fostering experience with us! You can follow along in Stacy’s fostering, pet blogging and artistic endeavors via her pet blog, artist site, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

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