Stray Feral Rescue & Cattown Foster Care Policies:
SFR has recently received inquiries from a few of the newer local area rescues regarding fosters. Like us, they are foster based and do not have a shelter. They asked “how do we deal with people that want to get rid of their cat but don’t want to send it to us unless they can go check out the foster home?” We’ve been trying to figure that one out for a while now too.
We understand that when you can’t keep your cat you might worry about what might happen to it, but when you surrender your cat, you might have to do it on faith. Some fosters wouldn't mind if they had the time to prepare and people could come on their schedule and if they are brave enough to accept that not everyone showing up at their home to scope things out is going to have good intentions. Unfortunately we have none with that much faith in humanity, and most people who foster have lives and most have little interest in letting strangers snoop thru their homes. Not all people surrendering cats are sweet honest people. When I used to keep rescue cats here and let people bring them to my house I caught people looking in my dresser drawers, medicine cabinet, barging into my sons room, and digging around in closets (she thought she heard a kitten). I no longer keep rescue cats in my apartment unless they need nursing care.
We do not have a shelter, or a building, or a kennel, or a sanctuary!
The same goes for our colonies. Because of privacy laws we can’t give out people’s addresses, and the caregivers for our colonies don’t want people showing up on their property to dump off cats, visit cats or shoot cats (yes we did have that happen when someone gave the colony location to a couple drunks in a bar).
If you are going to surrender a cat to a foster based rescue then make sure it’s a group that you trust enough to be comfortable with that you will know your cat will be cared for as best they can. Get references, talk to them and talk to their vet clinic. If not comfortable, get a friend to take the cat, or find the cat a new home yourself and hope for the best, make sure you get references and and check them, and charge for the cat so it wont end up as fighting dog bait or in a research lab, or find a group that does have a shelter you can inspect, but eventually that cat will be adopted out and you wont be able to go inspect the new owners home as their information will be confidential too.
Thank you for your interest in Stray Feral Rescue and CatTown! Check us out on Facebook at Stray Feral Rescue Facebook and CatTown Rescue Facebook and don't forget to "Like" us!!!