"I'm interested in volunteering to take care of cats, but can I do it?"
"What do you actually do?"
"I have experience raising cats, but I'm not sure if I can handle it."
Such,
Anyone who has " experience raising cats" and "loves cats" can volunteer to become a rescue cat volunteer.
In this article, I will introduce what I felt was necessary after my experience as a volunteer looking after a rescue cat.
I have been living with cats since I was 12 years old and have had 6 cats. In the past, I have supported a cat with chronic kidney disease by giving him a drip every day. Even I, who had such an experience , thought that "taking care of a cat is different from keeping a cat normally", so I will talk about it. If you are considering volunteering to take care of a cat, please refer to it.
The room is tidy and there are no escape routes
As was the case with me, when I run for a cat custody volunteer, I am asked for a picture of my current house.
It's okay to have a lot of things, but it's desirable to have a photo of an organized image.
If the room is cluttered, there is a risk of accidental ingestion .
The people of the rescue cat group want even one kitten to be happy.
I feel uneasy about letting a cat stay in a house that is likely to make the cat even a little unhappy.
On the other hand, if your house is clean and tidy, they will trust you and want to keep your cat.
Being able to put up with the possibility of getting a skin disease or being bitten by a cat
This is my actual experience
Many of the rescue cats are wild and protected children.
The possibility of having fleas, ticks, and skin diseases is not zero.
Since there are many kittens, resistance and immunity are weak and they are easily infected with skin diseases.
In my case, my cats had a fungal disease that partially infected my skin.
I went to a dermatologist and got fungal medicine, but the marks remained on my skin for about half a year.
Frequent washing and shampooing were necessary to cure the fungus in the cats.
There are many other protective cats who are full of anxiety and scared at first.
If you keep it, you have to give medicine to such children.
There is a risk of being bitten because you have to throw medicine into your mouth without a relationship of trust between you and your cat.
If you have experience caring for a sick cat, the experience of medication is a big advantage , so let's appeal firmly!
Must have cat care experience
Based on the above, it is overwhelmingly advantageous to have cat breeding experience. You can get overwhelming trust from people in protective cat groups.
If you've never owned a cat before, you'll have many challenges not only in communication, but also in how to give medicine and shampoo!
However, I don't think it's necessary to have experience in breeding, so let's convey the grounds that I can do it.
Your answering time must be within 6 hours
The people of the rescue cat group strongly hope that the cats will become friendly cats.
If you become a child who loves people, the frame of foster parents will also expand.
In such a way, it is desirable that the answering time is within 6 hours .
Please give plenty of skinship every day!
Being able to take a lot of pictures and videos of the cat you are entrusted with
Recently, many foster parents are interested in SNS and websites and participate in adoption events.
Therefore , it is very valuable for those who like taking pictures and videos, and those who are good at editing work .
Being able to post on Bashibashi SNS and being good at editing work are merits!
What you can do to participate in the transfer meeting
There is a transfer meeting about once a month, so let's participate in it.
Of course, I don't think it's essential, but the transfer meeting is very stressful for cats.
At such a transfer meeting, if the volunteers who usually spend their time are nearby, the cats will be less stressed.
I would like you to participate as much as possible.
Summary of conditions for volunteers
I listed about 6 conditions, but the most important thing is that I love cats !
When you run as a volunteer to take care of a cat, if you can appeal the above 6 points, you will be able to take care of your cat with peace of mind.
Protective cat custody volunteers play an important role in providing cats with temporary housing and healing.
Especially if you keep a baby cat, it will greatly affect the character of the cat in the future.
By all means, let's all apply for protective cat custody volunteers and increase happy cats!