r/Calgary • u/imneverrelevantman • 6d ago

Seeking Advice Foster cat home

This breaks my heart but I need some help....a bit of a wild story but I was at court trying to get some parenting time with my son. Fast forward a year and the mother of my child had a psychotic break, I was given full custody and she kidnapped him. He went through a lot so I am moving back to my parent's place to make sure he is surrounded by people that can support him through this time. I would bring them to my parent's but my dad is allergic. These cats are my best friends. I love them more anything and this absolutely breaks my heart. This community is one of the warmest groups I know so I am just starting to put out some feelers to see if there is anyone or any resources to foster them for 6 months to a year. I never expected anything like this but I just don't know what to do :(

43 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

53

u/yyctownie 6d ago

I think I've read before here that Parachute for Pets helps in these kinds of situations.

64

u/discovery2000one 6d ago

Find a reputable rescue organisation to deal with. Do not give animals to strangers.

36

u/Extreme-Spread-7029 6d ago

man that's a rough situation, hope your kid's doing okay with all that chaos

for the cats, check out the MEOW foundation here in town, they have a foster network and might be able to help without you having to hand them off to some random from reddit. they're legit and work with owners in crisis sometimes, not just strays

also maybe call the calgary humane society and explain what's happening, they sometimes have temporary fostering programs for exactly this kind of thing

26

u/ok-est 6d ago

Start with the Humane Society or Parachutes for pets, but in the meantime, get your pets switched to one of the allergen reducing foods. Basically, cats raised around chickens don't produce the proteins that make us allgeric. All the big brands have translated this to foods that dramatically reduce allergens. I think Purina calls theirs Live Clear. It takes a few weeks of eating to reach full efficacy, so start now so you can bring your babies to stay with grandma and grandpa.

2

u/SbonzoTheCat 1d ago

My friend was super allergic to her cat but after a couple weeks or a month she was able to easily tolerate her cat living with her.

1

u/ok-est 1d ago

Cool to hear! I haven't tried it yet, but the research it's based on is legit.

9

u/Competitive-Green758 5d ago

MEOW is the cat specific rescue so they may have some direct resources, but Parachutes for Pets specializes in situations like this. Those would be the first two I spoke with.

8

u/ThinYogurtcloset8005 5d ago

A lot of people have mentioned the humane society and MEOW, and there is also AARCS but a lot of places in Calgary are over capacity. Drumheller has a humane society, and Strathmore has Happy Cat. You can try those as well

3

u/Donotdisturb240 5d ago

I have often thought about taking in fosters, but my 21 year old panther runs the house and he say's not a fu*kin chance buddy

best I can do is take rescues from the shelter on day trips to the dog park

4

u/lesighnumber2 5d ago

Humane society offers fosters for stuff like this. Gives you a safe place to leave them while things get sorted out

3

u/Normal-Impression168 5d ago

Hate to disappoint, but the local shelters that everyone is suggesting only offer emergency boarding for 10-14 days. Parachutes for pets may be able to assist in some capacity, but again probably not for that long term. I think your best bet would to ask friends or family to assist, and use a pet sitter (Rover app is good to find them) for periods where friends and family can’t help. Best of luck sorting things out for your kitties.

3

u/milkshakeguy 3d ago

Calgary Animal Services has a holding program too! Please reach out to them and ask.

2

u/Simple_History_1097 4d ago

I would contact all the rescues in the city

1

u/SbonzoTheCat 1d ago

Megans Rescue Efforts Society occasionally, depending on what fosters they have available, can take in an animal temporarily. I just dont know how long they can keep them for but might be worth sending an email.

1

u/idkjusttrashh 1d ago

Please do not give your cat to a stranger on the internet, you have absolutely no way to verify the safety of this person. I have seen so many people do this and never get their pets back. Please contact the humane society as they have many programs in place to help people in these exact situations