And so it begins

I have spent the majority of my life as an animal lover.  I was one of those kids that brought home every manner of living creature and desperately pleaded with my parents to keep them.  Through the years, there have been only very brief times that I have lived without at least one pet in my home.  So having been a victim of our current recession and finding myself unemployed and fortunate enough that my significant other's income was enough for us to live on, I thought I might as well do something productive with my spare time.

I recently became a cat/kitten foster parent for an organization in Baton Rouge known as APAWS, Animal Protection and Welfare Society.  So I begin this blog as a way to document and share the rewards and challenges of fostering kittens and cats.  I hope to share many heart warming stories and educate the public about animal rescue, volunteering and the importance of spay/neuter programs for animals.

Now to be completely honest, I had no interest in fostering adult cats.  I have a house full of my own resident staff, Fleury, a 1 1/2 year old female Rottweiler, Tink, a people aggressive 5 year old female Jack Russell terrier, Odyseuss (Ody) a 14 year old male Maine Coone, Boo Boo, a 6 year old long hair domestic cat and finally Zeus, a 1 1/2 year old silver tabby short hair domestic cat.  The reason I was unsure of fostering adult cats was because all I had available was a spare room to foster out of and I thought it would be too cramped for the adult cats to live out of.

Fleury trying to claim her bed from Zeus.

My boys, Boo Boo, Zeus and Ody.

Tink (with Fleury trying to steal her toy)

After meeting Emily Harris, Vice President and Cat Foster Chair for APAWS, I decided to give an adult cat a shot since I was new to fostering.  The cats and kittens spend their time between foster homes and kennels at our local PetSmart's hoping to be adopted into forever homes.  And as the title states, so begins my adventures into the wonderful world of animal fostering!