08/28/2026
Why Do I Foster Cats?
By Isabelle Bailey-Lemieux
When I moved to the municipality of La Pêche in 2023, I never would have imagined that one day I would be helping stray cats find a warm, safe home, away from the dangers of life outdoors.
It all started with our cat, Ti-Gris.
Ti-Gris appeared not long after we arrived in Masham. At first, he was very timid. Even though we knew that feeding him could contribute to the growing cat population, my partner and I simply couldn’t leave him without food. We already had three cats at the time.
Every day, he would come back and wait for us on our porch. But we had a problem: there was another female cat, whom we named Mira, who was also always around. She wasn’t spayed, and the two of them had one or two litters.
We knew we had to do something.
By that point, we were able to approach Ti-Gris and pet him. That’s when TNR La Pêche came into the picture. I contacted them and explained what was happening at our home. At that point, we had at least four stray cats coming onto our property. I reached out to TNR La Pêche for help trapping the cats so they could be spayed and neutered.
We started with Ti-Gris. He was so sweet that we ended up adopting him. That was two years ago now.
After that, I started helping with Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). I was deeply touched by all the cats and kittens living outdoors with no one to help them. I was especially surprised by how many there were! It’s crazy how one abandoned cat can lead to a massive colony of 30 or even 50 cats!
Since my schedule rarely allows me to participate in TNR, I decided to contribute to the rescue in another way: by becoming a foster.
I knew I could do it because I already had a good understanding of cats and their needs. I started with a litter of four kittens that I had helped trap. Their mother stayed at our house for a few days before being returned outdoors.
That first experience was both educational and emotional! It’s crazy how attached we humans can become to these little creatures! Their adoptions were particularly difficult. I even wondered if fostering was really for me. Looking back, though, you realize that it’s all for their benefit, and the feeling you get from the whole experience is truly wonderful. I’m also learning how to manage all those strong emotions (and I’m definitely an emotional person! haha).
I forgot to mention that I ended up keeping beautiful Éclipse from that first litter! A foster fail, oops!
I eventually had my second litter of kittens, but there were only two. Then came Blaze, Lilo, and now Persil.
Persil is an affectionate, cuddly and loving cat. She still has her young-cat heart despite being four years old, and she has so many years ahead of her!
I often find that people underestimate cats. Yet they are affectionate, caring animals who simply want to be loved in return.
So why did I choose to become a foster?
Because I save lives.
I give a second chance to animals who didn’t choose to live in such difficult circumstances.
