For Sean and Jamie Green, helping a cat find a forever home is about more than providing food and shelter. It’s about giving an animal a second chance.

Since beginning their animal rescue journey in 2018, the Bossier City couple has fostered more than 300 cats, helping every one find an adoptive home. Now volunteering with Port City Cat Rescue, they continue to open their home to animals in need.

The Greens never set out to rescue hundreds of animals. Their involvement began with a simple favor.

Jamie was introduced to fostering through her realtor, Sharon Harmon. When Harmon needed someone to watch her foster kittens during a vacation, she asked Jamie for help.

“We just found it to be fun and rewarding,” Jamie said. “I have a heart for animals and want to help our community, so I felt like it just fit.”

Harmon passed away a few years ago, but her seemingly small request left a lasting impression.

“I hope she knew she changed our lives in a really profound way with that simple ask,” Sean said.

For the Greens, fostering is about recognizing potential in cats others might overlook. They invest time in helping each cat become comfortable around people, other pets, and the routines of a household.

“I’ve seen so many people give up on an animal, and it only needed patience and time,” Jamie said.

Their work often involves cats needing much more than temporary shelter. Over the years, they’ve cared for animals requiring surgery, medical treatment, and rehabilitation, and those that have been neglected or are feral.

For Jamie, that can mean spending hours on the bathroom floor with a frightened cat, patiently waiting for it to feel safe enough to accept a touch. It can also mean waking throughout the night to administer medication or check on an animal’s condition.

Sean has earned a reputation among fellow rescue volunteers as the “cat whisperer,” particularly when working with animals known for being difficult.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s this intrinsic thing where I take the cat as it is and not what I want it to be, and the cat usually responds positively to that,” he said. “I’m also always happy to see a cat, and they sense that I’m a safe space for them.”

That patience and attention are essential to fostering, but the Greens are quick to point out that the work isn’t always as charming as people might imagine. It requires time, space, and integrating foster animals into the household, along with the occasional emergency veterinary visit and difficult rescue situation.

“It’s not sunshine and rainbows; it’s not you coming home and lying on the floor to get mobbed by 12 fluffy kittens,” Jamie said. “It’s hard, and you lose faith in humanity because you see the worst of people. But we owe it to the cats to get over ourselves and do the work because if we don’t, no one else will.”

Despite the challenges, some of those cats have left particularly lasting impressions.

One kitten, found by a friend, arrived with two broken legs. The tiny, sick animal required syringe feeding and multiple veterinary visits. At one point, the couple was close to making the difficult decision to euthanize him.

After further evaluation, veterinarians determined the kitten had a separated pelvis and significant injuries. While one doctor recommended euthanasia, others believed he could survive, although they expected his back legs would never function.

The couple decided to keep trying. Today, the same cat climbs on furniture and runs through the house alongside his feline companions.

For Jamie, his recovery reinforced the importance of giving animals a chance, even when the outcome is uncertain.

“It showed me to never give up and that I owe it to them to try my hardest every time,” she said.

Another cat, Kylo, made a different kind of impact on Sean. When the couple first fostered him, Sean was struggling with depression. Although initially indifferent to the couple, Kylo eventually began seeking out Sean’s attention and lying beside him.

Kylo also had significant dental issues that prevented him from eating regular food. Sean took responsibility for preparing a special, high-calorie gruel twice a day to ensure the cat received the nutrition he needed.

The experience reminded Sean that fostering doesn’t just change the lives of the animals being rescued. Sometimes, the animals change the lives of the people who take them in.

“Although I was struggling, I had to work through my problems to be there for him,” Sean said. “He pulled me out of my depression, and now we’re inseparable.”

With so many cats passing through their home, the Greens have learned to navigate one of the more emotional aspects of fostering: saying goodbye at adoption.

“You need the strength to open yourself up to loving something for a short period of time and realize that it’s not about you or what you want; it’s about what is best for that cat,” Sean said.

The couple has also experienced its share of what rescue volunteers call “foster fails,” when a foster family ultimately decides to adopt an animal rather than see it go to another home. In fact, all 10 cats currently living with them were once fosters.

“Some we knew we’d keep and some we didn’t, but some of them just become a part of you,” Jamie said. “It is a lot and sounds very intense, but I don’t feel like we have 10 cats. I mean, 10 out of 300 is a good rate if you ask me.”

Through their work, the Greens have seen firsthand the challenges facing animal rescue organizations throughout the Bossier-Shreveport area.

Jamie points to the region’s stray animal problem as a major contributor to overcrowded shelters, limited resources, and the ongoing struggle to find homes for animals.

“We have a tremendous stray problem in our region, not only the state, but the country,” she said. “That leads to overpopulation, which strains resources while creating an unsafe environment for animals.”

That’s one reason fostering plays such an important role for organizations like Port City Cat Rescue. By taking animals into their homes, foster families create space for shelters and rescue organizations to help even more animals.

“We allow them to save more animals,” Jamie added. “A litter of kittens is six more spots that are open at the shelter for surrenders, pulls from a kill shelter, or a stray being trapped. Our goal is to help as many cats as possible, and we help lighten the load a little.”

Although the couple dedicates considerable time to fostering, they recognize that not everyone has the space, schedule or resources to take animals into their homes. They encourage people to find other ways to support local rescue organizations, including donations, fundraisers and volunteering to clean shelters.

The Greens also have a message for prospective adopters: Every rescue animal deserves a loving home and a family willing to make a commitment.

“Just know that the animal was loved and cared for,” Sean said. “I don’t expect you to love it the same way we did, but I expect you to love it as much as we did.”

For Sean and Jamie, animal rescue has become much more than a shared hobby. It has influenced how they spend their time, approach challenges, and view their ability to make a difference.

Their commitment requires adjustments to everyday life. Jamie works part-time so she can dedicate more time to rescue, while the couple has learned to live within their means to make room for their passion.

Despite the physical and emotional demands, the most rewarding moments continue to come when a frightened animal finally learns to trust.

“When a cat is terrified of you because it’s never been around a person before or was abused, and you earn its trust? Those are what get me through those moments when I think, ‘This is too hard, I can’t do this anymore,'” Jamie said.

Neither downplays the challenges, but after more than 300 cats, they continue to make room for the next one.

“These animals are coming from a tragic situation, and we’re teaching them to trust people; we don’t take it lightly,” Sean said. “They are not less than just because they’re rescued. These cats are meant to be someone’s family.”

For the Greens, that first opportunity came through someone who asked them to help babysit a couple of cute kittens. Nearly a decade later, they’re still doing just that: one cat, one second chance at a time.