Temporary Torti | Our Second Time Fostering

In May of 2023, my partner and I made the decision to take on our second foster cat. This is when we brought home a three year old tortoiseshell named Astra.

I met Astra when she was brought in as a stray at the shelter I was working at.

Due to the fact that she had little to no previous human contact, she arrived terrified and spent most her time hiding in the back of her cage.

Cat socializers would work with her regularly in hopes to gain her trust. However, over time it was clear that her confidence would not improve while she remained in the shelter environment, and finding her a home was proving to be difficult.

It broke my heart to see her in a state of constant stress, so upon leaving the shelter, my partner and I decided to bring her home as a foster.

For Astra's first few weeks in our home, she was placed in her own room away from our pets, and contact with my partner and I was kept to a minimum. This allowed her both, the necessary time and space to decompress. The allowance of decompression time is a crucial factor in determining success when fostering animals, especially shy or fearful ones.

Up until this point, my partner and I had been following the same procedures as we had for our previous foster, Michael, however, Astra's growth in confidence had seemed to be progressing slower than anticipated. So my partner and I adjusted our routine and increased the boundary threshold.

When socializing with shy or fearful animals, finding balance between comfort and encouragement is essential. This means initiating minimal but consistent exposure to the "scary" person or object, while being able to recognize when the animal needs space.

To introduce Astra to our cats and dog, we placed a baby gate in her doorway and allow the animals to initiate greetings amongst eachother. Our own pets displayed a lot of interest in wanting to socialize, however due to her fearful nature, it was rare that Astra would initiate contact with them.

Eventually we had made the decision to remove the gate entirely in hopes to spark an interest in exploring the rest of the apartment. And thankfully, this plan worked to our benefit. Astra slowly began leaving her room to explore the hallway and kitchen, and within a few days, she had made her way through the entire apartment.

Astra's first unrestricted greeting with our cats went very well. A hiss or two may have been exchanged but overall, the interaction was a positive experience. Although Astra hadn't seemed to form any sort of bond with our cats during her stay, the three of them seemed happy sharing their space together.

Once Astra was more comfortable in our home, we became more persistent in desensitizing her to physical contact. It took a lot of time and patience, but once we were able to gain her trust, we could see how much she appreciated the affection.

The main challenge we faced with Astra was her relationship with my dog, Abbie. Abbie tends to get along well with most smaller animals, however due to the fact that she has a mix of two herding breeds, she enjoys chasing them when they run. Since both animals felt a sense of constant tension amongst one another, neither were fully capable relaxing when in close proximity to eachother.

The window sill and the cat tree in the livingroom quickly became Astra's new favourite spot and most days you could find her soaking up the afternoon sun. Although the circumstances were never perfect, being placed in a home has made such a positive impact of Astra's overall happiness.

In the six months that Astra was with us, she truly transformed. She blossomed from a timid wallflower who spent most of her time hiding from humans to a sweet, silly girl who loves cheek rubs, head kisses, being brushed, and chasing toys. We are so proud of the progress she has made and we know that there are only better things to come for her.

Fosting Astra was an experience that I hold near and dear to my heart and I am so grateful that my partner and I were able to show that beautiful girl how loved she can truly be.

Astra has since been adopted by a lovely woman and is now living a beautiful life with her mom and cat brother, Milhouse, who she has apparently become inseparable from.

Letting Astra go was a deeply painful experience, but is one that I would relive over again. For me, having the opportunity to change an animal's life will always be worth the heartache.

Fostering animals has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I only hope that sharing Astra's story will help encourage others to do the same.

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

Fostering saves lives ♡