I don’t know about you, but my cat, Molly, has been one of the best parts of my pandemic isolation. I began fostering Molly about seven years ago when I graduated from my MSW program while unemployed. After many people showed interest in her, and I kept making up reasons why they shouldn’t adopt her, I adopted her myself.
Before the pandemic, there would be some days where I would be away from her for upwards of 12 hours. I’d come home, she’d greet me at the door with her little screams and we would cuddle.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Molly and I have gotten into a little groove with each other. We spend the first parts of our morning together, she goes and has the zoomies and naps, and may join me for one or two of my daily zoom meetings. She typically knows when to leave me alone (I think), and knows when it’s time for extra cuddles. Frankly, she’s the best co-worker I’ve ever had (sorry, to all my actual co-workers who might read this).
I have always been a huge supporter of fostering/adopting pets, and this pandemic just re-affirmed it. If you are on the fence about adopting or fostering an animal, maybe this can help you decide. Of course, only do so if you can financially and emotionally support the animal.
The top three reasons to adopt a pet are:
- Unconditional love. While some may say that cats don’t provide unconditional love, and that’s a dog trait, I would disagree. In a time that can be isolating, having a furry friend who can support you, can help some of those feelings of anxiety and stress.
- Chance at a second life. Some animals that are put into the foster/adopt system are coming from either situation that hasn’t allowed them to have the best life possible. Some animals are put in the shelter system, because their original humans can’t care for them any longer, due to a variety of reasons.
- Make room for other animals. When someone fosters or adopts an animal, it makes room in the shelter for other animals to have that same opportunity.
Are you looking to foster/adopt an animal? I strongly encourage you to look at your local humane society, or animal rescues.
Written by Alana Kaplan, Project Manager for the I Am Resilient Project.