“I decided to foster because of my love for animals, particularly cats and kittens, and I knew that help was needed in this area.” Diane Keller recently marked a significant milestone as a Centre County PAWS volunteer: logging her 2,000th hour of volunteer time. She began volunteering with PAWS in September 2009, and through the years her dedicated service has helped improve the lives of numerous cats in the Centre Region. That service has included her work as a PAWS foster parent since she took in her first litter of kittens (the Clint Eastwood Gang!) in April 2012. Since that time she generously has opened her home to various PAWS cats as they wait for their forever home. “I have found fostering to be extremely gratifying in being able to provide a safe, clean environment until the cats and kittens are adopted. The cats, and in particular, the kittens have always adapted very well and I think it has been a win-win for all involved.”
Diane’s current charges are a mom cat and her five three-week old kittens. Known as the Dallas group, Diane named the mom cat Ellie, and the five kittens JR, Bobby, Sue Ellen, Pam, and Lucy. “The mom was very pregnant when I picked her up from an elderly woman’s backyard. She was not being fed very well, was outside, and it was just sad circumstances.” Now, Ellie and her babies are thriving in the safety of their foster home, under the watchful eye of their foster mom. “A typical day is to feed Ellie in the morning, make sure everyone is doing fine, and to clean up the litterbox and bed area. I check on them throughout the day to make sure there are no issues and that Ellie has food and water.”
Cat foster parents like Diane make it possible for PAWS to take in even more homeless felines every year. Being in a foster home can provide the animals with more individual attention. And as they get to know their personalities, foster parents can help their fosters find a well-matched forever family by providing guidance on each cat’s habits, likes, and dislikes. With kitten season upon us, PAWS is always looking for willing volunteers to foster kittens and mom cats with newborns until they can be adopted. Potential fosters will need to be able to provide a clean and safe environment for the cats or kittens, and have time to see to their daily care needs.
“Fostering newborns is a little more work than older cats since they really like to play and have a good time as they start to move around,” Diane explained. “However, fosters don't have to be able to spend a mountain of time with the cats. Just making sure they are fed and are safe are the important things for them.”
So with three years of experience under her belt, what advice would Diane give to someone thinking about fostering kittens? “Go for it! As I said, I have found it to be rewarding to help them get a good start in life.”
You can visit the PAWS website to learn more about becoming a foster home.
Image: The Clint Eastwood Kittens of 2012