Six Ways Kids Benefit from Fostering Animals

My daughters and I with some of our foster cats.

My oldest daughter tried many sports in elementary school. After seasons of ballet, soccer, and gymnastics, she decided to try English riding. She looked forward to her twice-weekly lessons and did well in the few shows she entered. As she progressed, the issue of buying her own horse rather than riding the stable’s horses arose. As a single mother, this was a daunting topic. I wasn’t sure how I would manage it, but if this were her passion, I would make it happen.  Before heading to the hospital to sell my kidney, I tentatively broached the subject with my ten-year-old daughter.

Me: Alexandra, you seem to love riding. Can you tell me what you love about it?

Alexandra: After my lessons, I love petting the dog and cat that live in the stables.

Me: Is that what you love about riding? (trying hard to not sound pushy)

Alexandra:  Yes, I love the cat and dog.

Me: An audible sigh of relief. I get to keep my kidney!

With that information, I set out to find a more economical way to satisfy her desire to pet more cats and dogs. She had been talking about wanting to be a veterinarian since she was three, so her obsession with animals wasn’t a surprise. We had three cats, and she was the principal caregiver for them. An acquaintance volunteered for an animal rescue group, so I started there. Fortunately, I had to look no further. Animal Rescue Foundation was the answer to my daughter’s passion for animals, and soon, fostering animals became part of our family life.

We primarily fostered cats. We fostered old cats, kittens, mama cats and their litters, and pregnant cats. We fostered healthy cats, and a few times, we found out the hard way that we were fostering cats with ringworms. In the eight years that we fostered cats, we fostered 82 cats with only one foster fail.

Our Foster Fail

A foster fail occurs when you adopt a foster cat. We all knew our purpose was to find forever homes for our foster cats. Sometimes, it was hard to let a cat go when we became attached to them, but we were only a temporary home on their journey. However, one time, it became apparent a cat was destined to be our permanent pet. Jeffrey was a gorgeous, long-haired flame point Siamese who had only lived with us for a few months before becoming adopted.

It’s easy to have 20/20 hindsight, but his adoption was the only one I felt uneasy about as we transferred him to his new owner. About six months later, he was returned to us. This gorgeous indoor cat had been put outside and found hungry, wet, and alone. Neighbors in the apartment complex had been feeding him for months. We took him back in immediately and began working to regain his trust in humans. He repaid us with a renewed enthusiasm in cuddling and purring and soon began an endearing habit of fetching my socks from the dirty laundry basket, carrying them in his mouth, and depositing them at my feet.

He had a hard life, but his sweet feline heart was open to love. We renamed him Jefe (the boss) and unanimously agreed we wanted to be his safe forever place.

Benefits of Fostering Pets

Our kids benefitted from fostering in many ways, including:

1. Responsibility

The kids took a big share of the responsibility by feeding the fosters, playing with them, and changing their litter boxes.

2. Family bonding

We were all in this together. Some families immerse themselves in travel sports; some are at church every time the doors open; and others may center their family life around intellectual pursuits. Fostering animals became an integral part of our family life and identity.

3. Knowledge

Fostering cats provided a perfect opportunity for my daughter, who wanted to be a veterinarian, to gain more experience and knowledge. She took it seriously and researched breeds and illnesses, and as a 13-year-old, she was able to volunteer at a vet’s office. My grandkids are four and seven and know much more about dogs than the average kid because of their experience fostering dogs. Four-year-old Sylvia has plans to become a veterinarian.

4. Good deeds

We felt good about ourselves, knowing we were helping cats by providing a safe place while they found their permanent homes. My grandkids were expressing some sadness about sending one of their foster dogs to his new home, but then I put a positive spin to the story. I explained that they were providing a short-term home until the dog’s forever family was found. Without them, the dog may not have had a chance to live, so they were “dog heroes!” They latched on to the idea of being dog heroes, which helped them feel good about themselves and their role in the process.

5. Community

My oldest daughter spent most of her Saturdays at Animal Rescue Foundation adoption events during her teen years. It was an excellent community for her to connect with, and she made a few lifelong friends. Bonus—I didn’t have to buy a horse!

6. Fun

We had a great time, especially when we got to foster litters of kittens!

After my daughters left for college, I attempted to continue fostering cats, but I quickly realized it wasn’t the same by myself. It wasn’t as much fun. The cats didn’t get the attention they deserved, and I had to clean all the litter boxes myself. It turns out the kids were the true driving forces behind the fostering. My oldest daughter eventually reached her dream of becoming a veterinarian and continues fostering animals with her children!

Sylvia, the future veterinarian, with her dogs.