Samantha's Foster Home for Cats
I would like a pet, and my apartment building allows them, so I have considered the option. I really don't have the patience to walk a dog regularly, and I don't have a yard for one, so these considerations usually focus on pets of the feline variety. However, I am currently unable to pay for my own rent/bills/etc, and it would be very unfair to
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Why?
1. Most apartments require a significant pet deposit in addition to the security deposit (usually enough money to completely replace the carpeting once you're gone).
2. Have you ever socialized a stray cat before? How much experaience do you have with cats? Have you ever owned one before?
3. They actually require MORE attention than dogs. You really can't leave them alone for more than 8-10 hours without understanding that they will then decide that you're either dead or abandoned them. It's quite confusing for them. This is even worse if you have a kitten. They can't be left alone for more than 2 hours.
4. You'll still have to feed the cat and be responsible for any medical emergencies.
5. You'll have to get toys, litter pans, food, and any the other accoutrement required for cats.
6. If you get an unaltered male, be prepared to have him mark everything in your apartment with a smell that won't ever come out.
7. Your lifestyle isn't ready for a pet.
8. You don't really have the viable income required for something like a cat.
9. Cat's can live for 20+ years (my wife's family has a habit of adopting these ones).
10. If you get a cat that's FIP+/FIV+ you'd have to throw away everything that cat came in contact with before you could foster another one. The viruses are transmitted via saliva and can be airborne in the enviorment as well. You'd risk infecting any other cat brought into your home.
I know that the above reasons are harsh, but it's the truth. I've seen too many pets abandoned because their families thought that they were ready for the commitment, but really weren't. I read your journal, and see what you go through, or at least what you tell us, and I don't think you're really ready for a cat at this point in your life.
If you really want to house an animal, make it something small that requires slightly less effort, like a guinea pig or hamster. Something large like a cat takes more effort to really keep than I think you have to give.
As a last point, I'd say that if you REALLY think you want to go through with it, find a shelter first. Volunteer there for a few months, and see what it's like to really have an animal around, and be around them. Don't just jump into fostering because unless you've raised kittens before, and you really know what you're dong with adult cats, you could wind up hurting both of you...
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2. Shelter cats are not necessarily strays. A lot of them are abandoned or given up from homes when families move or even just grow bored of them. I would make sure that the rescue group gave me cats that were not wild.
3. I would ask for cats that are not kittens, because I do not know about kitten training, specifically. These cats would also be litter box trained. I work 8 hours on the days I work, and would be able to come home and play with the cat before and after.
4. True, that would of course be the main responsibility. But it's not a problem.
5. Toys, yes. Litter pans, food, and other accouterments are provided by the rescue people.
6. All cats at this program are already spayed/neutered.
7. I disagree.
8. Again, that's why I would be fostering.
9. Yes, again, that's why I'd be fostering. I'd have a cat for a week or month at a time, not 20+ years.
10. All cats in this rescue program have been tested for FIP/FIV and they are not positive for the diseases. It was specifically on a sign when I first came across the organization.
And, so you know, I have had a cat my entire life, except since moving to L.A. Tis was our cat when I was growing up, and he sadly died about a year after we got our dog, when I was in the 4th grade. Then a short while later we got our new cat, Kimber, who got along with our dog famously, and is still living with my parents in Maryland. I am familiar with having cats around and what goes into their care. And, actually, we did raise Kimber from a kitten, although I was young enough that I don't remember the specifics of it, and my mom did most of the work.
Also, it seems you're under the impression that I would be adopting a cat, from your comments about the cats living 20+ years and the statistics of them being abandoned due to people who can't commit. The wonderful thing, it seems, about this foster program is that I would have the opportunity to get more experience with caring for cats without the expense or a permanent obligation. Which counters about half of your arguments right there.
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