I always had cats (and a dog!) growing up. I made extra cash as the neighborhood cat sitter. I "rescued" the litter of kittens that were born in my neighbor's shed when I was 10. My high school job was cleaning kennels and walking dogs at a nearby veterinary clinic. All this to say, animal rescue has always been in the back of my mind. I grew up, adopted 2 kittens of my own from a local rescue in Michigan and eventually moved with my family to Washington, DC. 5 years ago I lost one of those two kittens to cancer. 4 years ago I adopted a puppy through Lucky Dog, which was my first experience with this organization. Last year, I lost my second cat, this time to renal disease.

I realized very quickly that I could not live without a cat and reached out to Lucky Dog again. I adopted my current resident cat OTA (Off Transport Adoption). This ended up being quite the experience as he came off the transport truck quite ill. The volunteers on the Cat Team at Lucky Dog were phenomenal. They provided amazing support and helped me navigate caring for a kitten suffering from all the typical ailments of a shelter animal.

Once things settled down, I realized I wanted to use what I had learned and help other cats transition from the shelter to their forever home! In June of 2021 I got my first 2 foster kittens. Over the past 7 months, I have fostered over 40 cats and kittens. Doing this work has been very rewarding. Obviously, helping to save the lives of cats who would otherwise be euthanized is amazing, but so is meeting people who will love those cats after they leave my home.

Working with the amazing Lucky Dog Cat Team and other cat fosters has been a bright spot as the pandemic continues to impact our daily lives. I recently stepped up my involvement and have been working to grow Lucky Dog's cat foster base by providing fosters with the community support and resources they need to care for the many cats who come off transports every week. Thank you to everyone in the Lucky Dog volunteer community! You're the best!