From grief to hope: How fostering Lotus helped Wendy to heal

Wendy Cun and her partner started fostering about a year after losing their beautiful cat, Misty.

“It was a cold raining midnight in animal emergency that we had to make the decision to put her down,” she remembered. “For months after she passed away, I thought I would never have another pet as it is very emotionally difficult for me to accept another cat as my child, but at the same time I do miss having a furry little friend running around the house and sleeping with her soft purrs.”

Wendy also felt bad seeing videos of animals in shelters and how stressful it is for shelters to cope with so many animals. She then started thinking how she could help, and her partner suggested looking into foster care, which allows her to still contribute without the emotional burden.

So, Wendy registered her interest with the Wollongong City Council’s foster care program and that same week received a list of animals available to foster.

“Lotus is a five-year-old cat that had only recently been impounded,” she explained. “People don’t normally want to adopt cats this age, so we thought if we fostered her, we could share more details about her personality and behaviour with the council, and help her socialise with people. That way, we might be able to get more people’s interest in adopting her.”

Lotus was very shy and scared at first; as soon as they let her out, she immediately went to hide under the bed.

“She was scared of sounds, strangers and pretty much anything moving towards her. She hid every time when we had guests over,” said Wendy.  “However, after a few days, Lotus became more comfortable in our home and started to show her playful nature. She started trusting people, coming to welcome us when we came home instead of hiding when she heard the keys unlocking the door, and even lying with belly up for us to pet.”

One day Wendy and her partner had friends visiting and Lotus was scared at first, but after a while she joined the group and let their friends pat and even hold her!

“We are so happy to see how much she has changed since we got her, and we are now glad to be informed by the Council that there is someone willing to adopt her!” said Wendy.

“Lotus is very low maintenance and well behaved. She normally sleeps all day when we are at work and engages with us when we are back. At first it took us a few days to adapt, especially at night when she was excited and wanted to play. We found a way to let her still enjoy and play by herself while we are sleeping, and it has been going very well.”

Impact of fostering on mental health

Wendy said fostering Lotus has helped her mental health, emotional wellbeing and relationship with her partner.

“I have a highly intense and stressful job that just gets even more difficult to handle when it’s near the end of the year, and I also had a five-year history of severe anxiety and depression back when I was doing my PhD,” she said.

“Being able to come home and cuddling her, playing with her, brushing her and even just looking at her has a very soothing effect on calming, softening me and reminding me of the good part of life.

“At the same time, as she magically ‘heals’ my mental stress, my relationship with my partner has gotten better as his mood is also enlightened by Lotus. It brought me back to the old times of having our cat Misty with us and after we started fostering Lotus, and now thinking of Misty doesn’t even ache as much anymore.”

Wendy is from China which does not have a government-run animal welfare organisation or foster program.

“When I first heard of fostering, I was quite hesitant to do it because I thought it is a very complicated process and might not be suitable for people like us who are working full-time. Also, we are worried about the responsibilities we need to take and whether we can handle the emotional feelings when they are getting adopted,” she said.

But Wendy was surprised by how easy the whole fostering process is and how well-organised the program is.

“It only took a couple days from the time we expressed interest until we fostered Lotus and all her food and medical expenses are covered by the Council,” she explained. “We also thought it would be very difficult to say goodbye to her when she eventually goes, but when we were told she’s getting adopted, the rewarding and fulfilling feeling of us helping her find a forever home outweighed the sadness.”

Why should more people consider fostering pets?

“Fostering  is a great way for people who love animals to contribute to society by helping to relieve stress from the shelter,” said Wendy.

“Also, for people who have lost their pet and not emotionally ready to adopt again, foster care can really “smooth the scar”; and for people who are thinking of adopting but never had a pet before, it is a great way for them to do this as a trial run to learn about animal behaviour and how to take care of an animal so they will know if they are ready to make a permanent commitment of adopting one.

“Furthermore, people who travel a lot, international students or temporary visa holders who want the companionship of a pet but are not able to commit should also consider foster care, as there are many choices available, from short-term stays of a few days to long-term stays.”

And the bonus - it is all free! With the current situation of housing and living expense increases, the expense of owing a pet has become less affordable, said Wendy.

“Last year, before our cat Misty passed away, we had to pay a huge amount of medical bills for treating her, which almost used up all our savings that year. With foster care, everything the animal needs is covered including medical expense, making it a very affordable process,” she said.