Hisses to Kisses | Our First Fostering Experience

In September, my partner and I decided to begin fostering a cat, but specifically wanted to open our home to a long-term shelter resident. This is why we chose to bring home Michael.

Michael was a 10 month old tabby. He and his litter mates were found in a shed behind a Rona hardware store and were brought to the shelter that I work at in February 2022. Due to his fearful nature, it was difficult to socialize him, and therefore, difficult to find him his forever home. He was the only cat from his litter that had yet to be adopted.

When we brought Michael home, he was extremely stressed and anxious, which we were expecting. We had given him our room to settle in and decompress; only entering to clean his litter box and to give him fresh food and water. Allowing cats to have time to decompress is essential in ensuring they are comfortable and confident in their new environment.

For the first week, he slept in his litter box for comfort and would instantly hide whenever my partner or I would enter the room. He did however, start showing signs of wanting to play with our cats through the door within a few days. After slowly introducing our dog and cats to him, he was able to roam the house freely. We began feeding the animals together, so that they would associate eachother with a positive activity.

It didn't take long for him to become comfortable with the apartment and other animals, but he still kept his distance from my partner and I.

After a few weeks, he began initiating contact by rubbing on our legs while we were preparing his food, and slowly began allowing us to pet him during these times. We took advantage and used those moments to desensitize him to as much human contact as possible. With time and patience, he started trusting us enough that we could approach him without him fleeing. He even became more comfortable around any guests that would visit, which was a huge accomplishment for him.

We were able to increased the comfort threshold one last time and began desensitizing him to nail trims and to being picked up.

In the few months that Michael was with us, he went from being an extremely fractious cat with very little physical human contact, to a cat that loves head rubs, head kisses, and being brushed. We are so proud of the progress he has made and I know things will only get better for him.

After 7 months of being at the shelter, Michael finally got to experience life in a loving home, and we were so fortunate to be able to watch him transform into the amazing, goofy boy that he is. Giving him the love and patience he deserves was such a rewarding experience that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Michael was adopted in December 2022 by an amazing couple. He is doing great in his new home, and has a new cat sister.

We are so proud of you, sweet boy and we know you are going to have an amazing life.

Love and miss you always.

If you have the room in your home and your heart, please consider fostering for your local animal rescue.

Fostering saves lives ♡