|
DaChurl posted:I've already got a pug, and I know he'd love to have other goofy snort-dogs around to play with. However, my husband and I both work 9-5 jobs and I know separation anxiety can be a really common issue among foster dogs. Is it worth it to try and foster if we can't check in on the dogs every few hours? We've fostered a dog, and though it was great, it was very time consuming and he did not do well on his own. The short answer is this is a big bowl of YMMV. If you sign up as a foster, and make it clear to the organization between 8-6 the house will be empty, they'll make sure to get you a pup that they think can handle it. Most of the time, that'll mean crating as they will only have a limited concept of the dog. If, when you get home, you can give the dog attention, it'll probably be just fine in most cases. But your best bet is too just call up an organization and talk to them about your situation. Chili fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Jun 7, 2016 |
#
¿
Jun 7, 2016 03:14
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 21, 2024 08:17 |
|
|
Yeah, that can be tough. It's awesome that there are five of them, gives then way better odds. Have fun wipin dem butts!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 7, 2016 11:55
|
|
|
DaChurl posted:Thanks for the link! That's a good point, I guess I wasn't thinking about how much work the rescues do to make sure dogs are placed in good situations for them. Good deal, and if you have other questions feel free to PM me. I'm happy to talk more about the whole thing if it'll help you build up your nerve. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 7, 2016 20:26
|
|
|
We finally got around to giving Butterscotch his first catnip toy. The results were hilarious, and I unfortunately missed the best bit at first, but here's what I managed to get. It's got a twist ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa2VQ3T0N1U
|
|
#
¿
Jun 8, 2016 02:24
|
|
|
Looking at back at this video almost has me misty eyed, he's essentially doing the same thing but can hardly move in comparison to now, after losing the 7 pounds. So proud of him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMMiwrzYCP8
|
|
#
¿
Jun 8, 2016 04:05
|
|
|
SneakyFrog posted:Its thin and dirty as poo poo with an eye infucktion at least Jesus, you just find all these things?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2016 17:05
|
|
|
LivesInGrey posted:I just woke up to feed the Sailor Kittens and found Mars dead in the bottom of their cage. He was fine a few hours ago before I went to bed, so I have no idea what could have happened unless it was related to him generally not growing as well as his siblings. One of the main reasons I wanted to set up this thread was to provide support to folks like you. Trust me, if you foster long enough, the worst eventually happens. When it does, it's one of the worst feelings in the world. Try to take it as easy on yourself as possible and know that when kittens are separated from their mother, their odds always drop. If you ask yourself if you could do more, of course you could have. You could have sat with the kittens all day and given them every single bit of attention you had.... but it probably wouldn't have helped in the end. Sometimes, they just don't make it. The next important step, which I'm guessing you've already taken, is contacting the shelter and seeing how they'd like you to proceed from here. Since the unfortunate occurred so quickly, they'll likely want to rule out panleukopenia. After that, however, please accept my gratitude for giving your time and compassion to creatures weaker and needier than yourself. You gave Mars a safe and warm place and made sure that his brief live was one filled with kindness and comfort. You are a good person. We love you for what you do. If you'd like to chat outside of the thread, feel free to PM me. If you are happy with the shelter you foster through, if you'd like, please post a link to their site here, or PM it to me. I'd like to make a small donation in memory of Mars. Keep on going!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2016 14:18
|
|
|
cat_herder posted:I'm LivesInGrey's wife. I feel like absolute poo poo because I think I was the last one to feed him before he died. Mars had been looking like poo poo for a while, both he and Venus had me super worried, but I didn't know what to do except keep feeding him, keep the water and free food topped off, and hope for the best. I'm still really worried about Venus, she's not nearly as active as her siblings (she's apparently wrestling with them rn though), but I don't know what else to do for them. Rose might want us to bring her in for a panleukopenia check (idk how this is done, I didn't know that was A Thing That Happens), right now she just wants us to bring Mars in for possible necropsy. Yeah, panleuk is just about the worst thing in the world for a foster owner to deal with. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, because the consequences can be devastating. To best prepare please do make sure that your adult cats get nowhere near those kittens. As soon as they rule out panleuk, you can take a deep breath and relax a little. If you happen to notice any of the kittens sitting still, above a water dish with their heads somewhat drooped over the bowl.... that's one of the telltale signs of panleuk, so keep an eye out for that. Anyway, as I told your partner, feel free to reach out if you'd like to talk. From one foster to another, thank you, even though you're dealing with poo poo right now, please now that your compassion is inspiring! Also, as I think we all need a pick me up, I'd like to share with you guys the most recent development in Butterscotch's quest for lap domination. Since I've been home on medical leave, he's gotten insanely attached to me. It started a few weeks ago when I posted pictures of him trying to overtake my laptop. I made the mistake of picking him up when he was sleeping on the keyboard and put him on my lap. Suddenly, that has become the place to be. It started with him loafing for a minute or two, then he'd striaght up fall asleep on his side. But now it's come to this:  Look at that baby. Look at that big fat baby.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2016 19:38
|
|
|
When I get home tonight, I'm going to update the OP with all of the active fosters itt. If you'd like to included, or not, feel free to post one way or the other. If I hear nothing from you, you're going in the OP.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2016 23:37
|
|
|
JackMann posted:Chili, I really appreciate the work you do as a fosterer. That said, I'm also really glad that Butterscotch is your forever cat. He is too. He's such a tub. OP list has been made: List of Foster Goons, Shelter Volunteers, and Feral Animal Magnets! If you're not on this list, and would like to be, feel free to post or PM me. If you'd like to be removed, same thing.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2016 03:33
|
|
|
Alteisen posted:I use to foster terminally ill pets and after the 4th one I was so utterly destroyed and heartbroken that I simply couldn't carry on, despite knowing full well what I was getting myself to I still became very attached. I finally got around to fully processing this. What? That sounds like the most devastating thing to do in the world. Will you elaborate a little on the process? You don't have to get into specifics if it's too tough to talk about. How long would these pets be fostered for? And jeez, please consider yourself champion of the thread. Cythereal posted:How's he doing on the weight loss? Unfortunately, it's a little tricky weighing him now. He's a little too wiggly for my wife to hold him steady on the scale as she's smaller, and with one of my feet in an immobilizing boot, I'd have to weigh him on on foot, which can be tricky. Pretty sure it's business as usual with regards to his weight loss. I'm guessing that the pound-a-month trajectory will likely continue until he hits about twenty pounds. At that point, I'll have to start a kickstarter to get him a tummy tuck or something (do they even do that for cats?) because there's just no way he's going to get much lower than 20 with all of that extra skin on him. Also, he's able to access higher and higher places each week. I'm worried about the day when I find him on our kitchen counter. That day will be the worst day you guys. He'll get his stupid butterfluff over the counters and will eat our pizzas while they cook. I'll certainly be proud of him once he can make it, but it'll suck. For now, my guess would be he's at around 22.5.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2016 06:44
|
|
|
Alteisen posted:So yea, sorry for the downer of a post but since you asked, if you are interested in caring for terminally ill pets make sure you're made of pretty stern stuff because its amazing how they worm their way into your hearts regardless of the time spent with you. Not a downer post at all. It's inspiring, like others have said, thanks for being there. I don't think I have it in me to do it myself.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2016 09:45
|
|
|
That deployment thing sounds like an awesome gig. I say go for it! Also, my house is now kittenless, so have a butterscotch everyone: 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2016 19:05
|
|
|
Neddy Seagoon posted:Did... did Butterscotch eat them? He's looking heftier than usual Haha, he's still down in weight, it's just an unflattering angle. Since his belly is blindingly uniformly white, it's nearly impossible to tell where it begins and ends. Also, so much of what you're seeing there is extra skin. If I reached out and grabbed his belly, right before he mauled me I could easily pull up a flap several inches up. He's never going to look trim, he'll always be a big dumb goof. Though I know that there is some kind of possible way to do skin removal, I imagine it's wholly unnecessary and expensive, so he'll always have some butter on him. Alteisen posted:So I spoke at length about my experiences fostering and there's one thing I wanted to touch on, something I'm sure you're all aware and have had experiences with and that's the state of mind. You cool with me adding this to the OP? It's super important and you continue to be an MVP of the thread.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2016 03:18
|
|
|
Thanks bud! OP updated with your quote and this: Basically, if you foster for long enough, you're going to run into some tough situations. Many of the lovely goons listed below can attest to that fact. Should the worst occur you will naturally deal with some of the stages of grief and you will invariably be very hard on yourself. What we're doing here is compiling a resource not just for the betterment of the animals, but for ourselves too. I'm a social worker. I know just how important self-care is for ensuring good care of others. This thread is a place to not just ask for help, but to ask for support as well. I've been so happy to see this thread evolve into a place where people have been helping each other! ____________ I'm posting that here to remind you all to feel free to post if you need help. This thread has been massively encouraging and inspiring and there's a lot of wisdom floating around. Also, if your request is a bit sensitive and you'd rather keep it out of the thread, you can PM me.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2016 04:24
|
|
|
It's interesting, because the truth of the matter is, no matter how many times we tell ourselves that we helped, contributed, or supported an animal in need, we all know that it goes both ways. I won't say that animals know they're looking after us, but we certainly do derive an awful lot from having them around. Pet ownership is a really weird thing that way. I've lost plenty of pets throughout my life, including a recent foster kitten last year. Part of my eventual acceptance of the situation was in acknowledging that some of what I was feeling was guilt over being selfish. I didn't just feel like a failure, part of me felt like I was abandoned too. hosed up though it may sound, it's the truth. As is often the case for me, I found out how I felt when I was listening to a song. This song in particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itTJhMSDe3U Something about the lyric "Dying's just another way to leave the ones you love" was what ultimately snapped it into focus for me. I'll never forget the road I was driving on when it came on in my car. A lot of my feelings around that loss were, and remain, confusing. I'm still working on it but ultimately, I'm at a place now where I marvel at the beauty of how we all deal with grief. In a way, it's kind of beautiful. We all have our process and no process is wrong. So, Alteisen, while your journey was a long and tough one, you didn't make any mistakes. You couldn't possibly know how you would handle that specific loss. You took some chances and tried to help. It's important for people to self-assess and confirm their readiness as you said. There is, however, nothing wrong with how you dealt with your grief. I just wish we could have been there to help you.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2016 06:10
|
|
|
When I get home tonight I'm going to put together a super happy post, if that's ok with y'all. I don't want to discourage potential fosters, the overwhelming majority of time, it's nothing but happy times!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2016 18:59
|
|
|
OK, so my house is currently devoid of fosters as I'm still healing up from my surgery. It's a ton of work, and it can be a pain to foster sometimes, but I really miss it. I do have some Butterpictures though! He's holding steadfast to his title of personal guardian.  But sometimes, he falls asleep on the job.  We're pretty good at freaking out would be interlopers though.  (sorry for the selfy but I don't have much more recent stuff on hand.)
|
|
#
¿
Jun 27, 2016 20:53
|
|
|
Alirght, everyone. I need help. What shape is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrX2S8eSNH0
|
|
#
¿
Jun 28, 2016 23:15
|
|
|
I didn't stage this. But I won't try and convince you all that I'm telling the truth.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 30, 2016 17:39
|
|
|
Pork, what everyone else said is correct. Keep that up! And thanks for the weight gain recipe, another tool for the OP. Thanks again to everyone for continuing to make this a great resource!
|
|
#
¿
Jul 2, 2016 21:50
|
|
|
As per usual, go with what Sneaky Frog said. Those traps can be very effective/safe. Also, Butterscotch wishes you all a good morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TpQLMeOIak
|
|
#
¿
Jul 6, 2016 18:48
|
|
|
Well, it's finally happened. My two month layabout has convinced Butterscotch that I'm a bed. This is pretty much my default now. Also, I present notamused.jpg 
Chili fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Jul 21, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Jul 21, 2016 20:49
|
|
|
Sometimes, it's just about reframing. When I lost my first foster kitty, it was incident heartbreaking. One of the things that helped me a lot, though, was my forever cat, Monty. He had befriended the kitty as much as I've ever seen him befriend a kitty. As we prepared the kitty we lost, he snuck into her room and while we weren't looking he started sneaking bites of her dinner. Got a good laugh out of us that he just didn't seem to give the tiniest of fucks. It helps to remember, sometimes, that the sadness and grief we feel is part of what makes the human experience special and complex. Animals, most of them anyway, are focused on the moment. The moments you provided for an animal in need made the animal as totally happy as possible. And now? There's no pain. Hold on to the memory as long as you need or want to. Your time and efforts are appreciated by the folks in this thread, and are truly inspiring. But perhaps take even more comfort in the more simple and direct notion that under your care a cat had good moments, and then suddenly, relief. Anyway, I hope this isn't too hippy dippy, but I love you all. I have weird anxiety all the time about all of the animals out there that NEED my help and aren't getting it. Sometimes reminding myself that they are more closely connected to pure nature helps me feel better. But recently, it's thinking about all of you, doing your bit that's helped me. So, thanks for that.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 1, 2016 14:11
|
|
|
ACES CURE PLANES posted:But you can have too little cat tree*, so it's better to err on the side of bigger than you need. *Ahem*   And I'll have you know that when he's in there, he's in his "butter forest."
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2016 03:25
|
|
|
Alteisen posted:I need this, where'd you get this cat tree? I got it here: http://home.woot.com/offers/armarkat-cat-trees-your-choice-1 Typically their site is awful but the deal was so good that we went for it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2016 12:16
|
|
|
ACES CURE PLANES posted:Yes! It worked! I really really wanted to see Butters on a cat tree. He sometimes is able to get his butter up on to that second podium. When this happens, it is pure magic. He covers the entire surface and it looks like he's hovering. He'll only do that once a month or so, if we're lucky and we never see him get up there, so we have no idea how he does it. I will do my best to capture it next time. I'm not sure if he'll ever be able to get much higher than that though. We took him in for a check up and they were over the moon with his progress. He's down to an even 22 and the optimistic, yet realistic, goal is that by the end of this year he could be all the way down to 18 pounds. At that point, it's likely that losing anymore will be difficult on its own. I then asked the question that I didn't want the answer to; is there some kind of surgical procedure to remove excess skin from cats who were spoiled by grandma's and were once 30 pounds? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. "Unfortunately" because though they didn't know what the exact price would be, it's likely it would be expensive and probably out of our budget. The vet did express some concern that his excess skin and pouch may end up drooping so much that he steps on it, and that would obviously not be pleasant for him, and in turn not pleasant for us as he's more than willing to express himself when he's unhappy. It's a little frustrating knowing that we're doing the best we can for him, and everything is going well, but there may be a big ol buttery problem at the end of this road. Hopefully, it'll be a nonissue and the skin tightens up enough, but the way his lower pouch already skims the floor.... uch, I'm just not going to think about it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2016 19:52
|
|
|
Good on you for taking in an awesome cat! As for names, she looks a lot like a Truffles to me.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 5, 2016 02:34
|
|
|
Alteisen posted:So I had a question for the fosters here since you have so much experience with multiple pets and obviously sending to forever homes or back to their shelters. Of course. And it happens in similar fashion with me. I've gotten to the point that taking litters back is just kind of a thing that happens.... but every now and then I get a Tic Tac. Posted about her awhile ago, but in case you don't remember Tic Tac was this little bugger: Chili posted:GUYS GUYS I mean come on, just look at the little cravat! I cried some good tears over saying goodbye to that one. And of course if I had the resources I'd jump after every one of those feelings, but I've got 2.75 cats to deal with as it is and we want to keep on helping when we can. I will say, and I'm sure if it were possible you would've gone for it, adopting out the special ones to your friends is awesome. We have a couple of softies in our pocket who we will definitely nudge when one of those special ones rolls around. It's super awesome getting to keep track of their progress and such. But anyway, I totally get where you're coming from, and the occasional big bummer stretch of time can be part of doing business. Fortunately, Katie is generally able to cope with moving on much better than I am so she balances me out. That definitely helps.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 5, 2016 03:11
|
|
|
Yeah, what those guys said. And it's awesome that you're considering a bonded pair. The shelter will love you for taking an adult boned pair if you end up going that route. They are typically the hardest to get adopted out.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 5, 2016 04:53
|
|
|
Oy vey. Phone posting has bested me yet again.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 5, 2016 05:00
|
|
|
Boogalo posted:I almost posted pics but figured I flooded the other cat threads enough but yeah, Milly hasn't graced this one yet. What a pretty bugger! Also, good morning everyone!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6kJONmjqkM
|
|
#
¿
Aug 6, 2016 15:35
|
|
|
JackMann posted:I haven't replied before this because I haven't dealt with it, but I wanted to say I hope your cat's doing okay. Thanks for bumping, I missed that post. Alteisen, cursory googling indicates that stomatitis looks horrible. Has your kitty gotten vet attention?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 12, 2016 02:22
|
|
|
So I'm seeing a bit of bad news peppering up again, and while I do love the support we share for each other, it's important to remember that there are a lot of success stories! Most of the time fostering is a delightful and enriching experience. Remember, Butterscotch started off as a foster and he's a success! Well, he's at least been a success at ruining our lives. Here's a story: Last night, I got out of bed at around 3, with my wife and Butterscotch fast asleep next to me. I left my laptop on knowing I'd be right back. I was just getting a quick drink of water. When I returned:  I swear he would've stayed like this for hours. Dude was loving out. Why didn't he? Well, his resistance to strobe-induced nausea is not shared with my wife who woke up shortly thereafter and had to run to the bathroom to puke. Thanks, Butterscotch, you're a true American hero.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 13, 2016 22:55
|
|
|
ZoeDomingo posted:Thanks, folks! Naturally, the thread has already provided you with a lot of top tier guidance. One other quick tip. Get a kitten uniform. I do this and it's the best. Loose fitting sweats, put them on over whatever you're wearing before you interact with the kittens, interact with kittens, leave space, shed the uniform, leave the uniform in a point by door. Trust me on this. Sweats are a kitty's best friend. Chili fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Aug 25, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2016 02:29
|
|
|
LivesInGrey posted:As a present to our permanent cats for dealing with this year's crop of kittens, we bought them a new, taller cat tree. Let's see if future babies are willing to climb up six feet to harass them. You know the answer to that.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2016 11:28
|
|
|
Tamarillo posted:Re: trimming kittens claws just remember they are tiny and wee at the moment so not having claws to climb is going to really curtail their upward mobility for everything. Generally that's a good thing - our legs were certainly less painful - but we felt bad after clipping our fosters nails and watching them slam into the bed and couch repeatedly trying and failing to climb them. Yeah. Can't say it's something we've ever done. Also, you have to remember that when cats are babies they're learning all of their social behaviors by interacting with their littermates. So while it may seem like it would be a good idea to trim their nails and keep them from hurting each other, what you really want is for kitten a to scratch kitten b and then for kitten b to go all "oh no you didn't" and scratch him back. That's how they grow up not to be tremendous assholes. Letting them keep the tools to cause harm now will make them more peaceful later. But like I said earlier. Get kitten armor. Loose fitting sweats.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2016 13:01
|
|
|
Pooping a kitten is an art, not a science. It can be really tricky and no two kitties are the same. It just comes down to patience, unfortunately, but you will magically get better at it the more you do it. As others have said, kittens, especially this young when separated from their mothers are up against some really nasty odds.If they aren't around littermates, it gets even dicier. One of the more overlooked elements of kittens thriving is in keeping them stimulated. They need attention and lots of it. Cuddles, and things moving around in front of their eyes is really important. Keep doing the best you can, we believe in you! And for the love of all that is holy, post a drat picture if you can. Here, I'll trade: 
|
|
#
¿
Aug 27, 2016 18:25
|
|
|
That's a good kitty. Farrah will make it. It is officially the will of the foster thread.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 27, 2016 22:58
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 21, 2024 08:17 |
|
|
By the way katka, feel free to PM me if you have any further questions. My wife and I are happy to help. Posting in the thread is good too.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 28, 2016 02:28
|
|