How Cinders Stole My Bachelor Gatehouse
They tell you fostering is a ‘temporary arrangement’. They tell you it’s ‘rewarding’. What they don’t tell you is that a single man living in a clean, quiet house is no match for a feline single mother named Cinders and her five-kitten demolition squad.
The Arrival of the Chaos Crew
It started with a phone call. “Just one mum and her babies” they said. “It’ll be fun” they said.
When Cinders arrived, she looked at my designer rug, looked at me, and I swear she winked. Within 48 hours, my bachelor house was transformed into an obstacle course of tiny tails and sharp claws. I stopped being a ‘man about town’ and became a full-time cleaner, chef, and human scratching post.
Life in the ‘Kitten Vortex’
For 7 weeks, my life was governed by the five tiny fluffy terrorists. Meanwhile, Cinders sat on the sofa like a weary queen, watching me struggle, with a look that said “Now you know why I’m tired”. Then the time came when they had to separate as I had agreed to hold on to Cinders until they found her a home.
The ‘Failure’
I looked at Cinders. She looked at the empty living room. That was a tough few days as she was constantly looking for them, so I gave her extra loving those days and played so much to distract her. I tried to hold back my feelings as this was just going to be fostering. not adoption. After a week or two they found a home and gave me the first option to adopt her. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the commitment if I’m totally honest. Trying not to get too attached, I made a decision that she would be better off in this new home with other cats that the new fosterer had, thinking she might be happier. It was a sad day when she left; I must admit I had a tear in my eye, even though I put on my tough hat. She left and I got on with things, hoping she was going to be happy. Four weeks went by. One night I had a nightmare about Cinders fighting with other cats and the very next day, weirdly, I got a call saying that Cinders was not happy in her new home and would I take her back? It was a no-brainer and with that I’m thrilled to announce I am a Foster Failure. Cinders has officially signed a lifetime lease on my heart (and my sofa).
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