How things change,serendipity and fostering

Two and a half years ago, my sweet, sweet boy, Mr. Peepers, a black Persian died of heart failure. He was only 6. I had bought him from a breeder here in socal. I am not the type of person that needs a long mouring period before getting another animal, I am the type who needs another love muffin right away. So, I bought another Persian from another breeder about 3 weeks later. Within 6 months, Purrkins died of Feline Infectious Peritonitis, caused by the Corona Virus (similar to the common cold we get) and a genetic predisposition for mutation, it is 100 percent fatal.

The weirdest thing happened. I didn't even know Purrkins was sick yet, he had some colds and vet visits, and healed up OK. I started looking for another Persian online. I didn't even want or need another cat... but something was driving me to scour the net for Persian cats. This went on for about a week. (I'm not one to not listen to my inner voice.) I found the most pathetic, geriatric and neglected Persian I'd ever seen, the rescue had before pics and this poor old guy had been caged for 14 loooong years before the breeder died and the cats were rescued. I waited for months to get him because he was in rehab, ringworm, fungus... you name it... from all this neglect for so many years. At last, I had him, he was transported to me for about 600 miles, but he was home.

Two weeks later, I got the bad news about my baby Purrkins. Within a month, he was gone.

Rescue had sent the CFA registration papers with my old man, Rolls Royce. I almost fainted when I saw the breeder's name. It was the same breeder, same address where Rolls Royce was born and bred as my boy Purrkins who died, but it was now 14 years after Rolls Royce was born in that same house and Rolls Royce had traveled over 600 miles, only to come back to this area, all this time later.

After Purrkins died, the rescue people asked me if I needed more cats to fill up that big hole in my heart, and of course I did. Two months later, 3 more waifs were adopted and sent to me. One was Rolls Royce's daughter, Taz, who was 12 at the time, she too had been caged her entire life in deplorable conditions. The other two were owner surrenders, who were no longer wanted.

That was 2 years ago. Last year, I decided I could foster a Persian for another rescue group. I choose this breed due to their sweet temperment. I also chose to foster this breed because they are quite challenging. Well, I wasn't up to the task of being a foster mom and letting go because my first foster was a complete failure, bringing my brood to a total of 5. Glenda is asleep on my desk as I write this, a 5 lb. calico found on the streets wandering.

After this, I feared fostering because I thought I would never be able to let them go and would end up with way too many cats. But, I kept going and found that my house is in order with just the right number of Persians -5.

In the past year, I've fostered 14 cats who are now in great homes.

I don't know why I wrote this novel, I guess it was just to let people know who are afraid to foster because they might not be able to let go, you will know when your house is full and you will learn, if you choose to foster that letting go is the kindest thing, because then you can save even more who otherwise wouldn't have had a chance.

With all the economic problems, there are more and more purebred cats being abandoned in homes, put out on the streets and dumped at shelters. Yet the breeders do not seem to ever stop making more kitties, no matter what.

Much of what I do is taking in cats that have been surrendered or taken from overwhelmed breeders. There is no shortage of them.

I am not a snob for rescuing Persians exclusively, the reason I do it is because of their susceptibility to respiratory infections, hard to care for coats and other issues that they have that other cats do not.

Please consider fostering, any cat or dog, times are rough for the animals and right now all rescues and shelters are completely overwhelmed.

Oh, and my family has grown again, last month I went to mail something and I found a small doggie wandering in the parking lot. Macy lives here with us now, taking over where our Bichon, Snowball left off a year ago when she passed on. Of course, I was going to turn her in to rescue... hahaha.