People who foster homeless animals have their own reasons for doing it, but why do the animals end up in foster care? We tend to think of them as strays or unwanted pets who turned up at a shelter that didn’t have room for them. And this is very common. However, there are lots of different reasons a pet may need a foster home:
- Some animal rescue groups don’t have shelters anymore, or may never have had them. With enough foster homes, it isn’t always necessary to go to the trouble and expense of maintaining a shelter.
- Some pets are considered unadoptable, due to old age or medical problems. It’s better for them to live out their lives in a foster home rather than a shelter.
- Feral cats, especially younger ones, can settle down and make good pets – but they usually need individual attention first.
- Pets tend to make a better impression on potential owners when they’re in a home setting. Some animals are not at their best in the noise and confusion of a shelter. Some people also may find these places overwhelming.
- A female may need a quiet, private place to give birth. If you want to give your children a biology lesson, this is a much more responsible way than letting your female pet get pregnant.
- Owners may be servicemembers sent overseas, who want to keep the pet for the long term but can’t take it along. Several humane societies have started programs to support the troops in this way.
- A pet owner may need to go into treatment for addiction. He or she actually may be using the pet as an excuse not to go – after all, who’d take in a strange animal for a month? Well, the humane society probably knows someone who will.
