Will My Foster Cat Think I Abandoned Them? Facts & FAQ
When you foster felines waiting to find their furever home, you’re opening not only your home but your heart to them. Fostering animals can result in a true bonding experience between you and the foster. However, fostering is temporary, and many people have questions about the process of fostering a cat.
One of the most common questions about being a kitty foster parent is whether your foster cat will think you abandoned them when they move to their new permanent home. And the answer is complicated because every feline is different. Here’s what we know.
Can Cats Feel Abandoned?
Felines do feel emotion (though not precisely as we do). In fact, studies into feline emotions have resulted in the theory of a basic emotional system in cats comprising eight parts, which enable them to react to external information and stimuli. These systems include a fear-anxiety one that helps them respond to things that are unfamiliar and could be dangerous, a care system that helps them create social bonds, a desire-seeking system designed to help them find food, and more.
There’s also been research into whether our cats feel things in similar ways to humans, and there’s evidence they may experience some emotions in ways that are like us. All of this is to say that when cats experience events like abandonment or rehoming, they can feel sadness over it.
However, all kitties are different, too. And cats don’t have the same attachment to their owners that dogs tend to have, so they aren’t quite as dependent on us as we’d sometimes like to think. So, one cat that has been relinquished or rehomed may feel sadness or mourn the loss of its people and home. Another feline may take a move as a new experience to be enjoyed. It all just depends on the cat.
So, your foster cat could possibly feel as if you’d abandoned them. However, the good news is that because the foster cat is moving to a new home where it will be loved, even if it feels abandoned, the feeling shouldn’t last for very long.
Ways to Keep Yourself (and Kitty) From Becoming Too Attached
If you’re concerned about fostering a cat because you feel that you might get too attached or if you’re worried a foster cat might feel abandoned when it moves to its furever home, there are ways you can work to keep both of you from becoming overly attached.
Foster a feline that’s not quite right for your lifestyle. This doesn’t mean taking in a kitty that you won’t be able to handle; rather, foster a cat that’s not exactly a good fit for your life. Maybe you hate having fur all over the house. In that case, you might foster a long-haired breed. If the cat isn’t exactly right for your life, you’ll be less attached.
Have your family or friends help out. The more people spend time with a foster cat, the less likely it will be to become overly attached to a single person. Don’t overwhelm the cat with attention, but share responsibilities and give the cat attention among several people.
See if you can help find and screen potential adopters. By doing this, you’ll keep the fact that this is temporary in the front of your mind, which should help you keep some distance.
None of these is guaranteed to make giving up a foster kitty less painful or keep a foster cat from feeling a sense of abandonment when it moves on, but they can help.
Final Thoughts
Felines are capable of feeling emotions, so a foster cat might feel a sense of abandonment and sadness when it moves from your home to its furever one. However, all cats are different, so there are plenty of kitties that won’t feel this way. But even if a foster cat does feel abandoned, it will only be temporary. Now that your kitty is in its long-term home, it will quickly grow to feel a sense of safety and love there.
Featured Image Credit: Nikolay Bassov, Shutterstock
