Pudding on the left, Sunrise on the right…

Dear Readers, being a cat fosterer is always bittersweet – it’s lovely to see cats blossom in a home environment, but it’s sad to say goodbye to them. These two cats hadn’t had a great start in life: Pudding spent her first two days hiding behind the books on the bookshelf with just her ears showing, her fur bare on her stomach and back legs where she’d been overgrooming from stress. But just look at her now!

Instead of being constantly on the lookout for food, she and her sister spent time lazing about on the furniture, chasing one another and demolishing my knitting…

When the people who adopted them came to collect them today, both cats ran up to them to say hello, and then chased one another around the house as usual, like normal playful cats. They’re three years old, but I do wonder what kind of kittenhood they had – it sometimes feels as if they’re making up for lost time. And I know that they’ll do really well when they have a garden to play in, though the birds will have to watch out. One reason why I foster, and why if I did adopt it would need to be an indoor cat, is because I spend a lot of time trying to attract birds and other animals to the garden, and it seems unkind to have a pet that might massacre them.

It seems very quiet as I sit on the sofa writing this: a few hours ago I’d have had a cat ‘helping’ me to type. I always have a little cry when the cats go. But honestly, the satisfaction of seeing animals rehabilitated and going off to loving homes, with people who will adore them, is more than compensation. Charities are always looking for people who can foster cats or dogs, and I really recommend it. Every animal is different, you learn so much, and for me, a house isn’t a home without an animal or two (not counting the spiders and the clothes moths, obviously). If you’ve been thinking about it, do give it a go – you might love it!