Why FosterCat?

Foster Cat, Inc. is all about saving lives. It’s as simple as that. We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to the proposition that all cats and kittens deserve safe, loving, permanent homes.

Our foster parents provide temporary care for cats and kittens in their homes until they can be placed for adoption. Their compassion provides the second chance that so many stray, abandoned or homeless kitties need, and the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped save the lives of these helpless animals.

FosterCat provides training and support, medications, food and litter as needed, and absorbs all veterinary expenses associated with the care of our kitties. If you love kitties and would like to be a part of our lifesaving team, consider opening your heart and home to cats or kittens in need. We promise you won’t regret it! If you can’t foster, you can still help save lives as a volunteer or supporting member. Click on “How You Can Help”, above, for more information.

 

 

FosterCat Seeks Webmaster

 

FosterCat is looking for a dedicated volunteer to take over the job of maintaining and managing our website at www.fostercat.org. Mark Byrne, our current webmaster, has done a superb job of keeping the site up to date and adding a number of enhancements since taking on the job in 2009. But Mark and his wife are expecting a new addition to their family later this year, so he wants to be sure he has plenty of time to devote to his new role as a dad.

 

Maintaining the site involves putting up/taking down photos of our kitties on our Adoption and Alumni pages, uploading our newsletter each quarter, posting announcements for fund raising events, and the like. Total time required for these functions averages 4 to 8 hours per month.

 

A qualified candidate would need some experience in:

  • HTML
  • Webpage editing/creation
  • Web tools such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage
  • Java script
  • An imaging tool (Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop)
  • FTP
  • PHP
  • Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
  • Forms processing
  • UNIX (a plus)
  • SQL (a plus)

In addition to the above skills, a candidate who is willing to explore opportunities for improving the design and functionality of FosterCat website would be an excellent bonus.

 

If you have the requisite skills and software to perform this function and would like to make a significant contribution to FosterCat's mission, please contact us via email at webmaster@fostercat.org or by calling 412-481-9144.

 

 

Join Us for Our 8th Annual Spaghetti Dinner - Saturday, September 8

 

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 14, and come out to enjoy a good meal and help FosterCat raise funds to care for more kitties. Dinner will be served from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Wallace Memorial Presbyterian Church at 1146 Greentree Road. Pasta with meat or meatless sauce, salad, rolls, desser t and beverage will be served, and takeout will be available. Logo and cat themed items will be on hand for purchase, and more great items will be available in our Chinese Auction again this year.

 

We will need volunteers to help sell tickets, distribute flyers , make sauce and/or help out the day of the event with set up, serving, manning sales tables and clean up. Please plan to help make this a successful event again this year by helping out, if you are able.

 

 

is a sponsor of the dinner event, offering a matching cash donation up to $250.00, and to encourage visitors and patrons to visit our website at www.MyThreeCats.com, a Pittsburgh-based internet retail shop that offers a one stop shop for everything cat.

 

 

Come, Let Us Grow Old Together

 

We are all getting older. Like it or not, aging is a fact of life. I write as one who will be signing up for Medicare this year, so I know whereof I speak.

 

We all face challenges as we age: physical, mental, emotional. Slower reflexes, fading vision, failing memory, lack of mobility, loneliness are but a few that are common to many. For those of us who have or want to adopt companion animals, aging can present some difficult decisions. If I am sick or die, is there someone that I know will take responsibility for my pets and provide a home for them, or care for them temporarily until a suitable permanent home can be found? If not, what will become of them?

 

Some of us are blessed to have family members or friends who are willing and able to provide that safety net, but most do not. Hardly a day goes by that we don't get requests to take in the cat(s) of a parent or grandparent who has passed away, because no one in the family is willing to do so.

 

These concerns become very real for me when I interview seniors who wish to adopt a cat or kitten. I want to share one of my recent experiences with you to illustrate how making the right decision in these situations can bring about a happy ending for all concerned.

 

Just weeks ago, I received an application from a lady, Nancy, who wished to adopt a two year old female, as her own kitty had recently passed away with kidney failure. As we talked, it became very apparent to me that she was knowledgeable about kitties, had taken extremely good care of her kitty, and would undoubtedly be willing and able to provide love and good care for the kitty she wished to adopt. I was, however, concerned about what would happen if she could no longer care for the kitty herself. In light of her responses to my questions about a safety net, I asked if it might not make sense in her circumstances to adopt an older kitty. We talked about the issues and agreed that she would give it some thought over the weekend and I would give her a call early in the week to talk again.

 

When I called, Nancy agreed that she would consider an older kitty. I mentioned two that I thought would be good candidates: Allie a 7 year old female, who was very friendly with people, but did not like living with other animals and would be delighted to be an only cat in a quiet adult home; and Joey, an 11 year old male, whose elderly owners had recently moved into an assisted living facility. I explained that we would be glad to let her take either or both on a temporary trial basis to see if she would want to adopt one of them permanently. Af ter a further conversation, during which I was able to provide answers to questions she had raised about their personalities and health histories, Nancy decided she would like to give Joey a try.

 

Joey was one of those fortunate kitties who did have a safety net. A daughter and friend had agreed to bring Joey and his brother into their family, if her parents were ever unable to care for them. The brother had adjusted well to his new circumstances, but Joey had not, and after several months of chaos in the home, his new family had asked if we could help them try to find him a new home.

 

Read More in FosterCat's Latest Newsletter

 

 

Attention Cat Lovers in the South Hills Area

FosterCat, Inc. is seeking responsible, cat loving caregivers to provide temporary love and care for homeless cats until permanent homes are found. FosterCat, Inc. is a local 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Contact FosterCat, Inc. at 412-481-9144 or click here to learn more about becoming a FosterCat foster parent and to submit a foster application.

 

 

Visit FosterCat's Adoptables at these places:

Come see some of our cats at the Cranberry, Monroeville, Northway Mall and Pleasant Hills PetSmart Locations!

 

 

Animal Abuse Hotline for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has established a statewide toll-free hotline for reporting cases of animal abuse. Concerned citizens observing incidents of abuse may contact the Society at (866) 601-SPCA.

 

 

Our Mission

The mission of FosterCat Inc. is to develop and sustain an organization to provide temporary foster care for cats and kittens in private homes until permanent homes can be found.