If you read my previous account, you know that a cat came to my back door one night and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. I anticipated that I was going to have to take it to a shelter because my family couldn’t keep it and no one was coming forward to claim it. After a few phone calls were made, word got around and a lady convinced us to hold onto it while she tried to help find it a home. She had contacts with a rescue organization from fostering cats in previous years. Eventually she volunteered to foster our little guest, so it was spared the shelter, but it still needs a permanent home.
My previous article had a list of shelters that was broad, spanning from Hudson County to Montclaire. I was just throwing a wide net in case this reached people outside of Hudson County but it is important to be aware of just which shelter can take an animal based on where you live. I believe I mentioned that Associated Humane Society contracts with Hoboken, but my info was apparently incorrect because I was informed otherwise by the organization.
What I did not talk about was the option of fostering in which people provide a temporary home for pets while a permanent home is being sought out. This is a very welcome relief to shelters that are often overwhelmed with abandoned animals. When I told the shelter that I wasn’t going to take the cat to them after all, the lady on the other end was pretty stoked since they already had fifty cats there.
If you happen across an animal in need or it happens across you, weigh your options and see how you can help it. If you can take it in for a bit, it’s definitely rewarding, but you should of course not bite off more than you can chew. That’s why it’s important to reach out for some help from the appropriate people. You should also protect any current pets by separating them from the new addition, in case of communicable diseases. If you would like to consider to option of fostering, you can find more info from these organizations:
About the Author/s
Writer/Blogger at The Digest. Lifelong New Jersey resident. Actually likes this place.
