August 2026
In header photo: Sonja and her son holding Sonja’s kitties, Joey and Jinx.
Meet Sonja
Sonja is committed to supporting the youth in our community, whether it’s at her job as an elementary school registrar or at home with a litter of kittens! She first started fostering for PAWS in 1996, then took a break in 2006 when life with her two-year-old got too hectic. Fast forward to 2022: Sonja’s two children were out of the house and the cats in her life had passed away.
“I decided I needed a passion again,” Sonja says. “So I started fostering for SAFE in the summer of 2023.”
Butterfly is the most recent mama kitty Sonja fostered.
Her Foster Experience
“Fostering has fulfilled so many things in my life,” Sonja tells us. “It’s given me so many opportunities to give love to tiny babies and their mommies, so they can grow and feel safe before they go home.”
Sonja adds: “I also have rheumatoid arthritis, so many times I’m completely exhausted when I get home from work, but coming home to kittens is always inspiring and I love playing with them and having lots of snuggles at the end of the day.”
Sonja’s specialty is young litters and their mothers, known as nursing queens. Depending on their age, Sonja may spend several weeks at a time tracking the babies’ growth, weight, health, and socialization.
“The last batch of kittens I fostered were a mommy, Butterfly, and three 5-week-old babies: Moose, Flower, and Rain,” says Sonja. “They were on the streets before SAFE rescued them, so the kittens didn’t have much socialization.”
Though Butterfly was comfortable with people (she loved getting picked up), the kittens had little to no experience with humans. For the first two weeks, they would scurry under the bed when Sonja approached.
With time, Sonja remembers, “They started getting bolder and would come out to play. Moose and Flower were very social, but they had to help Rain feel comfortable when we started playing.”
Though she relied on her siblings for confidence, Rain wasn’t a complete wallflower, either.
“She definitely loved her snuggles,” Sonja says, “So I knew she would be ok with someone who loved her. Luckily, the best thing happened and all three kittens were adopted together, which is the highlight of my fostering experience so far!”
Left to right: Rain, Flower, and Moose.
Rewards + Challenges
Another highlight of Sonja’s foster career came early in her involvement with SAFe.
“I wanted to keep fostering for at least a year before we chose to adopt,” says Sonja, “But in September 2023, my husband fell in love with a little black and white named Jinx and his tabby brother named Joey.”
Jinx and Joey became permanent members of Sonja’s household: not a foster fail, but a foster triumph!
“They’ve definitely been the light of our lives since then and keep us full of snuggles every day,” Sonja says. Though the cats got a little jealous the first few times Sonja’s human children visited, her son has since moved in and started co-fostering, so they’re coming around!
As joyous as it’s been, there have been challenges as well. Last May, Sonja took in a mama and litter of three. Shortly afterward, they were discovered to have ringworm. Though this fungal infection is treatable, the process takes many weeks of lime sulfur baths and requires quarantining. Between having arthritis and other pets at home, Sonja was concerned about being able to effectively treat them, so they were transferred to another foster home.
“They were just a week old when I picked them up and I was so excited to watch them grow, but they only got to stay a few weeks before they had to go back,” Sonja recalls.
As French Toast demonstrates, Sonja raises very well-rounded kittens!
Advice to Future Fosters
Even with ten years of foster experience, Sonja was nervous when she first joined the SAFe community three years ago.
“I felt pretty insecure when I started again, especially when the kittens would get sick,” she says. “But, the more you get confidence and patience, the easier it becomes. Having the resources that SAFE provides and knowing they are just a text away means you always have support and people you can count on.”
Now, Sonja can’t imagine not fostering for SAFe.
“It’s such a gift to have this learning experience and I’m looking forward to continuing to foster for many, many years,” says Sonja. “SAFE is an amazing place and I’m so glad I found them! My true passion is to volunteer at SAFE as soon as I retire.”
Thank you, Sonja, for taking care of our smallest residents with such patience and compassion. We’re lucky to have you in our community and look forward to lots more foster adventures together!
