Getting to Know Them

I believe that fostering is an important factor is making an adoption work. The foster-guardian comes to know an animal - in my case, a cat - and sees what her character is like, sees her preferences, sees what she does and can do.

I have had this belief reinforced in my association with Imogen. She is now out and about in the Cosy Apartment all the time. When she first came to me, I wondered if that would be possible. She had, in her previous life, so far as is known, never met another cat; she certainly acted like it. We thought initially that Imo would not be able to live with other cats. But since she was first allowed out of her safe-room, the library, and especially now that she is free both while I am asleep and absent, I have learned much about her.

Miss Silky Black can indeed live with other cats. Right now, I would recommend older, largely sedentary cats who are apathetic to other felines. That describes Renn and Neville well. They tolerate other cats - eventually - but are uninterested in spending time with them. Imogen wouldn’t come near them at first, ‘near’ being within twenty feet. She would hiss at them from across the room.

Now, she will pass by them with inches to spare. She doesn’t care for such proximity, it’s true. She still hisses. On the other hand, I recently watched her sneak past the Nevsky. The latter had his back turned and Imo had to work up the nerve to slip by him in the doorway he was blocking. About half a dozen aborted attempts led to a quick burst through the available space. Nev was barely cognizant of the successful passage. But it represented another step forward for Imogen, who previously would have sat and waited interminably for the way to be clear.

She was also quite active this morning, rushing about while I prepared to leave for work. She has started using the nylon tunnel as a ‘secret’ corridor. She runs at speed up Minuet’s cat-tree in the library and trots across the tops of the bookcases. She explores the bathroom to see what changed over-night. Will she do this every morning? Perhaps not, but I suspect she is more energetic than I originally believed. She is, after all, only about four years old.

All of this tells us not just about the cat, but about what person would be right to adopt her, and what sort of home she would find comfortable. She can live with older cats who want nothing to do with her. That increases greatly the number of homes into which she could be placed, as opposed to going only to those with no other cats. Could she live with younger, more exuberant cats? Could she find that she would like a feline roommate? These are questions that might never be answered. If they are, though, it will be because Imogen is being fostered.

Yes, fostering is an important factor is making an adoption work. It’s also fun for the human involved, as he comes to know the cat in his care.