The foster team at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria helps kittens in their first minutes of life. They assist dogs who need a supportive friend so they can show their best self and care for animals recovering from major surgery — and so much more. The staff and volunteers who make up this team dedicate themselves to the needs of each animal in their care, and that includes those who only have a short time left. 

When Officer Lawrence of the AWLA’s Animal Services team responded to a call about an injured cat in Old Town, she found a friendly, fluffy white male, sweet but visibly injured. He was brought to the AWLA where he immediately received medical care while we searched for his family. Bragg had a microchip that, unfortunately, was not registered, and while our community shared his photo on neighborhood social media pages, no family was identified. 

Bragg began receiving medical care as soon as he arrived at the AWLA.

Despite being in pain, Bragg was affectionate and ready to love his friends. He had an obvious injury on his face and he was underweight, but tests showed what wasn’t clearly visible: Bragg’s kidneys were failing. It wasn’t clear how long this had been the case or how much longer Bragg might have to live in his condition. But we knew we could make sure he was comfortable in the time he had left and be loved as part of a family — a foster family. 

Some volunteers in our foster team help “fospice” animals, animals who are in too poor of health to be available for adoption at the AWLA but still enjoy a good quality of life. While we are sure many in our animal-loving community would have welcomed sweet Bragg into their homes, “fospice” was his best option because it meant he could continue receiving close veterinary care and monitoring, while spending his days in the comfort of a home environment, being spoiled by his family. And boy, he was spoiled!

Bragg quickly settled into his foster home.

“Bragg showed his personality from the beginning,” Bragg’s foster, Sarah Ax, remembers. “I originally set him up in my office. My workdays suddenly filled with head rubs, nudges and lots of lap cuddles as we felt each other out. I prepared to give him time to settle in and believe that was the right approach. By day three, he demanded to be a part of the family.”

Bragg, or Colonel Bragg as his foster family called him, wanted for nothing. When he requested a lap, his people sat. When he needed a napping buddy, his canine sibling Bodhi, an AWLA alum, was ready to share the other half of the couch. Ax explains, “I took the introductions between Bragg and my resident dog, Bodhi. By the end they were the best of pals. His full integration into our day-to-day life was an unexpected bonus. Bragg ran to the door to meet Bodhi and I anytime we’d return from a walk. I’d often find him and Bodhi curled up on the couch together. He was a sweet soul and we miss him dearly.” 

Bragg enjoying every perk of home life.

We don’t know how long Bragg was on his own on the streets, but he enjoyed every perk of housecat life, just like any other pet, during his final weeks. And thanks to his foster, he received special meals, medications and care, supplemented by visits and check-ins with our veterinary team to make sure he was comfortable and content.

Ax acknowledges that fostering in this way isn’t for everyone, but they can still help. “Get involved in a way that you are comfortable with. I started with dogs, but healthy kitten litters are always a great way to start to explore fostering. They come with all supplies, are ridiculously cute and there’s a slight bit of relief when they go back to the shelter to be adopted out. Older dogs who simply need a break from shelter life are such a sweet foster experience as well. They want for so little. If you have a guest bathroom, or an animal-friendly couch, you potentially can make the difference in the life of a foster animal.”

Fosters who support animals in fospice make a difficult time a little easier for animals in need and, like all of our fosters, make sure animals in foster care have the opportunity to be loved as a member of the family. So while we wish Bragg had more time, we still see his story as a happy one. Bragg deserved a loving home and that is exactly what he found: a family who was by his side for the last of his days.

Bragg and Bodhi during one of their many snuggle sessions.