All my life, I’ve been an animal lover. When I was young, if you had asked my family what they thought I would grow up to be, I’m sure they would have told you a veterinarian.
Our family dog was one of my best friends growing up, I loved watching Animal Planet, and I made the decision to become a vegetarian at the age of 10.
So it was no surprise to anyone that, as an adult, I have a home full of fur babies. We have one dog and three adorable cats. Even though our animals are rescues, I have always wanted to do more for the animals in our community.
I started by giving back monetarily. 10% of the profits from all print & album sales made through my business are donated to local animal rescues in the community.
It was a great start, but not enough for me; I wanted to do more. With some convincing (okay, a lot of convincing), I talked Matt into fostering a litter of kittens through a local rescue.
Fostering has been the most fulfilling, rewarding journey. I won’t lie. It came with some adjustments, but don’t all of life’s changes come with an adjustment period?
Those purs and little mews make everything worth it.
So what does my day-to-day look like as a foster? Once we worked our foster schedule into our routines, it was easy to adjust. We have a separate spare bedroom set up as a ‘Kitten Room.’ It has all of their food, water, toys, litter box, and other goodies for them. They spend most of their time in this room and do a great job entertaining themselves. Since we foster kittens, a little more medical attention is required. They receive dewormer and vaccines every other week for 12 weeks, but other than that, they are very easy to manage. Here’s what our daily routine looks like:
8:00 am – 9:00 am
I let the kittens out to explore the rest of the upstairs while I work out. They love to chase each other and explore our bedroom. They usually swarm me for cuddles for the first 15 minutes after I let them out. Then, after they’ve gotten enough attention, they start playing & chasing each other. They like to climb all over me during yoga. After about an hour, I put them back into their kitten room.
12:00 – 12:30 pm
I usually let the kittens out again around lunchtime. I’ll let them out while I fold & put away some laundry upstairs. Once I’m done, I put them back into their kitten room.
5:00 – 6:00 pm
I let them out to play for another hour in the evening. I’ll watch TV or read a book during this time.
9:30 – 10:00 pm
We like to let them out one last time before we go to bed. We typically let them play around for half an hour and then feed them their wet food right before we put them in their room for the rest of the night.
That’s what our daily routine looks like with a litter of foster kittens!
One of the most commonly asked questions we get about fostering is if it’s hard to give them away in the end. Of course, it is! But it makes it much easier knowing they’re going to wonderful homes. If it weren’t for fosters opening their homes, so many animals would be left in shelters or homeless.
If you’re like me and feel compelled to help animals in need, here are some things you can do to help:
Apply To Be a Foster – You can set your own terms. Foster a cat, dog, or litter of puppies or kittens. Whatever works for you. If you’ve ever been interested in fostering, I encourage you to apply and see how rewarding the process can be. We foster through Rescued Treasures Pet Adoptions. You can apply to be a foster here.
Make a Donation – Donations help to pay for vet bills which can add up. Any amount helps! We foster through Rescued Treasures Pet Adoptions. You can make a donation here.
Adopt a Pet – Are you looking for your own fur baby? Adopt one! You would be saving a life by choosing to adopt rather than shop.
