Q: I am a cat foster carer and I’ve noticed that some of the other foster carers don’t follow the strict “rescue rules”. One lets her foster cat go outdoors, which is strictly forbidden. Another feeds her foster cats on the kitchen benchtop. Should I say something? S.B., Waverley, NSW
A: We got our dog through a foster carer, so I know what great work you guys do, taking in rescued pets, then matching them with suitable owners, like some kind of animal-human dating service: OkCute-pet or Rin Tin Tinder. Even more amazingly, you do all this for no financial reward, just the joy of helping a sad, unloved little critter embark on a happier life with a rescued pet in their home.
So because foster caring is an unpaid, thankless, time-consuming job, I’m sure most of us would forgive a few tiny lapses of judgment, like letting a cat go outdoors now and then. I mean, sure the cat could do a runner, then go feral in bushland and eat all the remaining endangered numbats – but still, a cat strutting around outside enjoying the sunshine?
Awwww, cuuuute! And feeding a cat on a kitchen benchtop? I mean, sure, the cat could make this a habit and tromp its kitty-litter-soiled paws all over a food preparation surface, potentially wiping out its new human adopter-family from salmonella poisoning – but a cat bounding across bread-boards and prancing over fruit bowls, that’s Insta-worthy!
So maybe cut your fellow foster carers some slack and not say anything unless they do something truly diabolical, like name a cat Chairman Meow or dress it in a crocheted, puppy-head bonnet or hide a cucumber behind it to make it jump in terror, then post the footage online. Anything like that, report them immediately to the police.
guru@goodweekend.com.au
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