"Making a difference on Virginia's Northern Neck, one cat at a time"

1. “I DON’T HAVE THE SPACE” —All it takes is a small spare bedroom or office, a bathroom, or even a corner where you can set up a kitty playpen condo. 
 

2. “I MIGHT GET ATTACHED” — OK, yes, you might. But no matter how difficult it is to let your kitty go to a new home, just knowing that you’re helping to save a life should ease any short-term pain. When you take in a foster cat, it gives us room to help other cats. It also lets us learn more about a cat’s personality which, in turn, makes the cat much easier to adopt out. Yes, some cats are harder to bring back than others, but be strong! You can do it!

 

3. “MY OWN CATS WON’T TOLERATE A FOSTER CAT, ESPECIALLY AN ADULT” — If you have a separate room, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. Yes, your cat(s) will know there is another cat in the house, and they may be a little upset about it at first. But chances are they’ll get over it pretty quickly, especially if you make sure you wash your hands after visiting with the foster cat and keep the cats from seeing each other if possible. Eventually, they will be totally nonchalant about the whole idea of fostering.

4. “I CAN’T AFFORD TO TAKE ANOTHER CAT” — This one is easy! You can get all your food and litter from GRI, if you like, and GRI covers all medical expenses associated with foster cats!

 

5. “A FOSTER CAT MIGHT GET MY OWN CATS SICK” — If you follow basic health protocols, such as washing your hands between handling cats and wearing an over-shirt when handling the foster cat, you shouldn’t have any problems. A sick cat should be kept in a separate room, and bedding/clothing should be washed with bleach after use. We are also happy to provide you with a bottle of heavy-duty kennel disinfectant for cleaning if you like!
 

6. “SOMEONE ELSE WILL SAY YES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER FOSTER HOMES” — They won’t and there aren’t. It’s that simple. We have lots of folks who will take kittens, but very few who will take adults, and even fewer who will take sick, feral, and/or otherwise quarantined cats. Please help us! Kittens are easy for us to place. But our poor adults need help too.
 

7. “I ALREADY HAVE A FOSTER CAT” — All right. Well, this gets you partly off the hook. But wouldn’t your foster kitty like a friend?

 

8. ADOPTABLE PETS ARE COUNTING ON YOU! — Fostering provides an invaluable service to Garfield’s Rescue, Inc.  Fosters are always needed and fostering is immensely rewarding.