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<\/p>\nAlthough she\u2019s fostered more than 900 abandoned cats and kittens since 2009, Beth Otto admits she wasn\u2019t always a cat lover. \u201cI actually come from a family of dog people. I was always an animal lover, but I didn\u2019t really care for cats,\u201d she said. That all changed when a feral feline chose Otto\u2019s Colonialtown backyard as a safe haven to birth her kittens.<\/p>\n
Her husband Richard began feeding the newborns and Beth soon found herself bonding with one sickly kitten in the litter. The couple adopted the kitty they simply called \u201cbaby girl,\u201d enjoying her company for 19 years. \u201cI nursed her back to health, took her to the vet, and never looked back. That\u2019s how I became a cat person,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition to fostering strays Otto and her husband provide a forever home to three adult cats; Leilah, a female found trapped in a tree, Smudge, a male wandering her church parking lot, and Sterling, a silver tabby born with no eyelids.<\/p>\n
Otto grew up in Cincinnati and earned a degree in Deaf Education from Kent State University. The retired teacher who now loves to work out, volunteer and travel, has called Orange County home since 1977.<\/p>\n
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The devoted cat enthusiast is passionate about the benefits of fostering and urges neighbors to get involved. While the Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) shelter boasts more than 300 foster parents, there is still a great need for additional help.\u00a0 From spring to late fall \u201ckitten season\u201d brings a wave of orphaned kittens to the shelter. These very young ones are too young or sick to remain in the shelter and require specialized care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s life or death for some of these animals,\u201d she said. \u201cIf they are under a pound and a half, they cannot stay in the shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n
A tight-knit group of experienced caregivers like Otto welcome new foster parents with training and education during a two-to-eight-week fostering period. Fostering doesn\u2019t pose a significant financial burden because OCAS covers basic supplies including litter and food as well as necessary medical care.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a foster family, and we offer a lot of support. We want them to know there are people to help them,\u201d she said. \u201cFoster families are truly supported. If they want the help, it is there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fostering the homeless animals has been incredibly rewarding for Otto. \u00a0But saying goodbye to her furry friends – especially if they have been unwell – has sometimes been difficult.<\/p>\n
Otto keeps a spreadsheet with adoptive parent information and stays connected with many families who happily share photos of her once-fostered pals. \u201cIt makes it easier to let them go when you know where they are going,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The full-time foster mom recently cared for four three-week-old \u201cbottle babies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were the sweetest things. I became attached,\u201d she said. \u201cThe ones that stick with you most are the ones that need you the most.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some kittens require around-the-clock bottle feeding and care, those duties are entrusted to the most committed foster parents.<\/p>\n
Potential fosterers are required to provide a safe and loving home with a designated sleep and play area for the orphans. It can be a pack-and-play, crate, or even a bathroom, she said.<\/p>\n
Otto is also active in an organization called Kindness for Cats, comprised of a small group of foster parents who volunteer for OCAS. \u00a0The motto is to \u201cprovide safe, comfortable and stress-free environments for hundreds of the countless kittens and cats abandoned at the shelter and attempt to find them permanent and loving homes while in our care.\u201d<\/p>\n
In closing, Otto said, \u201cAll I can say is, it\u2019s really rewarding. I mean, who doesn\u2019t love kittens?\u201d<\/p>\n