Do you have any hobbies, interests, or activities you do outside of work to relieve stress?

I foster kittens for Fuzzy Texan Animal Rescue – a local animal non-profit organization – so far, 41 in the last 3 years. Before that, my wife and I were active in a local rabbit rescue organization for almost 16 years. I also do a lot of DIY projects around the house, and during COVID I converted a former airport shuttle bus into a mobile pet-grooming salon.

I guess I’m a busybody by nature; I don’t sit still much haha!

How did you start fostering kittens?

I kept finding kittens at work locations. In June 2022, I found one at our Southwest Plant; she was injured, so we nursed her back to health. At the time, we only had three cats, so she was our fourth. Then in June 2023 I found another kitten in the breezeway at 611 Walker. She’d been there for a few weeks with employees feeding her, but since the location was unsafe for a young kitten, it was better to catch her. She also stayed, making her number five.

Knowing it wouldn’t be the last time a kitten crossed my path, we started fostering for a non-profit so we could still help them, but once fully vetted, have them be adopted instead of becoming another permanent resident at our house.

Apart from fostering kittens, are there any other activities you do related to animal care?

In addition to fostering kittens, I helped with TNR (trap-neuter-release) efforts in several locations. Animal overpopulation is a serious problem not just in Houston, but in most states in the South.

When free-roaming community cats are not spayed or neutered, the population can grow exponentially in just a few generations. Simply removing them from their community is unsuccessful because other unfixed cats will move in, and the overpopulation issue persists.

The only proven method that works is to TNR: trap the cat, fix the cat (spay/neuter), and release the cat back to its outdoor home, which often is a colony cared for and fed by a local member of the community. This way, no new kittens will be born and the cat population in that area stabilizes.

I think we trapped about 20 community cats this year alone, had them spayed/neutered and vaccinated through my wife’s work (she’s a vet tech at Houston Spay Neuter), and re-released them back to their outdoor homes. 

Our fellow COH employees at BARC have a team dedicated to this effort in our communities; they do amazing work! All my current foster kittens were once part of a community cat colony; they were caught young enough to get used to humans and quickly transitioned to loving the pampered life of indoor cats.

What would you say to someone interested in fostering?

First, check with your family if everyone is OK with fostering, because it’s truly a team effort. Everyone should also understand that the end goal is to have your fosters adopted, meaning they will leave, which can be hard, especially when you have kids – it’s totally OK to cry when they leave.

Find a non-profit rescue in your area and ask how you can help. Also ask if the y provide any supplies, such as food or litters; some rescues provide all the supplies, but not all do.

Ask what their protocol is for vet care (vaccinations, spay/neuter) and who takes them to those appointments, and how they go about getting the fosters adopted. Fuzzy Texan Animal Rescue works with the Purrfecto Cat Lounge in Austin, and that’s where most of our fosters go to. For us, this was beneficial because we didn’t have to take our fosters to weekend adoption events.

When you know the need, determine what works best for you and help with that. I always compare rescue work to puzzle pieces; it takes all the different pieces to create a whole picture. If there were only pieces that can donate financially, or only pieces that can foster, or only pieces that can help with transport, there would never be a whole puzzle. It takes all the parts to work together to create the big picture, and every part is equally important.

Do you remember a moment or situation that prompted you to dedicate your free time to animal care?

I grew up around animals and I cared for a wide variety of species, big and small. In 2005, we found a white baby bunny in our parking lot. We set up a home for her and had her spayed when she was old enough. Then we adopted a friend for her from Bunny Buddies, a Houston-based house rabbit rescue.

In 2006, Bunny Buddies assisted the HSPCA with a hoarding case involving a large number of rabbits, which created an immediate need for volunteers and foster homes. That’s how we got actively involved and started volunteering our time to animal care.

We fostered rabbits from 2005 until about 2020, but to this day we still help at their events a few times a year. 

How did you come across Fuzzy Texan Animal Rescue, and why did you decide to volunteer with them?

A friend fostered kittens for them, and once a kitten needed rescue, Fuzzy Texan offered help but needed someone to foster; we stepped up, completed their Animal Foster Application on their website, and became an approved foster home.

A kitten named Festus – after the scruffy character in Gunsmoke – became our first official foster kitten in the fall of 2023.

What do you enjoy most about fostering kittens?

Watching their social interactions and the different developmental stages. They learn social skills through play with littermates; that’s why it’s best to always foster or adopt them in pairs.

It never gets old listening to the pitter-patter of a bunch of kittens running around chasing toys and each other and seeing them grow into confident little felines. I’m always amazed to see that a 3-week-old kitten just knows how to use a litter box without anyone showing them, and how some of them already have perfect lap-cat skills at only 6 weeks of age. 

How does fostering kittens and getting involved in animal care activities help you balance your life?

It can be a lot of work, especially the ones that require medical attention or have special needs, and with so much need in the community, it can feel like the impact is insignificant.

A friend told me last week, ‘Impact matters, no matter if it’s big or small’, and they are right. At the end of the day, it’s rewarding to see a little kitten transform into a healthy young cat ready for their next chapter and be adopted. It’s also good to balance out a busy or stressful day at work by being forced to sit down and do nothing other than sit with a purring kitten on your lap because it significantly reduces stress, it can lower your blood pressure, and it increases relaxation while creating a sense of calm.

Plus, everyone with cats knows that’s the unwritten rule: you don’t get up when the cat is on your lap haha!

How can someone support Fuzzy Texan Animal Rescue?

People can help their cause in many ways; committed fosters and volunteers are their greatest asset!

From animal transport between the Houston/Austin/Dallas-Ft. Worth locations, to fostering animals (cats or dogs!) long- or short-term, and helping with adoption events, every step along their animal’s journey relies on volunteers.