I would recommend being a cat foster parent to anyone

9:13am Friday 9th May 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

WHEN you step into Valerie Briggs' front room, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was just another home in a sleepy suburb of Worcester.

Walk into her back garden, however, and you'll enter a different world. This is the home of a Cats Protection foster parent.

Sparkie, a pretty black-and-white cat, greets you with a hungry meow and reassuring purr from inside her special pen.

This cat is the latest to be teamed up with Valerie in her role as a foster parent for the branch.

"Sparkie's a wonderful cat who is just looking for the right home," said Valerie, a professional artist who is well known for her traditional paintings of British wildlife.

"Every cat is different and it's such a reward when they are rehomed."

Valerie and her husband Ivor have been fostering cats with the Worcester and district branch of Cats Protection for more than 20 years. It was Ivor's idea to start fostering after the couple had their first cat from the branch.

"He does his share of the caring when his work allows and he's a really good nurse with sick cats," said Valerie. "We have found it a very easy job overall."

The Worcester and district branch is part of a national charity that aims to find loving homes for abandoned and unwanted cats, to promote and encourage neutering and provide people with information about how to take care of their pet.

It covers much of Worcestershire, Wychavon and Wyre Forest and last year it rehomed more than 450 cats.

There's no rescue centre in the area so the shop in St John's, Worcester, is the focal point locally.

And there's the rub - with no rescue centre all the cats are cared for by foster parents in pens like Valerie's. But more people like her are needed to help house the many rescue cats on the charity's waiting list. And she says it's one of the best things an animal lover could do.

"If you love cats, you will have all the pleasure of meeting and caring for as many different types and characters than you could ever give a home to in your lifetime," she said.

"You are never on your own and help from someone more experienced at the branch is always there if you need them."

The pens go outside the house but there are also indoor pens for orphaned kittens or very sick cats that the branch cares for.

If you don't have space for a pen, you could consider sponsoring one or you can also foster a cat indoors.

To do this, you would need a separate room to isolate the cat until it has been health checked and vaccinated, so it doesn't mix with your own cats or pass on infections.

Valerie said: "Keeping the cat in a pen in the garden means you are a little bit more detached from it and you are less likely to want to keep all the cats you foster!

"The cat will settle quicker into a new home if it is going from a pen into luxury - if it is already in a home it can cause stress when it has a new home to go to."

When Sparkie meets that special someone, Valerie can look forward to another furry friend to keep her occupied at her home in Claines.

"Averaging it out on a yearly basis, I could be looking after a different cat every month," she said.

One of the most important parts of being a foster parent is showing people the cats or kittens who they are interested in adopting.

Sometimes they may go away without adopting one but it has to be the right cat for the right person.

"When we first started the longest we had a cat was for a year. She liked to live in the house during the day and the pen at night," said Valerie. "Our own cats ignored her and vice-versa.

"She was rehomed to a single-person household and as the cliché goes, they lived happily ever after."

The branch wants to know if you have the space, time and love these rescue cats need before they find their perfect match.

Valerie has these words of wisdom for anyone interested in volunteering.

"I would recommend fostering a cat to anyone, including families who love animals," she said.

"As well as teaching young people how to care for pets, cats love company and most cats respond to having children around."

"I firmly believe that the cats actually choose their new owners! It's so rewarding to see these cats going to loving homes."

To find out more about volunteering and the Worcester and district branch of Cats Protection, phone co-ordinator Lynn Glaze on 01386 751925 or Fran Holder at the shop on 01905 426748

VOLUNTEER ROLES: WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE WORCESTER AND DISTRICT BRANCH OF CATS PROTECTIONFOSTER PARENTSAnimal lovers like Valerie are needed from across the county to look after cats awaiting new owners.

The pens and equipment are provided and all expenses are paid for.

You just need to provide the love, care and attention the cat needs.

Valerie has one cat pen in her back garden, but there are double or treble pens available.

A single pen could hold up to three cats from the same household, a mother and kittens or a litter of kittens which are self-sufficient.

Similarly, double and treble pens can hold two or three times this number - if you have the time and space.

Pens have electricity and the branch supplies overhead lamps and heated beds to keep the cats cosy.

"Cats like routine and clean litter trays," said Valerie.

"We feed Sparkie regularly, making sure that her pen is clean and the litter trays are changed.

"It's just a matter of wiping down surfaces and hoovering or brushing up cat litter.

"Then it is fuss and playtime. Leaving a radio on in the pen quietly during the day can often relax a cat - it certainly works for Sparkie!"

PHONE 'ANGELS' You could help by answering the telephone lines for homing requests, the lost and found register and dealing with the neutering vouchers. Ideally you would be able to use spreadsheets and e-mail for these tasks.HANDYMENThe charity needs people to help with the set-up and maintenance of the cat pens.

This includes electricians for the necessary wiring and people to lay slabs for the pens to stand on. Help with transporting the pens would be appreciated, too.

FUND-RAISINGThis is a key part of the branch's day-to-day survival.

You could help raise money to buy more pens or to pay for the cats in the branch's care.

Tasks range from committee roles to being able to transport a cat to a vet, or visit a prospective home for a cat.

Fran Holder, manager of the branch's shop, said: "At the moment our youngest volunteer is 21 years old and our oldest is more than 80, so it's a very wide range of people. We need volunteers to help in the shop or to provide items to sell. Help with collection, sorting, preparation and pricing of the items is always appreciated, too." One member ran the London marathon to help raise funds, while events are regularly held such as car boot sales, fairs, coffee mornings and raffles.