Heh. Well, let me tell you what happens in this rescue, which does not have a shelter, but is a network of foster homes.
We have a Yahoo group. Pictures and bios of the cats are posted on the Yahoo group. If someone can take the cats they speak up. If no one can take the cats people will try to guilt others into taking the cats. "These cats will die unless someone steps up and does the right thing."
What happened to me (and I take blame for allowing it to happen too) is the same thing that happens to all new fosters in that group. Everyone else is overloaded with cats, so when a new foster comes in they start taking all the cats. Everyone allows this to happen because they don't want cats to die (even though there are cats dying all over the area every day - for some reason the cats at this particular animal control are this group's focus). Then the foster gets overwhelmed. I have seen it happen several times since I started fostering.
Cats get pulled all the time with no plan. The org is always in crisis mode (gee, I wonder why). Once someone has taken the cat - you are pretty much forgotten about and
I took in 4 litters this kitten season. Then I had to start learning how to say no, like it or not. I haven't taken in any cats since May.
As far as vaccines, spay/neuter, etc - sometimes adults are altered when pulled from the shelter, sometimes intact. The adults all get basic vaccines, microchip, and revolution application with the workup. Fosters would need to arrange for boosters in 2 weeks of distemper vaccine, and alteration if intact. Kittens which are too young do not get anything, the foster arranges/pays for all of it. When the cat is adopted, you can file for reimbursement of the expenses up to the amount of the adoption fee. If there is money in the fund, you will be reimbursed. If not, well, then you're SOL and you can take it as a tax deduction.
Kelley
On 10/31/06, Jennifer Phaewryn O'Gwynn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Why did you take on TWENTY SIX foster cats?! Let me get the details right... in a normal rescue/foster relationship, you would get a call from the rescue group, asking you to please foster a cat. You would pick the cat up from the shelter, and a foster plan would be formed at that time. You and the rescue groups' foster liaison would discuss this cats specific needs, and develop a general timeline that you suspect it would take the foster cat to meet these rehabilitation goals. For instance, if you are taking on a young kitten, a good foster timeline goal would be to keep the kitten until it is old enough to be altered and adopted out. OR, if you are fostering a cat with emotional problems, you would expect to need to socialize the cat and desensitize it to it's problems, a good timeline goal for that would be 3 to 6 months. You would keep the cat until it reaches it's foster goal, and then you would return it to the rescue when it's rehabilitated and ready for adoption. Sometimes, a rescue might use fosterhomes as temporary shelters or triages in emergency situations, if they have more cats in their program than they have cages for at their shelter. In this case, you would take a cat to the shelter as the shelter adopts out one already there. Usually, the rescue/shelter would get the basic vet care (altering, vaccines, deworming, etc) done BEFORE the cat goes into foster care. Sometimes, the rescue arranges the appointments, and the foster just takes the cat in to it's scheduled vet appointments, but the rescue pays for the visit(s). Is this the type of arrangement you have with the rescue group you foster for? Typically, in a foster arrangement, all vet care needed would be approved and arranged by the rescue, NOT by the foster. Expenses beyond what the rescue can recover via an adoption fee would not be covered by the rescue group, the cat would generally be euthansied in many rescue groups, in others, special fundraising benefits would need to be scheduled in advance of the vet appointment to pay for the expenses, in other (no kill) rescues, the cat may be provided with the vet care, and they would try to scramble up the funds after the fact, but that would only be able to be done IF they found a vet willing to work on credit (very rare). If a foster took it upon themselves to pay for vet care up and above the general exam, deworming, altering, and vaccines provided to all rescued animals, then it would NOT be the responsibility of the rescue to pay for it, as it is OPTIONAL CARE the foster has CHOSEN to provide outside of the rescue's guidelines. That is typical of the foster/rescue relationship. Your situation may be different. I suggest you review the foster agreement and/or contract you signed when you agreed to provide foster care for animals with that rescue. Beyond that, all I can recommend is that you call the rescue and arrange to turn some of the cats back in to the rescue. Tell them you are overwhelmed and need to return some of the cats ASAP. The rescue should be able to scramble and arrange alternative fosterhomes for the cats if they cannot physically accept them back into their shelter at this time (due to overcrowding).
PhaewrynPlease adopt a cat from Little Cheetah Cat Rescue!!! http://ucat.us/adopt.html
Low cost Spay&Neuter services in VT, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners:
http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html
Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html
The Sofa Poem: http://ucat.us/sofapoem.html
Find us on PETFINDER! http://petfinder.com/shelters/VT44.html
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.13.19/507 - Release Date: 10/31/2006
--
Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!
http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20
