Why is there sometimes a cat at Little Yarn Barn?
If you stop by LYB and notice a kitty wandering around the shop, there’s a good chance you’ve met one of my foster cats from the Pembina Valley Humane Society. When a foster cat is at the store, there will always be a sign on the door to let you know!
Fostering is something I’ve always wanted to do for years. I’m an animal lover at my core…the kind of person who tears up at shelter ads and falls in love with puppies I’ve never met. So when the opportunity came up to help animals find homes, it felt like a perfect fit.
Having a foster cat in the store gives them a calm, safe place to wait for their forever home. It also helps them get more exposure to potential adopters, both from people who visit the shop and from social media posts (fun fact: my cat posts almost always perform better than my yarn posts!).
My goal with Little Yarn Barn has always been to create a cozy, welcoming space. And to me, there’s nothing cozier than a friendly cat curled up nearby. It just feels right.
It also has a very practical side…fostering through the shop helps me support animals in our community while keeping my very patient husband sane by not bringing every cat home with me.
Since the store opened, I’ve fostered 15 cats and kittens. Some of them have been adopted by customers, which is especially fun because I still get updates when one comes into the shop.
One of my most memorable fostering experiences happened last summer when I cared for three tiny orphaned kittens who were only three days old. I bottle-fed them around the clock and carried them back and forth between home and the store.
At the beginning, I told myself I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT KEEPING ONE.
Six weeks later, the smallest orange kitten…Hank…had other plans.
Hank now lives with us full time and has grown into a giant orange menace who terrorizes my plants and keeps our whole family laughing with his antics.
Hank and his nine siblings wouldn’t have survived without fosters willing to put in the time, and organizations like the Pembina Valley Humane Society that work so hard to give these animals a second chance.
I know that not everybody is as enthusiastic about cats as I am. If you’re uncomfortable shopping while a cat is loose in the store, please let me know and I’m happy to relocate them as you browse. I also keep much of the yarn stock stored in bags in the back to help minimize allergens.
At the end of the day, fostering is just one small way Little Yarn Barn can give back to our community while adding a little extra warmth and personality to the shop.
Meet My Current Foster Kitty
I don’t currently have a cat in the shop, check back soon