About FosterCat, Inc

Charles in Charge!

Happy Holidays to our supporters! I would like to take this opportunity to thank “ALL” of you for supporting our organization and the many cats/kittens that we rescue on a daily basis.

Can you believe that 2024 is coming to a close! It has certainly been a very busy year for FosterCat in rescuing outside animals, but we have much more work to do. There is not a day that goes by that we do not hear of some poor cat outside who needs our assistance.

When I first heard of a cat named Charles who was outside in the cold and needing our help, I immediately thought of the sitcom from the 1980’s called “Charles in Charge”. Most of you probably do not remember that program because you are much younger than me! Charles (portrayed by Scott Baio) was a college student looking for an apartment and a job not far from campus to help with expenses. He subsequently applied for a job taking care of three unruly kids in exchange for room and board. Charles was always getting into hot water going from one crazy scheme to another with the kids and their mishaps.

Perhaps the foster named this cat Charles because he was a “take charge cat” who would go from one home to another trying different schemes to get someone to let him into their house. It was determined by the neighbors that Charles was being fed in one of the Allison Park neighborhoods (in a plan behind the Route 8 Eat N’ Park) by a woman who noticed him on her porch. He would scratch and paw at her door wanting to be let inside. He continued this routine for months.

After no success, he decided to go another route by following the woman’s daughter when she would walk to the store with her and wait for her on the corner when she was crossing Route 8! How he did not get hit by a car is anyone’s guess. The little girl coaxed her mother into bringing Charles into the house. It seems Charles finally found a home, but alas it was not to be. It seems her resident cat wanted nothing to do with Charles and proceeded to hiss and swat until the woman had to put him back outside.

Kim, our foster coordinator, thought that getting Charles neutered and vetted might solve the problem. Unfortunately, her cat continued to hiss and swat and went after Charles, so Kim decided to take him to her house.

It was a miracle that Charles got along with Kim’s cats. Fortunately for Charles, Kim determined that he pretty much gets along with every cat. Kim determined that he was just a big sweet teddy bear! Charles just cannot help himself! If one situation does not work out, well he just continues to try another avenue until the problem is solved.

Charles is just a great cat and our hope for him is that he gets a wonderful home for Christmas! Charles is a great big ball of brown tabby fluff and around 3-4 years old. He is completely vetted and chipped and would make a wonderful companion for anyone. Now Charles is truly in charge since he found his way into FosterCat and into our hearts! If you have room in your heart and home, or if you would like to do a “foster to adopt” situation, please think about giving Charles a loving home. Please fill out a foster parent application on our website www.fostercat.org.

Please know that we at FosterCat would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and New Years. May all your little pet sweethearts have a warm and safe holiday!

FosterCat’s Sixth Annual Bingo Fundraiser

FosterCat held its Sixth Annual Bingo on Sunday, October 20, at Salvatore's, 5001 Curry Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236. FosterCat wishes to sincerely thank all of those who generously contributed to the great success of this year's Bingo fundraiser: patrons, volunteers, donors and sponsors. We raised over $9,000 for veterinary care of cats and kittens in our foster program. Being an all-volunteer organization (no paid staff), all proceeds are directed toward saving the lives of homeless cats.

We broke last year's record with over 200 registered patrons and enjoyed a full house for the Bingo. Our emcee, Dave Roman, did an excellent job calling the bingo numbers and making many announcements throughout the day. This was his sixth year donating his time for the event.

A big thank you to our sponsors Carol Meal, Carolyn Kozlowski--MyThreeCats.com, Chris Martino--Martino Plumbing/ HVAC, David Ball--Dave's Terrace Bakery, Jeffrey Heasley- -Wealth Manager Captrust, Tom Gradisek, Lance Spernak-- McKee Stewart Equipment Corp., Tracey Ruscitto--Lifeforce Fitness Center, Amy Morgano, Chris Mikrut--DeLuca's Diner, Norma Clouse, and Hope Feldman--Your Town Realty LLC.

Special thank you to Chris Mikrut from DeLuca's Diner for her continued support!

This year we added a Cat Food Drive, which resulted in our patrons and volunteers generously donating over 80 bags of food for our cats! We had enough to share with some stray/ feral cat colony caretakers.

Our Chinese auction tables displayed over fifty donated items, thanks to Amy Morgano. Amazing cat cakes and cupcakes designed and created by Jessica Rapp and helpers filled four long tables for the bake sale. These were an awesome addition to our bingo! Strip ticket sales and 50/50 sales topped last year's sales.

Special thanks to Norma Clouse, our volunteer coordinator, Audrey Franzetta as the treasurer, and Dianne Gruendl who found sponsors for each of the Bingo games. Thank you to the many volunteers who donated items, sold tickets, etc., that made this event a huge success. Bingo day volunteers were Natalie Boggs, Beth Borrasso, Lisa Campagna, Norma Clouse, Michelle Dunn, Audrey Franzetta, Dianne Gruendl, Ginnie Haid, Carolyn Kozlowski, Chris Martino, Lori Martino, Amy Morgano, Jessica Rapp, Tracey Ruscitto, Mike Weis and Kim Zambrano. If anyone was omitted, please know that your help was appreciated. Thank you!

Two Sweet Chaquitos Find a Home

It has been a very trying spring and summer this year for FosterCat! We have been inundated with tons of calls asking for help with multiple mothers and kittens outside. This is one reason why we welcome anyone who can temporarily (a few weeks or a month) house and foster rescued cats/kittens until they can be placed into loving homes. The more temporary foster homes we can acquire, the more cats/kittens we can save!

Please read this story …. Apparently, a girl happened to be in a bar in Troy Hill when the bartender asked her if she wanted two kittens. She agreed to take the two kittens (one male and one female). The bartender callously stated that if she did not take them, he had plans to throw them in the river. Unfortunately, kittens grow into cats and apparently the girl never had the wherewithal to get either cat spayed/neutered. As you can imagine, there were cats and more cats being born in that apartment. Instead of asking for help, the girl simply moved out of her apartment, took a few of the cats and left the remainder. Nacho and Cheeto were part of the hoard that was left. The girl left no food, water, or litterbox. When the landlord opened the apartment, it was a total mess with garbage knocked over, feces everywhere and the cats in pretty bad shape.

A volunteer happened to hear about the situation and took the remainder of the cats out of the apartment and farmed them out to different rescue groups. Kim took two kittens into foster, Nacho (now Andy) and Cheeto (now Opie) and I ended up with them! For everything they had been through, they were so very sweet and loving. Once both kittens were completely vetted, one of our former adopters, Bob D. asked to foster Cheeto. One of his precious cats had just passed away and he wanted another companion to keep him company. I told him about Nacho and Cheeto and how they were attached at the hip and that he should take both. Bob did a Foster to Adopt contract to see if Nacho and Cheeto would get along with his two older cats.

I am happy to report that Bob has decided to adopt both kitties! These kittens are just so adorable and believe me, they are very, very lucky to have Bob! Bob is a great guy who really cares about his cats and its obvious because they love him back.

Here is a note that Bob just recently sent to me:

“Unexpectedly, in July, I saw a picture of Nacho and Cheeto on the FosterCat Facebook page and immediately thought that I had to hear their story, so I called FosterCat to express my interest in learning more. After talking to Kim and hearing their very sad story of abandonment, which broke my heart, I wanted to adopt the kitten, Cheeto and was considering adopting Nacho as well. But I was thinking four cats is a lot, and would my other cats adjust? Well, two weeks ago Barbara brought them over to give it a try. I quickly found out what a friendly, lovable young cat Nacho is. In a short period of time, he was lying on me and coming to the sound of my voice. Cheeto on the other hand was very skittish, but during the second week, he began to let me hold and pet him. I was amazed how attached they were to each other. Overall, it has gone much better than I expected. Actually, after a week, I’m sensing they are accepting Nacho and Cheeto as new members of our family. So, yes, I am very happy to say that I have adopted both Cheeto (aka Opie) and Nacho (aka Andy). Thanks to them, I am not dwelling on my loss as much, but thinking about what I now have. They certainly keep me hopping, but I am determined to give them the loving home they deserve.” R.D.

I truly love happy endings and with your help, may we have many, many more! Please encourage your friends, relatives, church members, teachers, school children, etc. the importance of spay/neuter to save lives! There are many organizations out there who have inexpensive spay/neuter services and can help trap, spay/neuter, etc. You just have to reach out!

If you happen to have an extra bedroom that can house a mom and kittens temporarily, please visit our website, www.fostercat.org , and fill out one of our foster questionnaires! The kitties will thank you!

TNR SAVES LIVES!

FosterCat receives many calls on our answering service from individuals who are looking for long-term solutions to help stray or feral cats wandering around their neighborhood. Most homeowners are truly concerned about the strays and want to help them. Some individuals decide to feed the cats on a regular basis, only to realize that one or two cats can quickly turn into twenty or more within a few years. They feel helpless and extremely guilty when they see kittens born outside and who come to their door with the mother, begging for food. Most have crusty or weeping eyes that are barely open and suffer from upper respiratory infections that are very noticeable. All are polluted with fleas, worms or are limping from an injury.

Some people feel badly, but just close their door, thinking there is nothing they can do to help. They might throw up their hands in despair and try to ignore the situation. Other neighbors really want to help, but they just do not have the knowledge or the resources. Each municpality has their own rules and regulations, so please check to see what the codes are before doing anything. We advise not to call an animal control business. They get paid to trap and destroy any animal.

FosterCat is here to let you know that you CAN do something to help! Help is just a phone call away. You simply need to care enough to want to help. There are many nokill agencies that you can call to help “TRAP-NEUTERRETURN” so that you stop the endless cycle of unwanted cats from multiplying.

Some agencies such as Homeless Cat Management Team (HCMT) have low or no cost clinics once a month. HCMT publishes monthly spay/neuter clinic schedules on their website www.homelesscat.org. They have dedicated volunteers/trappers in most every area and they can also show you how to trap if you would prefer to do this on your own. There are other small groups as well who have volunteers who are willing to help.

Once the cats are trapped, spayed/neutered, receive flea meds and a rabies vaccination, they are returned back to their original location and you can continue to feed and provide shelter. Cats that are adoptable are normally farmed out to many different rescue groups for indoor adoption placement. Please refer to animal agencies and check around at various locations. The important thing to note here is that by spaying/neutering these cats, YOU ARE STOPPING THE CYCLE OF REPRODUCTION so that no new cats will be born outside. Help is always out there if you are willing to take the first step.

This brings me to our two little darlings in the cover story of our newsletter. Isabella and Louisa (now Polly and Midnight) came from such a TNR situation.

One of our wonderful volunteers, Kathy S. trapped a mom and five kittens in the summer of 2022. The mom was feral and after weaning her kittens, was trapped, spayed and returned to her caretaker. Polly and Midnight (along with the other three kittens) were fostered and placed at four months old, but unfortunately, they were too energetic for the adoptor, so both were returned. FosterCat ended up finding them a perfect new home with adoptors who absolutely adore black kitties and laugh at their crazy antics.

Both kittens now spend their time running around and getting into everything (as kittens do) with the adopter’s chocolate lab, Waylon.

Adoptor Marian writes “Polly and Midnight are very sweet, lovable, and playful. They have the run of the house, love looking out the windows and absolutely adore our dog, Waylon. They like cuddling up with my son as well. Thank you for bringing them into our lives. We really love them! ” Who said outdoor cats can’t be wonderful indoor pets?

I just love happy endings!

Seniors are Super

Let me first say that I have been in animal rescue for over 30 years. Over the course of time in rescue, I have found that it can be extremely heartbreaking and time-consuming, but it can also be very rewarding.

In today’s world, one gets a sense that we have become a “throw-away” society. If something breaks, throw it away. If something gets old, throw it away and buy new. Tired of your old clothes, shoes or toaster, throw them away. Take for instance the problem with plastics, bottles and cans and how impossible it has become to recycle. We always hope when we throw plastic bottles, cans, etc. in the “recycle” bin that they are truly recycled but we really do not know for certain. We do not like to think that we are just contributing to the overflow of trash in landfills that will pollute the environment for decades to come.

Unfortunately, this same principle also applies to animals. Adopt (or worse, buy) an animal, feed it and love it until it becomes old and a burden, has a health problem, becomes disabled or a bother, and it is history. If a person goes into a nursing home, gets a divorce, moves out of state, downsizes to an apartment that does not allow pets, has allergies or has a new baby, all of a sudden, the animal is a burden to the family. Need I go on?

Rather than being a responsible person and finding a viable solution to keep the cat or surrender it to a “no-kill” shelter or a rescue group, it is just easier to discard the cat or dog like a piece of unwanted trash. I will never understand how anyone can discard a cat outside who they adopted as a cute kitten, loved and lived with for 14 years.

It is especially hard for an older indoor cat to be outside on its own just trying to exist, especially when they have been a cherished indoor member of the family. A horrible trend has emerged in the last 30 years where people have decided that pets are “disposable” and can be replaced.

This is where Tuffy’s story begins. Tuffy was discarded like a piece of trash in Homewood. When foster parent Kim found this sweet boy, he was sick and terribly matted. After Kim took him to a veterinarian, it was determined that Tuffy was between 12 and 14 years old and we were astounded that he was microchipped. Most likely he was adopted from a shelter. The vet reported that Tuffy was in extreme pain because all ofTuffy’s teeth were wobbly and that full mouth extractions would be needed. Why would anyone discard an old cat outside with infected teeth? Because we have become a “disposable” society.

Tuffy will receive all the veterinary care he needs and FosterCat will make sure that his next home will be a permanent one.

As a senior citizen myself, I know the joys of adopting an older cat. Senior cats are “true companions.” They love to cuddle and be petted and more importantly, they are CALM. These cats are just happy to be loved. Then there is kitten mania, clawing furniture, getting into mischief, trying to get outside or running in front of you when you are on a walker or desperately trying to descend a flight of stairs.

Yes, adopting an older cat can be a very rewarding experience! Have I convinced you yet?

Please consider giving a senior cat like Tuffy a warm, loving home that he so deserves, and more importantly, a second chance at LIFE. I promise you, that you will not be disappointed! Please contact info@fostercat.org.

Sometimes It Takes an Army

That’s an “army” of volunteers to save the life of a cat outside. This is the story of one such cat named Otis who was rescued by a dedicated “army” of volunteers.

Otis was one of five adult cats that an owner in Bridgeville wanted to “dump” when she decided to move. This woman had no plan for the cats; only that she was leaving and could not take the cats with her. She thought of two options…walk away and leave the cats in the house by themselves or turn them outside to fend for themselves.

A neighbor found out about the situation and offered to take the cats in temporarily. The neighbor contacted many rescues, including FosterCat, but all were full. One rescue group took the cats in for two weeks but was unable to foster them long term. When FosterCat found out the dire situation, we were able to find a foster home to temporarily house the cats until we could get them into our foster network.

In the meantime, we were able to get vet appointments quickly and all were vaccinated, spayed/ neutered, dewormed and tested for felv/fiv. Unfortunately, two of the five cats had distemper and passed away shortly after surgery. This is why all rescue groups preach the importance of getting vaccinations as soon as the kittens are 12 weeks old.

Fortunately for Otis, he was completely healthy and we found a home quickly for him. Unfortunately, the adoptors had another cat and the two cats did not get along, so Otis was back into foster. All of us were very saddened that this home did not work out for Otis.

Sometimes in life, things are just meant to be. A week or so later, we received another application for Otis and were able to get him a permanent home with some pretty special people. Maura and her brother George saw Otis on PetFinder and submitted an application. We decided to do a “foster to adopt” contract so Maura could try Otis to make sure he would be happy in his new home. Within two weeks Maura sent us a text saying that she fell in love with Otis and he fit right into her home! They bought Otis a cat tree and various toys, but his favorite toy is a big, fat plush carrot toy! Maura and George think he is enamored with it!

Maura states “Just a note to let you know that Otis is adjusting well to his new home and environment. He loves to be perched up on a shelf or on his favorite, the top of the fridge. He prefers to drink water out of the sink than his water bowl, and we have purchased cat trees for him since he likes to be up high. Otis follows me around everywhere! Overall, he is doing great and we love him! Thank you for your help in finding the perfect companion for us and the best home for Otis!”

It has been a long, hard and rocky road for Otis. FosterCat will continue to put the lives of our cats first and foremost. We never gave up trying to find the right home for Otis. He has been through many trials and tribulations in his life, but he has come through it all with flying colors! Sometimes it just takes an “army” of people to find the right home for a cat like Otis!

Dale and Brennan…From Rags to Riches

FosterCat receives pleas for help just about every day. Some are by word of mouth and others are pleas for help on our answering machine. Regardless of the situation, we try to get back to everyone as soon as possible. On one such day, we received a plea for help from a tenant in an apartment building in Butler, PA. She informed us that her neighbor had been evicted and that there were two male cats that needed to be rescued as soon as possible.

She relayed that the apartment smelled of urine and the cats needed help! Upon inspection, it was determined that there was absolutely no cat food available and no litterbox. We knew that we had to remove these cats from their current situation immediately. The tenant did not really want to give up the cats at first and stated that he planned to take the cats with him and live in his car. What we found was that the man was feeding the cats canned spaghetti and bread because he had absolutely no money for cat food and litter. Neither of the male cats were neutered and because there was no litterbox, the cats were urinating and defecating in various spots.

Our wonderful foster coordinator Kim, immediately went to pick up both cats and after determining that they were extremely friendly, named them Dale (black) and Brennan (orange tabby). Kim then took them to Animal Friends for vaccinations, neutering, testing, deworming, etc.

Dale and Brennan were taken to our competent foster parent Jessica for observation followed by an assessment by our fabulous foster parents Aaron and Erika. They then went to a new foster home with a little girl named Vivienne. Both cats passed all the behavior tests with flying colors. Both cats were now ready to get their “forever” home.

When cats are accepted into our program, it is customary to place their pics on our webpage, along with Facebook and Instagram. This is the best way to get the cats the exposure they need to get adopted.

They were only listed a week before I was able to get a wonderful application for both of them to be placed together. Connor C. submitted an adoption questionnaire, and after speaking with him, it was determined that this was the perfect home for both of these sweet cats. Connor’s previous cat had recently passed away and he missed the companionship of having a cat. He was on board with fostering and then eventually adopting both cats. Connor states “Thank you guys so much for the opportunity to give both Dale and Brennan a home! We love them so much! We have been loving on these little guys all week and we are so enamored with them. They are very affectionate and loving. Both cats have been cuddling with us all over the place and they love playing and running around.” Sometimes in life things just work out as if they were intended to end up this way. Over the course of a month, two helpless cats who had no home and no food, ended up hitting the lottery. One thing is for certain; they will never have to eat spaghetti again. If this isn’t a rags to riches story, I don’t know what is!

A Miracle for Mirabel

Sometimes it takes a miracle to save the life of a cat or kitten who has been rescued from outside. Mirabel’s story starts in July of 2022. Just another typical feral mom and five kitten rescue that we are all so familiar with throughout the year. The five kittens were around four weeks old and were able to be with the mother until they were weaned. Our wonderful foster mom Kerri stepped up and agreed to foster all of them until they were old enough to be vetted and placed into permanent homes. The feral mother would be vetted and released, and food and shelter would be provided.

Kittens that young need to be handled a lot, and spending time with them to get human interaction and contact is absolutely essential in gaining their trust for eventual placement into responsible homes.

Kerri noticed that as time went on the tiniest of the litter, Mirabel, would come and sit on Kerri’s lap and purr and purr. Kerri also noticed that all of the kittens had gained weight but Mirabel had not gained an ounce. Finally, Mirabel was taken to a vet and extensive tests were done. After ruling out a myriad of diseases, it was determined that Mirabel had Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). FIP is normally a fatal diagnosis, but in recent years, an extremely costly treatment has become available. Kerri contacted the source and FosterCat decided we would try to save this little girl any way we could.

FosterCat established a “Go Fund Me” fundraising account when we found out that ongoing treatments would be extremely costly. Each vial of medicine for once a day injections cost $86.00 for 84 days, not including the cost of needles and syringes and routine blood work. Vials of the medicine had to be increased as Mirabel gained weight.

Thanks to our wonderful supporters and our Annual Bingo/ Go Fund Me fundraiser, we were able to raise the necessary funds for the much-needed medicine and supplies for this important treatment.

I am happy to report that as of January 29, 2023, Mirabel has been pronounced cured! We still have to watch her closely and routine blood work must be done, but Kerri is happy to report that Mirabel is running around and just being a normal kitten.

FosterCat is extremely grateful for all the donations from our supporters in making this dream come true. I would like to personally thank everyone who donated and helped this little kitten have a chance at life!

FosterCat is hoping that every cat diagnosed with FIP will be able to access this life saving treatment. Like any “new” drug out there, it will take time to develop, but it will subsequently lower the price of the drug enough so that it will be affordable for any individual who wants a positive solution to FIP.

Thank you all and God Bless!

“Why is foster-to-adoption so successful?”

FosterCat’s recently published adoption results have been on the uptick. Our President, Barb Slade, believes that it’s because “foster-to-adoptions” has developed into the number one adoption method for FosterCat.

What is “foster-to-adoption”?

When cats are accepted into the FosterCat network of foster homes, they are very fortunate cats because they are always given a home, whether foster or permanent. There are many circumstances that warrant their acceptance into the program. These can range from discovery of homeless mothers with kittens; strays that are found that are friendly, socialized cats and may need immediate medical attention; abuse situations where the cats are in harmful or even life-threatening situations; and other cases. When cats are taken into Fostercat, they are assigned a pre-approved foster home that has been contacted ahead of time and has agreed to foster the cat(s). These are homes that accept fosters on an ongoing basis. Before they are delivered to the foster home, each cat visits a vet for examination and depending on the age and need, may be given vaccinations, flea and deworming medication and other necessary medical treatment. The cat then remains with the foster home until successful adoption occurs.

The foster-to-adopt method is an alternative that is offered to the potential adopter. Most potential adopters really like the offer because they can try caring for the cat for a few weeks to see if it will work out in their unique home situations. The potential adopter completes and signs a foster-to-adopt application. Once the application has been screened, our foster manager, Kim typically delivers the cat to their residence to care for during the “foster” period. This method has resulted in a high rate of permanent adoptions because the home and the cat have the time to become accustomed to one another thus allowing for a smoother adoption transition. If for any reason the potential adopter feels that it is not working out, FosterCat accepts the cat back into its foster program. During the foster-to-adopt process, FosterCat offers a bag of food and if requested, brings a litterbox, scooper and litter. This is a starter kit for the foster home. Upon permanent adoption, the essential supplies are required to be provided by the adopter going forward.

Are you a candidate for “foster-to-adopt”? It may be the ideal solution for both you and the foster cat. Click here to complete the application.

Cat-loving Kindergartner to the Rescue

Six-year-old Sophia Bradway loves cats, so a fundraiser to help homeless cats was a natural choice. Also a lover of girly things, like nail art, she pitched her idea to local Color Street nail strips consultant Angie Johnston, who helped set up the Facebook fundraiser.

They raised $1240.00 for FosterCat Inc., a local allvolunteer cat rescue that finds homes for more than 200 cats and kittens each year.

“We thought we might be able to raise a couple hundred dollars,” said Sophia’s mother, Ashley Haverlack. “We were totally overwhelmed by this amazing response.”

Sophia is the youngest client of Ms. Johnston, who is a lifelong friend of Sophia’s mother. Sophia loves the colorful nail strips from Color Street, which she can apply with a little help from an adult.

For the past three years Sophia’s love of cats has been broadcast to all by the cat-ears hairband she wears every day. Last year, one of her North Hills neighbors asked her to housesit her cats. The job went well, and Sophia begged her mother and father to let her get a cat of her own. She said she would pay for the cat with her own money, saved up from doing chores.

The neighbor’s cats - both black - had been adopted from Foster Cat, so that’s where Sophia applied to adopt. The family was introduced to two female kittens from the same litter. One was black and the other was what Ms. Havelack describes as a “dilute tortie/calico,” a very popular color. But homeless black cats often languish longer in shelters and rescues.

The sister kittens were very bonded, and Sophia suggested adopting both so they would not be separated. The kittens were almost two months old when they came home with Sophia. She named the black one Pumpkin and the other Pom Pom. They provide entertainment and love to everyone in the family. Sophia’s instincts were right - the cat sisters are inseparable.

Sophie is looking forward to her May kindergarten graduation from The Glen Montessori School in Ross. In the fall she will attend classes in the North Allegheny School District. (Reprinted with permission from Linda Wilson Fuoco and the PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE.)

ATTENTION ALL ADOPTERS!

We would like to keep you informed by sending you updates and information about important events, like our upcoming Bingo Fundraiser. If we do not have your email address, please take a few moments to provide it for us and go to the following link: http://fostercat.org/contactus.html. Thank you!