Their Journey Home

By: Barbra Kaine, PAL Foster Care Provider

Someone recently asked me why I choose to foster instead of adopting animals. I looked down at my beautiful, aging Labrador. She is thirteen and in the last seven months, she has lost one brother to cancer and another (her actual sibling – they were litter mates) to an accident. She is ailing, and while she often enjoys the quiet of an almost empty home, she also misses the company of other pets. Fostering allows me to provide that for her.

After thinking on this question for a moment longer, I answered that I have adopted and raised three big dogs from puppyhood. We have moved with two of the from Alabama to Alaska and then with three of them back to Alabama. With just a few years to go until retirement from the military, it will be easier to make the transition with fewer pets to consider.

I also reflected on the pets I have fostered for PAL. First, I thought about my two hospice cats. While some people may be hesitant to bring a dying cat into their home, for me there was no better option. I knew I could take them out of the shelter and bring them home where their last few weeks on earth could be comfortable and joyful. My two hospice cats let me know I had done the right thing when they joined me on the couch to snuggle and purr.

The other two cats I have fostered for PAL were two of sixty-five cats rescued from a hoarding situation. My task was to socialize them. Shy at first, they eventually adapted to the household. They were in my home for a month before returning to PAL where they were both adopted. This experience taught me how loving and resilient cats truly are!  

Foster care providers help make a rescue animal’s path easier, more pleasant and full of love. The hardest part about fostering is growing to love an animal that you will have to give up. I admit, there is a sadness that comes when it’s time to part with a foster pet, but it is eclipsed by the pure joy you have in knowing you were a crucial part of their journey home.

To become a PAL Foster visit: www.PalmettoAnimalLeague.org/foster