Friday, August 11, 2017

The difference a (foster) home makes: Rudolph

Little Rudolph goes back to the shelter today and then (fingers crossed) on to his forever home during the Mega Match event this weekend.

In the past month, he has gone from being a super scared baby (initially considered feral) who would hiss and growl at us to a typical rambunctious kitten.

a small orange tabby kitten with a scrape on his nose

An orange tabby kitten with large ears looking up from a food bowl
a hand petting an orange tabby kitten

Like most kittens, Rudolph refuses to sit still long enough to take a decent picture. So these are the best I got...though a video will be coming once I manage to get my computer put together.

He has gone from being super scared of most everything to eagerly exploring new things in his environment. In the last week or so, he started coming to the front of the enclosure when I come in to feed him. Before, he would run to the back and crouch behind the bed until I had the door open. Now he's right up there ready for pets and playtime.

Fostering is so crucial and there are many, many foster opportunities. Puppies and kittens, obviously, but also animals recovering from illness or injury, nursing mamas and litters, animals that just need a break from the shelter, and animals with terminal conditions that need hospice homes. Please, please consider opening your home to foster animals. Sure, it can be tough to let them go, but you can take pleasure in knowing that you gave them a loving home while you had them and that they are better off for it. And there are always animals needing fostering, so you'll never have an empty home.