1. You will have the opportunity to nurture and connect with a number of cats and kittens.
   If you have always wanted a cat of your own but haven’t quite landed in a stable scenario to do so, this will also be a great opportunity for you to learn the ropes of cat caring. Whether you house one or 13 cats throughout your time as a foster parent, you will most certainly fall in love with the warm companionship of these furry friends.
   
   
2. It is a temporary arrangement
   Whether you live off lease or are living out of your regular home – as long as you can offer essential items and a safe space for the animal, you will certainly be considered as a viable foster-carer.
   
   
3. The cats in your care will hone great social skills
   Provided you are able to care for more than one cat at a time, your house guests will have to learn to share their new environment fast. Especially if these animals go on to live in busier homes, the ability to adapt in these settings will be extremely vital later on.
    
4.  You’ll be enriching their lives
   One more fostered cat is one less in a shelter. Instead of spending their days anxiously crammed in a cage, you will be taking them into the warm embrace of your home and increasing their chances of finding their forever home.
   
   
5. You’re not just saving one cat
   Surprise! Fostering one cat has a huge ripple effect. By taking a cat out of a shelter, you are creating space at the shelter for more cats to pass through! From more resources, space, and more time: by opening your heart and home to a foster cat, you are greatly helping us and other shelters to do our jobs to the best of our ability.
   
   If this was just the convincing you needed – then what are you waiting for? Head to our “Foster For Us” page to sign up and find out what you will need. 

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Photo sourced from Unsplash
​Written by Gabrielle Bott-Banas for FFRAQ

For younger families in our community, we know that the worlds between “parent” and “pet parent” can be incredibly similar. From messy livingrooms to unpredictable emotional outbursts - both children and cats require a lot of attention of their own; but how do you combine the two under one roof? For some families, the choice to adopt a pet often creates a great opportunity for parents to teach their young ones about the importance of responsibility. When adopting a new feline friend from a shelter home, the amount of responsibility taken on can be unequivocally amplified. For this reason, we have done some research to help guide our new pet-owners navigate their way to creating a safe and loving household.
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1. Be sure to discuss your new pet 
For households with younger children, it is important that they understand that this new animal also has thoughts and feelings - and can behave in ways that we do not always understand. Whilst they may already have the basis such as “don’t pull kitty’s tail” down pat, make sure to discuss your new household member.
 
2. Enforce clear boundaries and interactions with your pet
Whether you settle on fun-sized ball of fluff and energy or a mature-aged cat with wise eyes and a softened heart - in some cases our animals have already endured a rocky road to reach the warm embrace of a new home. For this reason, teaching the children how to interact and look after their new friend is pivotal step in the transitioning to their new environment.
 
3. Encourage recognition of pet’s behaviours and traits 
In addition to setting boundaries, this step is important to teach your child how to recognise times where it might be unsafe to approach their pet. Practice speaking about how your pet may be feeling when they respond or behave in certain ways and urge your child to recognise them too. Dependent on your child’s age, this may also be a perfect time to use animal-specific dialect to educate your child about their pet. For example, teaching them about kitty’s “predator” instincts and  
 
4. Ensure plenty of positive reinforcement 
Just as you may when training your new family pet, don’t forget to give praise for gentle and kind interactions with the family pet. By keeping the experience of interaction light and joyful, your child is more likely to develop a more nurturing relationship with the pet.  
 
5. Find a way for the two to create a bond.  
The friendship between a child and a furry friend can be one of the most rewarding experience in both of their lives. According to Batter Sea, a great way to encourage bonding is to practice non-physical forms of interactions such as playing with cat toys or basic training.
 
Most parents will understand the sometimes frightening joy of the uncontrollable and unexpected moments in their daily lives. IWhilst there are certain to be bumps and jumps along the way, what you are most likely to find at the end of the path is unwavering bond between your children - both fur and no-fur. So, what are you waiting for? We have a number of cats just waiting to be snatched up by a new loving family at any time - you can find them here.


Picture from Unsplash.
Written by Gabrielle Bott-Banas for FFRAQ

Written by Matthew Leong for FFARQ. 

​You really want a kitten don’t you? You’re not alone. In 2015, it was discovered that adult cats are less popular among RSPCA adopters compared to kittens. Fortunately, they also 
learned that ‘a similar percentage of cats and kittens … [had been] adopted’ between 2018-2019. It’s a good sign, but it can it always be better. To make sure this happens, here are a few reasons for why you shouldn’t rule out adopting adult cats.  

​As adult cats are already fully developed, the likelihood of you having to deal with behavioural problems is reduced. The AWL credits adult cats with ‘understand[ing] how a home works.’ They are highly likely to have already been domesticated, which means they have an easier time adjusting to new surroundings. They will know not to scratch or bite you, your family or your furniture. This means less hand raising for you, and more time cuddling with your new friend on the couch. 

Their adaptable nature means that adult cats are independent animals who value space. While you go about your life, they’ll keep themselves entertained (leaving a toy for them certainly wouldn’t hurt) by sleeping, exploring and even hoarding! After a long day out, come home and you’ll see them watching you from a window. Did Mittens climb up the curtains and tear through them? Of course not! She was laying around, grooming herself and patiently waiting for you to return. ​

​From 2019-2020, less than 2500 of the 45,364 cats admitted to the RSPCA had been reclaimed. While animals find themselves in shelters for a number of reasons (being surrendered or abandoned being the most common), many of them are perfectly fine. Perhaps they had wandered too far from home and were taken by rangers? Whatever the case, the main reason for why you should adopt an adult cat is the simplest one of all… you are giving them a second chance at life. 

Written by Matthew Leong for FFARQ.