June 2026
Meet Rachael
Rachael started her fostering adventure in New York, where she lived up until a few years ago.
“Previously, I had the BEST cat in the world – Hilda, affectionately known as Wildebeast,” Rachael says. “She died suddenly at two and a half years old, most likely from undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.”
“A year later, I was still heartbroken. I wasn’t ready for a new cat, but missed the feline energy.”
Rachael and her partner at the time decided to start fostering cats as a way to reintroduce kitties to their lives. (They also fostered guinea pigs on separate occasions, but that’s another story.)
One cross-country move later, Rachael found the fostering community at SAFe, and a new adventure began!
Her Fostering Journey
“Before fostering, I’ll be honest, I was a little confused why anyone would foster when they could just adopt,” Rachael admits.
“But having done it, there is so, so much value in socializing and supporting young kittens in a transitional setting,” she says. “Great foster experiences really do lead to “better” cats!”
Rachael’s first foster litter through SAFe was a mama (Daisy) and her three kittens (Rico, Cam, and Colby). Daisy was having a hard time nursing all her babies, and one of them started to fall behind.
One of Rachael’s New York foster kittens.
Rachael’s first foster cats through SAFe.
“Rico, the tiniest kitten, was struggling to latch,” Rachael says. “We were committed to helping him thrive – including round the clock care, bottle feeding, and regular communication with the fantastic vet team at SAFE.”
It turned out Rico needed tube feeding, so he was transferred to a foster home with specialized training. With this support, he was able to gain strength and become healthy enough for adoption two months later.
“We’re really proud that we were so in tune with what was going on that we caught it early enough,” Rachael tells us.
What’s Next
Due to her work’s travel schedule, Rachael has put fostering on pause for the time being. But she’s grateful for the cats she’s been able to help–including her newest family members, former foster kitties Gavin and Spiffy. (Featured during our GiveBIG campaign in May.)
“Spiffy and Gavin are here for keeps,” confirms Rachael. “They have the MOST energy, but are also the sweetest – always climbing into your lap for a nap when you have something really important that needs to get done (but can also wait). They love a good 3 am cat parade, and have yet to meet a toy they couldn’t destroy efficiently.”
“They’d like to clarify that it’s their house now,” she adds, “And I’m lucky they let me sleep there.”
Foster graduates Spiffy and Gavin in their new home. (Rachael lives there, too!)
Thank you, Rachael, for sharing your home with so many foster cats on the road to their future families. We’ll miss having you on the foster team, but we know you’ll stay involved and keep in touch. We look forward to the next Spiffy and Gavin updates!
