For the Love of Fospice
Do you know about fospice? It’s a combination of “foster” and “hospice.” Fospice is a foster home where kittens or cats will go if it has been determined that their medical issues are terminal. While it is sad to know that kittens or cats are coming to your home to live out their last days, it is so rewarding to ensure they know abundant love and warmth at the end of their lives.
Grandma Rhoda is a beautiful example of how FieldHaven’s fospice program works (photo by Tiny Cat Photography). A FieldHaven team was at a Sacramento County shelter to pick up two cats for transfer when they spotted a skinny, old tortie rubbing against the bars, looking for attention.
They learned she was a senior kitty whose health was declining and scheduled for euthanasia at 5 PM that day. The FieldHaven folks determined she wasn’t suffering, just old and frail with not much time left but she could still have some quality time. By 4:38 PM – with 22 minutes to spare – she was officially under the care of FieldHaven.
Grandma Rhoda received lots of love over the next few months at the FieldHaven shelter and her thyroid problems were brought under control.
She went to a short-term fospice home and thrived, so she was moved to a longer-term fospice home with Henry and Linda Dillon to live out her remaining days. This was on October 7, 2017. She’s still there!
The Dillons wrote, “Rhoda spends the bulk of her day sleeping when not asking for food and watches TV with us each evening; gets on her pole for bedtime treats, shakes hands, sits up for her treats and expects a good brushing. She sleeps on Hank’s shoulder each night, interrupted only by trips to the food bowl. Rhoda seems healthy, has an occasional cough due to asthma and has gradually become more affectionate as she has gotten to know us. We hope to have her for a long time.”
Grandma Rhoda is the kitty who has been in FieldHaven’s fospice program the longest. As you can tell, the time commitment for fospice care is impossible to gauge. It can be a few days to a few years. Regardless of how long your fospices are with you, know that you are offering them the most loving and caring gift imaginable.
To learn more about becoing a fospice caregiver and to sign up, click here.
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