No Voucher for ME?

My first litter came from the EAST Valley Animal shelter. I ended up adopting two of them, the other two I surrendered for adoption. I heard that I didn't need to have the shelter ship the cats off to be spayed / neutered. I could get a voucher so I could choose a vet near my home. Both of the shelters I foster for are at least a 30 minute drive and that's without traffic which is NEVER the case in Los Angeles. Long story short, the shelter had been busy that day and when they took my kittens back to be micro chipped for adoption, they didn't actually install the microchips. They assigned two but didn't implant them. I found this out in a phone message once I got home. I was in no hurry to drive back out there, and since all subsequent litters have come from the WEST Valley shelter, I've never had the need to even be in the area. As luck, or rather, my stupid brain, would have it, I lost the adoption papers AND my vouchers which were worth $70.00 each towards my kittens' neutering.

I finally got fed up with myself and decided I needed to get my kitteens fixed before leaving for Colorado later in the week so I put them in the carrier and drove them out. Long story short, they got chipped BUT they wouldn't give me new vouchers because surprise, I don't qualify as I don't live in the city! Funny I was perfectly qualified to take care of these kittens but I'm not entitled to free spaying and neutering if I adopt? That is the policy for foster parents. That is the ONE perk we get.

This felt like such a slap in the face. I explained that I had already been given vouchers and the guy said "That must have been a mistake". I got angry and said "With all that we foster parents spend on these kittens you can't pony up a voucher?"
"I don't make the rules Ma'am."

The lady at the other counter was surprised and said "Oh TRY to find those vouchers in your house!" I said "That's not the point. The point is that if I don't qualify for the benefits of other foster parents in the city, this shelter should never have contacted me to ask me to foster, OR I should have been told by somebody." When I got my training and they did a background check, they saw that I didn't live in L.A. nobody told me that I needed to go sign up with the county shelters!

I spent 380.00 on emergency vet care for Cookie when he had his hypoglycemic event and almost died. Without that care he would have died. I know this was not required I know I won't be reimbursed. I CHOSE to do it. I CHOOSE to feed them decent food which I pay for, I CHOOSE to sometimes cook for them. I've chosen to go on TV to promote the foster care program. I don't ask for recognition for any of this but to be denied the smallest form of gratitude the program has to offer really knocked the wind out of me. I'd be thinking of throwing in the towel were it not for returning home and having my five little foster babies purring and mewing at me.

It's for THEM that I'm doing this. F bureaucracy!

A week or so later, I contacted the head of the foster program who told me that this had indeed been a mistake. That really was my main concern but I got my vouchers too which is great! She was super nice and it was great just talking with her on the phone. My cats weren't quite as enthusiastic.