As you may or may not know, I love my cat of 21 years about two weeks ago. He was sincerely the love of my life, so to say I have been devastated is an understatement.

Some people handle such situations by saying they’ll never have another animal again. The pain is too much and they can’t imagine going through it again. I on the other hand, feel that having another animal in my home honors George in a very special way.

He gave me so much love and will always hold a special place in my heart. He would also want me to do that for another homeless kitty. So this brings me to WPC (Witness Protection Cat).

I worked for the ASPCA for 3 wonderful years. Our team rescued animals from all over the country. Animals who had been left behind, abandoned, and abused. They often come from backgrounds that leave them nervous, fearful, or untrusting of humans. So this leaves us with the special opportunity to foster. To show them that people really aren’t so scary.

So when the opportunity came for me to foster one of the rescued critters, I immediately said yes. I can’t tell you anything about them, just now that I am over the moon.

It also gives us the opportunity to look at what it really costs to bring a new animal into your home. So let’s break it down:

• Litter box $17.99
• Medium bag of food $21
• Litter scoop $2.49
• Cat bed $17
• Assorted toys $25 total (this will undoubtedly go up once I figure out what they like best)
• Scratching post $49
• Feliway $15 (calming pheramones)

I already had litter, food and water bowls, a dish mat, and some treats. And I can of course get new things as needed. I got a new little box because kitties notoriously don’t like to share their boxes, so it needed to be fresh and new. My previous cat never liked beds so I didn’t have any, same goes for scratching posts. And toys, well, every foster kitty deserves some new toys.

This kitty will come with their own meds so I don’t need to purchase flea/tick medication yet. They will also be entirely indoors. Apparently they are harness trained so maybe there will be walks in our future, but I kind of doubt it! I’m too much of a worrier.

This is far from a comprehensive list of necessities. Most new critters require a vet visit, immunizations, and many other expenses. Mine is already vaccinated as well as being already altered. He sees a vet regularly, and will see one the day he travels to me.

Fostering an animal is an incredible opportunity, for you and the animal. And whether or not you intend to make it permanent, it will surely have a lasting impact on your life, as well as the animal’s. Consider fostering an animal in your community. It will give them a new chance at life, teach them about kindness again. Or perhaps it will allow them to recover from a procedure that might be difficult in a shelter setting.

I have had many fosters through my doors over the course of my life. Each one of them changed me for the better. It broke my heart each time I sent one of them off to be adopted, however it was a great pleasure to be broken for such a cause.

I can’t wait to meet our new friend tomorrow. When I can, I will share appropriate details.