I’ve supported and donated to animal charities and rescues for as long as I can remember. Anyone who knew 10-year-old me might remember Pet Club, but that’s a whole other, very Durrell-esque affair.
Animals have always been part of how I try to live, with care, responsibility, and compassion.
I shared my home for many years with two cats, Bitey Trip Hazard and Goblin Frankenkitty. Together, they were known as Vlad’s Kittens, a name given to them by a dear friend. Bitey went over the rainbow bridge a couple of years before Goblin.
Loco, also known as #SpaDog, is a rescue from Gran Canaria. He joined our household later and learned to live alongside Goblin Frankenkitty, affectionately known as #SpaCat, who had already been part of my life for many years. When Goblin went over the rainbow bridge, I honestly didn’t think I could bear to have another cat.
What I hadn’t expected was how deeply Loco grieved.
Watching him search for her, waiting in the places she used to sleep, was heartbreaking. He seemed unsettled and lost in a way I hadn’t seen before. Fostering became a way to help animals in need while also helping him.
He “mother hens” kittens with a gentleness that still surprises me. He checks on them, settles near them, and tempers his energy into something calm and protective. When the opportunity to foster came along, it felt right, and it still does.
As fostering became part of our life, practical considerations followed. At first, I covered all the costs myself. Food, litter, vet care, medications, everything. That was manageable with two kittens. As numbers grew, and I now have five, I sometimes share an Amazon wishlist.
That wishlist exists for anyone who wants to help, never as an expectation and never as a demand.
I’m also very aware that many people are under financial pressure, which is why donations are never expected. Support can also be kind words, shared advice, or simply wishing the kittens well. All of that matters.
I also pass on surplus supplies to other fosterers, rescues, and charities whenever I can. Sometimes I’m kindly donated items that aren’t on my wishlist, which I genuinely appreciate. Nothing goes to waste. If an item isn’t suitable for very young kittens, I offer it to others who can use it, or compost it or dispose of it responsibly.
I’m in this for the cats. Not credit, not ownership, certainly not profit.
I also know my limits. I only foster the number of animals I can safely, responsibly, and comfortably care for in my home at one time. Welfare always comes first.
Because fostering is often misunderstood, certain questions come up regularly, and I want to answer them openly and clearly for anyone who may be curious or unsure.
The kittens are in my home. For safeguarding reasons, I don’t share my address or allow public access. I do share updates and photos where it’s appropriate, but privacy matters for both the animals and my household.
I’m able to foster responsibly. Asking for optional help is not the same as being unable to care for animals. Many foster homes work this way, especially as costs continue to rise.
I’m not a registered charity. I’m a private foster home working specifically with Cat Man Jules in Sheffield, and supporting individuals involved in animal welfare. In the UK, there is no automatic legal requirement for every animal rescue, shelter, or rehoming centre, including cat rescues, to be a registered charity in order to operate.
Jules relies on trusted foster homes because demand far outweighs available space. Fosterers provide safe, temporary homes where cats can recover, grow, and be assessed before moving on. Many fosterers and rescues are not registered charities, and that doesn’t make the work any less valid or necessary.
Any wishlist items go directly towards day-to-day kitten care such as food, litter, and basic supplies. Cash donations made in support of veterinary treatment are sent directly to the vet, not handled by me. These can be paid to Hall Court Veterinary Group, in the account name “Cat Man Jules Hales”, and are used to cover all veterinary costs, including prescribed medications, microchipping, and spaying or neutering when the kittens are old enough. There’s no cash handling on my part and no profit involved.
Rescues are under enormous pressure. Foster homes are part of how animals are kept safe when resources are stretched. It’s a shared effort.
On judgement, assumptions, and kindness
From time to time, I see assumptions made about people who are trying to help animals, particularly fosterers and those supporting strays.
It can look simple from the outside. Suggestions are made about what someone should do, without seeing the limits they are working within. Rescue capacity is finite. Vets, shelters, and charities are frequently overwhelmed. Foster homes step in where there is space, care, and the ability to keep animals safe, even when the situation is not perfect.
Asking for help, whether that’s practical advice, donated supplies, or shared knowledge, is not neglect. It is part of how rescue work functions, especially during winter, kitten season, or periods of increased demand.
Public criticism doesn’t just affect the person being targeted. It also affects the quieter people watching from the sidelines, those who might otherwise help but decide it isn’t worth the scrutiny. Many fosterers are already stretched emotionally and physically. What they need most is steadiness, not suspicion.
I won’t engage in pile-ons or arguments. I will continue to act responsibly, within my limits, and always with the animals’ welfare at the centre. If something here isn’t for you, it’s okay to step away.
Care doesn’t have to be loud to be real.
I do this because it feels right. Because animals need safe, calm places. Because I can offer one.
If you support it, thank you. If you can’t, that’s completely understood.
Everything here is done with care, transparency, and the cats’ best interests at heart.
In many ways, it feels like I’ve simply come back to where I started, offering care, space, and steadiness, just with a little more experience than the original Pet Club ever had.
Melanie Lampro 