How to say goodbye to a foster cat
Letting go of a rescue you have fostered for a while triggers intense heartbreak and crying, even if you always knew you couldn't keep them. The emotional difficulty makes people struggle to stay strong on their final night together and tempts them to just adopt the animal themselves.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Thinking of the fostering role as preparing the animal for a new future filled with love and happinessDid this help you?
- 2Becoming a foster failure and adopting the animalDid this help you?
- 3Adopting the foster pet themselves (foster failing)Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have been trying to be strong all day but it is going to be so hard letting him go.”source ↗
“I always knew I couldn't keep him, but knowing that tonight is my last night with him for a while had made me cry like crazy.”source ↗
“For those of you who have fostered, how do you do it? It is hard...”source ↗
“It’s very difficult, especially when you’ve had them for a while.”source ↗
“Fuck I could never watch a foster cat. It would just end up being mine”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 9Why do I resent my dog after having a baby?
- 15How to move abroad or travel without leaving your pets behind
- 3What to do with pets buried in the backyard when moving
- 3What is it really like to foster rescue animals?
- 8Will a former stray cat ever become affectionate?