There are several reasons, but they can be boiled down to two:
1) Jon is a cat person.
2) Kat is allergic to cats.
Jon was quite sad about being unable to have a cat as a pet, but admitted the reasonableness of Kat's stance that she didn't want to be sick all the time. Many years of allergy shots means Kat can visit Jon's parents for a weekend (have had cats for decades) without major problems, but not much longer. Both of us expected to have pets, but it just didn't really work out.
A good friend who volunteered at the shelter suggested the foster program. It was an excellent suggestion.
Jon gets a cat. The cat stays in one room of the house so Kat can get away from them if she's feeling sniffly. We had been concerned the allergens would fill the house anyway, but it doesn't seem to be the case. For the adults, they go back about the time Kat starts having problems being in the cat room. Kittens are less allergenic, so their sticking around longer is fine. There are some fosters Kat has to limit her time in the cat room by the end of the week. We can take a break between cats to let her allergies calm down again.
In many ways the fact we have no pet makes fostering easier. We don't have to deal with jealousy, splitting our time, or, most importantly, keeping pets separate from our fosters. That's both the rules and safer for both fosters & pets. We also admit it's nice to not have to worry about a pet if we go on a trip.
It's a volunteer arrangement that works well. We get to help the animals, have fluffballs around frequently, Kat stays healthy. We have a big smile every time we find out our fosters have found forever homes.
