By Candace Key
Arlo and Draymond
Reading in the B&T Blog about visits many dog foster parents have had with their previous charges has left me a bit envious as a cat foster mom. If only cats could be walked, or would even tolerate cat sitting with other cats’ families we would have so many more opportunities to catch up with heartwarming stories and happy lives. Then I realized I have had the opportunity to connect with some of the new guardians of my foster children, and gosh darn it, their stories should be told, too!
Chris and I started fostering the summer of 2020 when volunteers were not permitted in the shelter. Missing my weekly cat fix we quickly signed on and started off easy with two unrelated kittens. What delightful balls of energy and fur. About 5 weeks old at the time we had the chance to see them grow up and their personalities develop. Arlo got his name because he was so sweet, calm and quiet – and maybe a good songwriter – who knows? Draymond, that was easy. He was just as strong willed, mischievous, daring and irrepressible as his Warriors namesake. Always the instigator, and never backed down. Since the NBA was having their Bubble Finals at the time the basketball reference wasn’t far from our minds. As the weeks progressed so did Draymond’s curiosity and insistence that his generous room with outside view for bird watching was just not big enough. Inevitably we let the kittens out in the house at large and Draymond lost no time squaring off with his host Gracie who was not at all impressed by his bravado. Dray didn’t care about her hisses or occasional swats – he tested her relentlessly despite her being 5 times his size. It was clear this guy would be a handful.
When it came time to say goodbye the 3 of us had some sweet moments in the car before handing them off to Suzanne. I held them one last time and sent them off with tons of love and wishes for long and happy lives.
Boston and Chicago
A few months later we were walking in the neighborhood and had stopped to talk with a neighbor when we were greeted by a young black cat – friendly and fearless. When they told us his name was Dr. Dre we mentioned our former foster. This was Draymond! The elation at finding him living so close by and having the opportunity to watch him grow up was tempered by the casual attitude of the neighbors towards such a young cat being outside unsupervised. Over the months I would see Draymond dash across the street to chase a crow, lounge in street gutters, and intently hunt birds and lizards, and once listed on a “Is This Your Cat” poster from a neighbor whom Draymond visited daily. I tried to discuss the dangers with the neighbors, but they insisted he could not be kept inside, making their lives miserable if they tried (I wasn’t surprised), and anyway they believed cats should be allowed to run free. Furious, frantic, and ultimately very sad I had to learn to let it go.
We had a variety of foster cats after Arlo and Dray. Chicago and Boston were the first to start out in the bathroom and it was rewarding to see them blossom and learn to trust us as we read to them and played with wand toys. They were adopted by a devoted young woman who would come home from her job at lunch to play with them. We kept in touch for a while and they continued to be the light of her life.
Clousseau
Clousseau was a large handsome white/black cat with a real sense of his own superiority. He was the first to explore the very narrow high window sill in the guest cat room and his shadow on the blinds as he watched the world from his perch is a favorite photo. He was adopted by a besotted young couple who wanted a cat they could post about on Instagram. They dressed him for holidays in festive collars and he can still be seen on IG @Clousseau the Cat.
The Dumplings, as I called Kieran and Kiera, two beautiful Siamese mix softies who were extremely timid. Kieran’s idea of bravery was lounging in the bathroom sink rather than hiding in his cubby in the tub. They found the perfect home with a woman delighted to have the challenge of engaging them and building a relationship. We talked a couple of times and they continued to make great progress.
We loved all these visitors, but were content to send them on their way, confident they were going to good homes. And then, there was OMG Terry. By this time we were in the shelter again visiting cats, but foster parents were still in demand. I asked to foster Terry, a beautiful Buff Tabby with brilliant blue eyes, but it wasn’t just his looks that caught my attention. There was something about Terry that was special and no one could help exclaiming OMG! when they met him. He fit into our household easily, although Grace was none too pleased to have competition. Terry helped me as I sat at the computer, the perfect gentleman, never walking on the keyboard, and you can see from the photo that Wiley was smitten as well. We were all in love, but it was also clear we couldn’t keep him. I didn’t want to be a failed foster so soon after beginning our new profession, and it would have taken a huge effort to get Alex and Grace to fully accept Terry. We imagined 2 separate tribes living with us.
Wiley and Terry
Charlie ready for lift off
Then friends Pam and Tim came by with holiday treats, both devoted cat lovers, and we suggested they meet Terry. First Pam emerged from the guest room with the “OMG Terry” look on her face, then Tim. They weren’t quite ready for another cat, but Terry demanded an exception. We and they could not have been happier when Terry went home with them, became Charlie, and immediately got to know his new brothers Andy and Cooper in a carefully orchestrated introduction. They are all best buddies now, playing and snoozing together. Charlie is the goofball of the tribe. He is up for any new adventure and has become very fond of going around the neighborhood with his mom in his bubble backpack which earned him the moniker, Catstronaut. He is the welcoming committee, greeting everyone who comes to visit and is a very empathetic guy, seemingly understanding when visitors like Pam’s elderly mother require his patience, and lends his gentle warmth to their laps for healing treatments. When not annoying his brothers, Charlie can be found in the sunniest places in the house totally loving life in his furever home.
Again, with the advantage of meeting cats to foster at the shelter I zeroed in on Raven, a recent mother who was ready to begin her life as an independent cat of the world. Seeing her perched on the top of a scratching post I couldn’t turn away from her steady gaze. No begging, pleading or histrionics, Raven just simply posed the question “ wouldn’t your life be more interesting with me in it for a while?” My emphatic answer was “YES!” Raven quickly became Lola, better suited to her exotic good looks and mysterious ways. She was friendly, easy to be with, happy for our company, but perfectly content on her own as well. She was nonplussed by the resident cats, totally ignoring Grace’s stares and occasional hisses. It was a very hot summer making it difficult to stay cool in the house. Being a rural cat from the Kern Project, Lola was used to living by her wits and quickly discovered the coolest place in the house was the marble hearth – a realization the resident cats still haven’t come to! I admired her spirit and sensed a resilience that had brought her through a maze of perils to have a chance at a good life.
Princess with her consort, Lola
I brought Lola to the shelter for meet and greets. The second interested party was a young family who had never had a cat. They had visited the shelter and met several young cats, but told me Lola was the only one there at the time who would let the well-behaved kids pet her. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight and I worried that they were compromising with Lola, not fully committed. Amber, the mom, put my mind at rest when she asked for suggestions, welcomed references to MH cat behavior classes, and promised to watch Jackson Galaxy videos for tips on keeping Lola happy. This was not the life I had envisioned for Lola, but it could be a happy one. Amber and I stayed in touch over time and she related how Lola had never become a cuddly cat, but enjoyed the company of everyone in the family. Lola helped Amber with the laundry in the mornings, did homework with the kids, was an elegant consort to the youngest’s costume games, a constant companion to the oldest, who had previously claimed she didn’t care if they got a cat or not, and kept the husband company while watching television at night. Always quietly there, involved and engaged with her calm, elegant presence. It was a year ago we last checked in. Big changes were in the wind for the family. The oldest had been accepted at a prestigious college in the southeast and the family wanted to live someplace where they could have a farm and be more self sufficient. Perhaps they have moved and Lola now has a safe yard to roam with trees to climb, and still keeps a close eye on her family and they her. It hurts though not knowing she is still safe after the luxury of celebrating their bond over the past couple of years.
Barnaby
Barnaby/Benji is another story. Some of you will recall the kitten who was found near the 580 freeway with a broken pelvis. He was kept in the clinic where it was touch and go with the damaged leg, but this resilient guy pulled through and began charming the Feline Intervention Team (FIT) crew and staff with his soulful eyes and sweet nature. As soon as Dr. Belinda released him I took him home to recuperate, and where better than with a retired chiropractor? We retrofitted the room for easy accessibility and Barnaby quickly settled in and stole our hearts. We had nightly snuggle fests where he would lay with his head or paws on my arms purring softly. Once he was strong enough we introduced him to the resident cats, and by now Grace had had enough. She was absolutely not going to give him a break no matter how polite he was or how eager to play. So Barney focused on Alex since he seemed more amenable to friendship, but Alex was too old to appreciate Barnaby’s kitten energy. We tried hard to make all three feel comfortable together. There were no fights or even hissing fits, but no matter how hard he tried Barnaby was going to be the odd cat out in our house and that broke my heart more than the thought of letting him go. The best part of his story is he found a wonderful home with Susan and her family. Just as we had they instantly fell under his spell. Barnaby became Benji, Lord of the Manor.
Benji’s Christmas
Pictures arrived of him exploring every inch of the house, helping Susan with office work, giving his best Halloween cat eyes look, and most touching of all, supervising Susan making him his first Christmas stocking with his name on it. Over time he has only endeared himself further with endless snuggles, biscuit making, playing in the laundry and exploring all the dark, mysterious places in the house. He is an excellent inside mouser and equally adept at playing the evening games his parents enjoy. They consider him a blessing and it is such a great feeling knowing he is so loved and well cared for.
Lola stays cool
Gracie put an end to our cat fostering, but not an end to the story of our foster children. After not seeing Dray for many months and fearing the worst I learned that he was alive and well and living with a different neighbor. She had also been concerned about his lax care and was able to negotiate a takeover. Renamed Raj for his imperious attitude, is as strong willed and stubborn as ever, but Patrice has limited his outside time and hours for roaming. He resents her fussing over his bad habits, but he also enjoys gardening with her in the yard and snuggling in the evening. She knows this isn’t the safest solution for him, but they have reached a compromise. Some cats will resist our well-intentioned efforts to keep them from harm, and we try to be content knowing Raj has a good life with a guardian who is genuinely focused on his well being and happiness. Isn’t that all we can ask?
NOTE: Marin Humane would love to add you to the roster of foster homes if you have the room in your house, your life and your heart. Contact sgollin@marinhumane.org
