Testimonial

Little did she know one year ago where a little, one-eyed, calico cat would take
her.

Kathy Bishop, 24, of Portage, started out by adopting an SPCA cat (Annie, pictured below), then became a volunteer cat foster. With just a spare bedroom and a love of animals, Kathy has already helped the SPCA save over a dozen cats from being destroyed at area pounds.

Kathy, who works as a dance instructor, had just moved to the Kalamazoo area, and for Valentine’s Day 2004, she and her roommate decided to adopt a cat. They found Annie at an SPCA adoption event at Discount Pet Center on South Westnedge (now called “Uptown Pets”).

Annie, a crazy, scrappy calico with one eye and Annie

a chipped tooth, had been rescued from life as a scavenger in a restaurant parking lot. “She was perfect,” Kathy said.

Soon after, Kathy decided to open her home to other cats in need. Her first foster cat was Lily,
a brown tabby that just needed a few days to recover from spay surgery. Once Lily was ready, Kathy took her to Discount Pet Center to be put up for adoption through the SPCA’s in-store foster program.

“Dropping her off was a little sad, but I knew that was my job, to care for the cats until they have their forever home,” Kathy said. “I can’t keep them all. I just think to myself, ‘OK, now I have room for another cat.’”

And another, and another – Kathy’s next venture was a pregnant barn cat who gave birth to five kittens while in her care. Once the kittens were weaned, vaccinated, and neutered, they (and mom) all found new, loving homes, except one little guy with a malformed sternum, Augie, who was lucky enough to stay right where he was! Kathy had adopted her second SPCA cat.

Kathy recently hosted three kittens that were rescued from the Barry
County pound. Magical, Meyer, and Amelia were born with crooked tails and congenital defects in their front legs, which cause them to trundle along on
their elbows. Although they need a little more space for landing, they get up, down, and around just like any other cat, and Amelia is an expert at
somersaults!

Did Kathy hesitate about taking in these special needs kittens? No way. “I have a place in my heart for handicapped kitties,” she said, with a nod to her own cats. “They’re special animals. They all have their own stories and unique personalities. “I love animals, especially cats,” she said. “To foster seems like such a big responsibility, but it’s really easy.”

All it takes to foster a cat for the SPCA is a small, spare room. The SPCA pays for medical costs, and the duration is typically less than six weeks. The foster cat(s) stays separate from your own, resident cat(s), for everyone’s safety and comfort.

Cat foster homes are an ongoing, critical need for the SPCA. We rely on the generosity of animal lovers in the community to open their homes to these homeless felines, providing love, shelter, and care until they are ready to be adopted.

“There are so many things in our world today that need help and can’t be fixed,” said Kathy. “This is something I can do to help the world be a little bit of a better place.”

Now Kathy is branching out into adoption counseling for the SPCA. “I’m glad the SPCA has strict adoption standards and a formal application, not just a conversation,” she said. “I’ve learned so much about cats and animals just by volunteering with the SPCA.”

All of our rescued cats are “special needs” – they are all in need of a second chance and a loving, lifelong home. You can help the SPCA save lives by becoming a cat foster. Please call 629-0567 or e-mail catfoster@spcaswmich.org if you are interested in opening up your home.

If you’re unable to foster but would like to help, consider a donation of Innova Lite cat food, litter, or toys, which can be purchased & left in our donation bins at Pet Supplies Plus, Discount Pet Center, or Uptown Pets. The homeless cats of Southwest Michigan thank you!