Exploring the lived experiences of Filipino foster pet owners caring for vulnerable companion animals

Abstract Background : Stray animal overpopulation continues to pose significant global challenges, especially in the Philippines, which, despite having the highest pet ownership rate in Asia, struggles with persistent stray animal concerns. Animal welfare organizations have responded by promoting foster care programs to address this issue. Despite the importance of fostering pets in addressing overpopulation and meeting the individualized needs of strays, the complex relationships and experiences involved remain underexplored and undocumented, as the majority of the literature focuses on human-to-human caregiving experiences. Objective : This interpretative phenomenological study aims to address this gap and explore the lived experiences of Filipino foster pet owners who care for vulnerable companion animals, including aged, terminally ill, or chronically injured animals, in an attempt to understand their motivations, challenges, and coping strategies. Methods : Eleven eligible participants were interviewed using a validated semi-structured interview. Their narratives were then analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results : The lived experiences of foster pet owners may be clustered into four main themes, namely (1) compassion as moral compass of fostering, (2) emotional complexities and energizers of fostering pets, (3) sustaining the foster role through relationships and coping, and (4) transformative meaning and identity in fostering. Conclusion : Fostering is a multifaceted and evolving practice shaped by the foster pet owners’ motivations, burdens and constraints, and relational support, as well as its transformative effects on them. Their compassion toward vulnerable companion animals becomes the seed that motivates them to initiate the caregiving process. While the challenges encountered along the way may test the participants, this also helps them refine their caregiving commitment and actions. Relationships and personalized coping methods help participants sustain and navigate their experiences, enabling them to foster despite limited resources. Over time, these experiences contribute to the personal transformation of foster pet owners, as they come to see fostering not merely as an activity but as a meaningful expression of their values and identity.