My next interview comes from Stacy Hurt. I met Stacy on Facebook when she was having some trouble with one of her kittens, she is a lovely lady and I'm so glad to have met her. I hope you enjoy her interview.
Introduce yourself and where do you hail from?
Hi! My name is Stacy Hurt from Orange, California
What rescue group, shelter or sanctuary do you foster for? I rescue for MeeowzResQ
What kinds of animals do you normally foster? Kittens
How did your adventure being a fosterer begin? I used to foster Bengals but after my last one that had been with me for several years I decided to take a break & focus on my own 4 cats. Recently I decided it might be more feasible to foster kittens and thereby reduce the 'peewars' that seemed to be daily occurrences with older cats.
How do you keep yourself from becoming too attached to the fosters you help? I understand each word in that question and have no idea what it actually means.
What is most frustrating for you as a foster? Not being able to save them all
What is most rewarding? Saving the ones I have right now
What experience moved or inspired you the most? Going to BlogPaws 2014! and meeting so many other like minded individuals working daily for animal welfare.
Do you have pets of your own? I have four cats; the eldest is Ms Stella O'Houligan the star of 'On a more personal note' on a more personal note... From Ms. Stella O'Houligan
Her minions are Miss Jack our female Tuxie (11 yrs ) and Miss Jack's sister 'That Scrappy Cat' (also 11 years) The youngest is Oliver my giant Ornj mutant who is now just over 2 years old. My only male. So the run down is this: Miss Stella (Luna) my moon, Oliver my Sun and Miss Jack & Scraps my stars.
How do they respond to the foster animals? Ms. Stella O'Houligan has been the best, most adaptive cat ever. I saw her grooming the male kitten yesterday. He just thrusts himself right up in her face, tail ramrod straight up and flops down. She has had to put him in his place on occasion but overall she's the best. Ollie wants nothing to do with any of them and hisses regularly after he launches himself over the room barricade just to tell them so. Miss Jack & Scraps refuse any interaction and I don't encourage it. When it's kitten time (three times a day) the kittens have run of the living room to romp and play on cat trees and line up at the slider door to watch 'bird tv'.
What advice can you give to someone who might be wanting to become a foster? If you've never done it before start off with only one (older cat) or possibly just a couple kittens at first. Learn the ropes, make sure all communication is flowing both directions between you and your co-coordinators. Keep all kittens quarantined, if they come in separate groups, leave them that way until you are certain there are no health issues. And certainly keep them away from your own cats. Best advice I can give (that I learned the hard way) keep Clorox bleach wipes just outside your foster area and wipe down your hands, face & arms after each visit with the new arrivals. When you have other people come in to help you socialize them, make sure they wipe down upon arrival and before leaving as well. Best to be safe.
When you are not saving animals what do you like to do? I'm an artist and also have a full time job. I own and operate 'Ms. Stella O'Houigan's premium CatNip Quilts' and we have an ETSY store as well. I live near and love visiting the beach. I am a voracious reader and have taken to listening to books while I sew. Current favorite authors are Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Hitchens, Stephen Fry.
And now the questions from Inside the Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word? Ambivalent
What is your least favorite word? No
What turns you on? time off
What turns you off? day job
What sound or noise do you love? my daughters voice and her laughter
What sound or noise do you hate? adults arguing
What is your favorite curse word? fucker
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Actress
What profession would you not like to do? DMV clerical
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? The zoo is open forever and you can have as many animals as you want
How awesome that you interviewed Stella's human! She is SO cool and such a talented quilter and all-around great foster human!
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview! Thank you for introducing them to us!
ReplyDelete~Lisa
Great interview with Miss Stacy! :)
ReplyDeletewe love these interviews.....YAY Miss Stacy!!! (oh, and mom says she likes that particular HBO werd as well)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great interview! We didn't know Stacy fostered until this current batch of kittens. But we do love the catnip quilts she makes. They are so beautiful!
ReplyDeletegreat job and our mom just loves the "actor studio" part. she loved that show.
ReplyDeleteemma and buster
loved the interview Stacy !!! rock on ♥
ReplyDeletePaws up for Stacy and the wonderful little kittens she's raised while we watched from the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteWe love Miss Stacy and everything she does to help the kittens. We've seen the current group on FB and they are adorable!!
ReplyDeleteWe love Stacy, her answers, her pets and her wee charges. Yep we're big fans!
ReplyDeleteI love Miss Stacy and Ms Stella is MY Hero and my sisfur Katie Isabella's Hero. Well, Ollie moved up in rank..he is right behind Ms Stella. xxoo
ReplyDeleteWhat a great series. My Aunt fosters down in FL and I innerviewed her a few years ago. The rescue she volunteers with doesn’t have a facility so they can only rescue cats that are fostered.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great interview with Stacy. Mom met her at BlogPaws. She is pawsome and makes the most gorgeous quilts. We love that you did the Actor's Studio questions with her. We can truly imagine Stacy as an actress. And the photos of her current fosters are incredibly adorable. XO, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
ReplyDeleteOne word: LOVE!
ReplyDelete