Foster families for pets serve loving purpose

Litter after litter, Wallace's Plantation home is a hotel for fluffy and affectionate kittens who are too young to be adopted.

``It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun,'' she said. ``They climb up my legs. I wear socks and dungarees, otherwise my legs are covered with kitten scratches.''

Wallace is the kind of volunteer animal shelters are looking for.

With unwanted litters at their peak during the spring and summer, the Humane Society of Broward County in Dania and the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division get more puppies and kittens than they have space and staff for.

At times, the Humane Society takes in up to 100 kittens a day, said marketing director Cherie Wachter.

Foster families help out by taking the kittens and puppies -- sometimes along with the mother dog or cat -- and raising them for a few weeks.

``They save a lot of lives of young puppies and kittens,'' said Allan Siegel, public education coordinator for Broward County Animal Care. ``And [the puppies and kittens] always get adopted when they bring them back.''

The young animals are usually ready for adoption when they are about 8 weeks old. A foster family's affection usually makes the kittens and puppies lovable and desirable when they are returned to the shelter for adoption.

Nancy Abecassis of Pembroke Pines, foster care coordinator for the Humane Society, said a foster family must make time for the animals and clean up some messes, but the rewards are many.

``I love it,'' she said. ``You can spend hours watching their antics. Watching them chase each other, chasing their tails.''

She said her children, Zachary, 8, and Juliann, 4, participate in cleaning and cuddling the animals.

Aside from fostering, the Humane Society is using Mother's Day to focus attention on mother cats, such as Alice, a gray and white cat that was living behind a bagel shop searching for scraps. Her four kittens were adopted, but she is still waiting for a home.

While their kittens easily find homes with loving families, the mother cats often wait in their cages for someone to adopt them.

``They raised a family. They deserve to be pampered,'' said Wachter.

An adult cat, she said, makes a wonderful pet. With an adult, the adopting family can choose the type of personality they want their pet to have.

For more information about adopting animals or providing foster care, call the Humane Society at 989-3977 or the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division at 359-1315.