Meet one of our amazing A Place For Meow Rescue fosters — Jason Umlauf! Jason, 40, is originally from Buffalo, NY, and moved to Rapid City in the summer of 2022. He’s been serving in the US Air Force since 2002, and is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician stationed at Ellsworth AFB. Jason began fostering for A Place For Meow just this past spring. He shared that his son & daughter were visiting from out of state and wanted to adopt a cat, which led him to one of our Sunday adoption events at Petco. “I wasn’t sure if I could commit to adopting, but I learned that foster families were urgently needed. So I decided to give it a try. Since June, I’ve fostered about 10 cats, 6 of them moving on to their furever homes. Having foster cats has been a wonderful experience…learning each of their personalities, playing with them, and providing them a safe environment brings a cascade of great feelings.” In his short time as a foster, he’s been labeled as our resident ‘feral cat whisperer’. When asked what advice he would share for someone thinking about fostering, he said “have patience. Let them get to know you. Many come off the street and don’t know what its like to be loved on. Give them time and space.” In his spare time, Jason is a student at Oklahoma State University, pursuing a Masters Degree in Forensic Science, specializing in Arson, Explosives, Firearms and Toolmarks Investigations.