Fostering Felines : Cat Halfway Houses(a)|半路上的天使：猫中途之家

Fostering Felines: Cat Halfway Houses

『半路上的天使：猫中途之家』

　　Each day in Taiwan, more than 100 cats are sent to animal shelters around the island, and then a tragic 12-day countdown begins. If the cat is not adopted in that window of time, it will be euthanized. Aiming to help stray cats find loving homes, a group of people have started halfway houses for felines. In their very own homes, they provide foster care for cats that need help until suitable permanent homes can be found for them. Those who foster stray cats are like angels, forever changing the lives of the animals they meet.

　　It was on an evening 17 years ago when Yezi, then still a university student, made her connection with felines. She met a kitten on the street below the building where she was renting an apartment. Its eyes were filled with mucus, and she was touched by its helpless mewing. "When I see an injured or abandoned stray cat on the street, I just can't turn away. I have to do something," said Yezi, the most senior of the hundreds of people in Taiwan who volunteer to be foster owners running halfway houses for felines. She has taken in and cared for over 500 cats. She is so smitten with them that, despite suffering from asthma and being allergic to cat fur, she currently has more than 30 at her home. Her doctor tells her she is committing slow suicide, but she does not complain and has no regrets.

　　Foster owners take in and care for stray cats which have been abused or abandoned by their owners, or are sick or injured. Halfway homes provide comprehensive care, and after making sure that a cat is in healthy and stable condition, they will look for a suitable permanent home for the creature.

半路上的天使：猫中途之家

　　在台湾，每天有上百只猫被送至全国各地的动物收容所，然后为期十二天的悲情倒数就此展开。如果在这段时间猫咪没有被人领养，牠们就会被处以安乐死。有一群人为了替流浪猫找到温暖的家，便创办了『猫中途之家』。他们会先把那些需要帮助的猫咪养在自己家里，直到牠们可以找到适当的永久栖身之所。那些领养流浪猫的人就像天使一样，永远改变了他们所遇见动物的一生。

　　十七年前的一个傍晚，还是大学生的叶子（化名）结下了她与猫咪的不解之缘。她在租屋处楼下的街上看见一只小猫。这只小猫满眼流脓，而她被牠那无助的喵喵声打动了。叶子说：『当我在路上看到受伤或是被遗弃的流浪猫，我就是无法视而不见。我必须为牠们做点事。』叶子是全台湾推广猫中途之家的数百名自愿寄养的饲主中最资深的一位。她至今已安置并照顾了五百多只的猫咪。爱猫成痴的她，尽管患有气喘，而且还对猫毛过敏，但她现在仍在家里养了三十多只猫咪。医生说她是在慢性自杀，但她却无怨无悔。

　　寄养饲主收容并照顾那些被主人虐待或弃养，以及生病或受伤的流浪猫。中途之家会提供全面的照顾，且在确认猫咪们是处于健康且稳定的状况后，就会帮牠们寻觅合适的永久家庭。