“YOU get very attached to them - even years later they have moved to a new home and you see pictures online, tears can flow.”
Over the past decade Nicola Slator and her family have fostered at least 140 cats and kittens.
“I recently saw pictures of cats that we had fostered a long time ago, called the Narnia kittens - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - after the children in the books. Seeing them still stirs up emotion," she says.
Nicola has cared for cats through thick and thin, nursing the weak back to strength, building the confidence of nervous and traumatised animals and, above all, providing unconditional love.
The family - Nicola has a son Charlie and daughter Rebecca - decided to foster cats after Charlie became interested in the plight of homeless animals.
“Our cat died and we rang Yorkshire Cat Rescue - which was then called Haworth Cat Rescue, about homing two kittens. They said: “Hurry up, we have five kittens and we have had seven inquiries. I quickly wrapped the kids in their pyjamas and we went - there was one left, the runt of the litter, so we took him and his mum.
“After that Charlie kept going online and telling me about all the cats at the charity needing a home. I asked if he would like to volunteer and he did, but he was too young to go on his own. So, after taking Rebecca, who has complex special needs, to her riding session at Haworth Riding for the Disabled, all three of us went along. The centre welcomed us all with open arms.”
Spending a whole day away from home every week was not always practical, so Nicola thought about fostering for the centre.
“We got our first family, a young mum and two kittens, in May 2010,” says Nicola. Since then they have nurtured and cared for many cats prior to re-homing.
“We have looked after newborn kittens, which you keep until they weigh 1kg and then they go to be neutered. They sometimes return to your home, as has been the case during Covid.”
The family has fostered cats in need of cage rest, who may have been in a road accident and need comfort and lengthy physiotherapy, and cats like Caesar and Cleo whose elderly owner died.
“They now have a fantastic home,” says Nicola.
"Some cats may have been living in a household where incidents such as domestic violence could leave them terrified. Some need a quiet home.”
While extremely rewarding, fostering cats and kittens can be demanding. “It is not all sweetness and light, cuddles and playing," Nicola points out. "The other side is being up all night with a very sick kitten. It can be hard work and comes with a lot of commitment and responsibility.”
Having the feline house guests has also helped Rebecca, who gets pleasure from playing with them.
Families who foster are well supported by the rescue centre, in Cross Roads, near Keighley, which supplies food, cat litter and other necessary items and meets veterinary bills.
“We are also supported by an online foster group and can ask questions, which is really helpful.”
*To find out more about fostering cats and kittens contact yorkshirecatrescue.org; or email mail@yorkshirecatrescue.org; Phone: 01535 647184.
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