Unsure About Adopting, I Tried Fostering First

Animal rescuers first encountered Domino — an aptly named kitty with a perfectly cute Rorschach-inkblot face and cotton-ball paws — on the streets of Jamaica, Queens. It was the fall of 2002, and he was about to be left behind as his mom was being saved, so he bounded towards the car, refusing to be ignored. Despite this perseverance, Domino’s mom would soon be adopted, while the little one was left homeless.

Happy beginnings, presented by Zoetis

Around the same time, one potential cat mom in New York City was unsure if I she was ready to become a pet parent. “Since I was only looking to adopt one cat, it was also tricky to find a pet that was a good fit for what I was looking for,” she says — until she spotted a cat on Adopt a Pet. “Then I saw Domino. He’s such a sweet, friendly cat, and I’m so glad that I was able to find him when I did.”

The initial hesitation that accompanied her love at first sight wasn’t a bad thing. Unprepared humans being impulsive about pet adoption comes with the risk of ultimately surrendering the pet (risking trauma and euthanasia) or the need to rehome them (the more humane option). So, taking the time to consider if an adoption is the right move for both you and the pet is not only responsible, it is ethical.

Giving every pet the care they deserve.

Our partner Zoetis is building a stronger, more sustainable foundation for adoptions, with over $2M in pet care products sent to shelters.

Learn more

Fostering to adopt is an easy way to test adoption.

“The independent shelter that had found him was looking for a new foster for him, and they offered me a ‘foster-to-adopt’ situation,” she explains. Fostering to adopt is a program designed to ease folks into pet parenthood. The process begins as a short-term commitment, where you acclimate a pet to domestic life while learning a lot more about their needs and temperament. The idea is that if you feel like the pet is a good fit, you adopt them. If not, you take care of them and gather more details about their personality — ideally, until someone else can adopt them. 

Either way, fostering to adopt is a win-win. It not only allows a kitty to shine outside a shelter environment, but frees up the staff there so that they can tend to more stray animals.

When the kitten Domino reached his new home, “he was very talkative and scared when he arrived at the apartment, and cried the whole night. He needed to be wrapped up in a blanket and rocked with music in the background in order to calm down.” A rocky start is normal for any kitty who’s moved into a new, unfamiliar environment. Still, it didn’t take long for either of them to take to each other. “Within a few days. I knew he was my forever friend.”

Making progress day by day

Today, they are inseparable. “By the end of our first weekend together, Domino was starting to get accustomed to his new home, and now, one-and-a-half years later, he needs to be in the room I’m in at all times and loves to greet me whenever I come home from an adventure,” she says. “Every night we have our nighttime cuddles, and if I’m having a late night, he’ll meow at me letting me know, ‘Hey, it’s time for bed.’”