I have never fostered any animals before this, however, during my childhood and as a teen in Northern Italy I rescued and bottle fed some kittens. We were a cat-friendly family and, over a couple of decades, we had dozens of cats. In the mid-nineties, we finally found a reliable veterinarian who offered spaying services, which helped put an end to the periodic merry explosion of kittens. 

I always wanted to have animals around. However, as a full-time researcher and university professor, I spend most of my time at the office and need to travel nationally and internationally multiple times a year. Because of this I did not have the time to foster an animal, let alone own one. In Spring 2020, two major events have changed these circumstances. First, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that I had to cancel all my travels for the year and work from home for several months in a row. Second, I received tenure, and hence I did not feel the same pressing urgency I otherwise would to sacrifice all the time freed up by the cancelled international and commute trips to do even more work. I decided instead to make some room to help animals, even if for a brief time.

I really enjoy seeing kittens grow, heal, play and be happy. The support framework offered by Pet Alliance is a major game changer. Pet Alliance offers superb logistics, veterinary care, education and materials to help make the experience of raising baby animals, which may have special needs, quite manageable. 

I would tell someone interested in fostering that if you have a natural inclination to help animals, have experience with them, can provide (and maintain) a sanitary confined and enriched space within your house, and can afford making the occasional trip to Pet Alliance, you should definitely go for it. Fostering animals is a fulfilling and entertaining experience. It is also conveniently confined to a limited time frame of only a few weeks, as opposed to adoption, which entails a much long-term commitment of years or decades.