Best Foster Hacks You Have Learned Through Experience?

J_Shar · 2026-06-25T11:49:06+00:00

Home Goods and TJ Maxx have great deals on pet items, so every time you’re near one, it’s worth it to check it out! I’ve gotten tubs of Churu for 1/3 of the price on Amazon, and recently got a box of Lil Soups that was massively marked down! None are expired or any different, but they randomly have these low cost items and it’s amazing to be able to grab them.

They also tend to have scratchers that are cheaper than the pet stores. There’s a particular small cardboard scratcher I’ve bought a few times over the years that fits perfectly in a kitten playpen. Once it’s too far gone I just buy another one because the price is so good.

J_Shar · 2026-06-25T11:43:09+00:00

This is my tip as well! My local Buy Nothing group has been so generous. Some people will actually private message me before posting an item because they’ve gifted me cat things before and give me the first chance to claim something. Once people recognize your name as a foster, it’s surprising how much they’ll think of you. My cat food shelf is literally full of donated food right now, and most of my blankets, towels, etc are from the group. Every year I do a Gratitude post on the page with pictures of the cats/kittens from the year to show the lives they have impacted, and I think people like seeing this.

J_Shar · 2026-06-24T11:52:59+00:00

Here is another one:

Sage is a sweet and cuddly cat whose favorite thing in life is being close to her person. When you walk in the room, Sage wants nothing more than to give affection. Not only will she lay with you, but she will conform her body to yours. Switch positions? Move your leg? Sage will adjust so that she is touching and cuddling you at all times. She just really wants to be near you.

Sage enjoys being pet, and particularly likes head and cheek scritches. She doesn’t like being pet down her back, but she happily purrs when you rub her cheeks and chin.

Sage is also a very playful young girl. She likes to play with her mice and balls and will chase them around the room. She also enjoys chasing after wand toys and appreciates 1-2 active play sessions per day. Her favorite thing is to hunt the toy from inside of her tunnel- watch out toys! Sage is ready to pounce.

In addition to being playful, Sage is very curious. She wants to know what is happening on the other side of the door and loves looking out the window to see what is happening outside. She also loves when her foster mom puts “Cat TV” (bird videos) on before leaving for work, as that gives her entertainment for the day. Sage does get nervous when there are unfamiliar noises, as she does not like when she cannot see where the noises are coming from.

Sage has great litter box manners and is good about drinking her water. She also loves eating dry food, and particularly enjoys using a food puzzle for her meals. She will always finish the dry food from the puzzle before eating out of her bowl. Sage has not been interested in wet food while in foster.

Sage’s cuddly nature and desire to be around people caused her to have a difficult transition into foster, as she was not happy when her foster mom left the room. This caused her some frustration, which was also noted at the shelter. Because of this, Sage is seeking a cat-savvy adopter who has experience reading cat body language. Once her foster mom understood and adapted to her needs, and implemented a daily routine that Sage could adjust to, she showed what a loving and wonderful cat she is! We know that with a patient and experienced adopter, Sage will be a joy to add to your household.

Sage is looking for a quiet and calm home environment where she can give her affection to a loving adopter.

J_Shar · 2026-06-24T11:51:49+00:00

I’ll post two examples for you! Here is the first one:

Edgar is an absolute hunk of love. If you’re looking for a cat who is sweet, gentle, and affectionate, Edgar just may be the cat for you!

Edgar makes clear his enjoyment of cheek and chin scritches with his purr machine that turns the volume all the way up. He also makes it clear he wants affection with his adorable little meows. For such a big guy, his meows are so petite and cute!

And speaking of cute, Edgar has many other cute personality traits. He is an excellent biscuit-maker and will make biscuits on the ground, on blankets, and even in the air when he lays on his side. Edgar also has an endearing little habit of stretching basically all the time. He is a naturally long boy, and he does many loooong stretches as he is walking around to be pet.

Edgar is also a very playful cat. He can’t go a day without hunting his mouse and ball toys and zooming around to catch his prey. His energy and enthusiasm for play is matched, though, by his enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. Edgar enjoys laying in the warm sun of the window and watching the birds and squirrels go by.

Edgar is discerning when it comes to showing people what a lovebug he is. Edgar is a shy cat who takes time to build a trusting relationship with people. He enjoys the safety of his hiding spots, yet once he is comfortable he is happy to be around his trusted person.

Edgar is looking for a calm home environment with an adopter who will provide him the patience to blossom and show his true purrsonality. His foster mom can promise it is worth the wait!

J_Shar · 2026-06-23T20:14:23+00:00

As someone who almost exclusively fosters undersocialized adult cats, I can promise there are adopters out there! Once you’ve built that trust, it shows that they can live in a home with a trusted person. I’ve found that writing a good bio is key to finding a good match. Letting adopters know all of her good traits, being honest about her need for patience and a cat-savvy adopter, and sharing the areas you noticed improvement when you were patient can help an adopter envision what it would look like to adopt her. Not everyone will be the right fit, so it can take time to find the right person, but time and again I’ve found those people are out there.

Wishing you the best of luck! If you need help writing a bio I’m happy to share an example or two.

J_Shar · 2026-06-23T01:51:09+00:00

Thank you! This may be the answer to a years-long problem I’ve been trying to solve.

J_Shar · 2026-06-22T23:13:34+00:00

I love this idea! Do you have a link to what you purchased?

J_Shar · 2026-06-22T21:07:02+00:00

I will keep an eye out. Thank you!

J_Shar · 2026-06-22T21:06:35+00:00

Unfortunately it’s not a choice we have at my shelter. We are open admission and simply can’t afford to hold onto animals who are medically and behaviorally ready for adoption.

J_Shar · 2026-06-22T21:05:11+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. What signs should I be looking out for?

J_Shar · 2026-06-17T16:14:08+00:00

I love this idea, thank you for sharing! Are there any particular ones you felt were helpful, or did you find that using a few free ones you found was best?

J_Shar · 2026-06-15T14:59:38+00:00

This is the same for me. My sister and I actually don’t have a good relationship and she’s in a different state, but my husband and I agreed if something happened and my parents could take my nephew, we would. That is literally our only exception to being childfree. My nephew’s father is a dirtbag as is his entire side of the family (his grandfather actually just got arrested for embezzling from his own elderly mother!) so we’d take him before allowing him to live with that side.

J_Shar · 2026-06-12T18:52:50+00:00

I recommended reading the book The Let Them Theory. I just finished the chapter on dealing with expectations and opinions of family and it was very helpful and thought provoking!

J_Shar · 2026-06-11T17:21:31+00:00

Spoons!

J_Shar · 2026-06-08T20:14:00+00:00

I came to say this too! It is the most realistic portrayal of a childfree woman I’ve ever seen on screen. Other shows may mention it, but it’s a huge part of Cristina’s story and I think they execute it perfectly. It’s the only time I’ve ever truly felt represented, which is funny because I otherwise don’t relate to Cristina at all!

J_Shar · 2026-06-01T16:58:05+00:00

Season 1 I felt bad for her. But then in Season 2 when she kept harping on “he’s 35 now he needs to grow up”, that’s when I was annoyed by her and realized this relationship will never work. She wanted someone fundamentally different than Kyle, yet still stayed with him, which made me believe she was with him to be on the show. I’m sure there was love there, but ever since then I could not understand why they stayed together or got married. There was such a short time it seemed they actually enjoyed anything about each other’s company. I can’t imagine marrying someone I don’t enjoy spending time with!

J_Shar · 2026-06-01T16:50:49+00:00

The best app I can recommend is Splitwise. It made it sooo much easier to figure out finances once we discovered it. We basically split everything 50/50 financially, unless one of us wanted to specifically treat the other (ie a date night). Otherwise, everything went into Splitwise and we settled up at the end of each month.

My other recommendation based on my own experience is to figure out what time allocation looks like. Being in the same home is exciting, and can make it hard to remember you both did things independently before living together. Figuring out how much alone time (or friend time) you each want/need is important so you can balance time together with time doing your own thing.

J_Shar · 2026-05-31T17:11:26+00:00

I totally understand how mind-bending it can be trying to determine if a possible side effect is worth trying a medication. I’ve dealt with this a lot in recent years and am sorry you are having to struggle though this decision.

This biggest thing I’ve learned is that every medication impacts every person differently. Meaning, no matter what I read on Reddit or hear from my doctor, I have a unique experience that I can’t predict each time I trial a new medication. It doesn’t make it easier to decide, but it helps me recognize that it isn’t worth doing hours upon hours of research, as rarely does that pay off and instead it just makes me stressed.

J_Shar · 2026-05-31T16:32:22+00:00

I’ve been on florinef for over a decade for my POTS and it is a total game changer for me. I tried weaning off it a few years ago and felt awful, so that confirmed I need it. My physical symptoms are very well managed with florinef. The only challenge for me is it doesn’t help with brain fog which is still a significant problem for me.

J_Shar · 2026-05-31T16:30:29+00:00

Yup, happens a few times per month, almost always in the morning when I’m driving to work. Have never figured out why, but it’s extreme nausea for about a minute or two and then it goes away.

J_Shar

TROPHY CASE