It's been a long month....

Kitten season....

Means I have new fosters!  It's been a roller coaster month with the newbies.  I brought home two 6 week old grey kittens about a month ago.  They both had upper respiratory infections (which is very common in kittens) so they were both on meds.  A week later, I came home and one of the little guys was limp and unresponsive.  Rushing him to the vet hoping that he can beat the odds, only to walk away with little "Rocky" passing at only 7 weeks.... was a very hard thing to go though.  I had never lost a kitten before, and it was not easy.  I thought that maybe I had missed something, or that it was my fault, but then came to accept that I had done all that I could have done, and that his tiny 1 pound body couldn't handle the virus. 

The rescue group I volunteer with has a "2 kitten policy".  Any kittens under the age of 6 months are to be fostered and adopted out in pairs.  So a few days after the passing of  little "Rocky" I brought home a companion for the other kitten that had survived.  I knew very little about the kitten: It was a male named Squiggey and was still learning how to use the litter box.  Well I brought the kitten home and gave it bath (it had poop stuck in it's long grey fur) and discovered that this kitten was in fact a female and she had diarrhea.  So I took her to the vet where I learned more: Weighting in at only 10 oz, she was probably around 5 weeks old.  That started the longest week ever:  Squiggey needed to be on a special diet since she normally would have been with her mom still, and she needed to be fed every few hours.  I had been unexpectedly thrown onto a "Caring for baby kittens fast track" since I've never dealt with kittens younger than 8 weeks.  Feeding began a 6 am, I went to work, and then continued the feeding every couple of hours, including getting up at 2 am. 

So we had Squiggey and Lenny (since I had not named the original kitty) who were about 2-3 weeks apart in age.  Lenny was still getting over his upper respiratory infection, and Squiggey was getting over her diarrhea.  Then.... there was another vet visit:  I was concerned because Lenny had been on antibiotics for a few weeks and plateaued on his health, and Squiggey now had an eye infection.  The verdict: A viral infection that put the kittens into quarantine status.  They had to be keep separate from my cats, every time I handled them I had to change my clothes, and they were on more antibiotics and eye and nose drops. 

It's been about a month since I brought home Lenny and Squiggey and I'm glad to say that they are finally on the upswing.  Lenny had only a few boogers every now and then, and his wheezing has stopped.  The red, swollen third eye lid on Squiggey is beginning to go down, though unfortunately she has lost vision in her left eye.  Finally after weeks of getting up in the middle of the night to feed, weeks of medicating, and isolation, the light at the end of the tunnel is here! 

Nothing beats having very sick kittens who depend on you to get them healthy and see them get better and discover the world.  They are running around, playing hard, eating their weight in food, and learning what it means to be a cat!

The next challenge:  Find them a home!!

Live. Love. Rescue.

An Empty House.... Sort of

My little foster Sally has found her forever home!  Four whole days before her first birthday.  I was so worried for her because she did not show well at all.  At home she would be the sweetest thing ever, constantly following me around the house, begging for attention, and purring her head off.  At adoption shows, she growled and hissed and swatted at other cats and people as they walked by (which she never did at home).  All her and I were waiting for was that special person who could see past her poor behavior and believe me when I said: She's an AMAZING little cat.  And this past Saturday, we found those people. 

She went to an older lady and her son to be an only cat.  Perfect for her since she demanded ALL of my attention, and even became slightly possessive of me towards my own cats.  I was sad at first because I had had her for 8 months and had grown very fond of her, but after hearing from her new home and knowing that she was adjusting purr-fectly, it was much easier for me to push aside my sadness and take in the good that I had done.  After all, I have set out to find good, loving, caring, FOREVER homes for the cats I take in.  I am now up to 7 lucky cats, with my next fosters waiting for me at the end of my self made mandatory 2 week "break". 

Every time I take a cat or kitten in, they leave with a little bit of me.  I help grow and develop them into well adjusted cats that anyone would love to call their own.  Every time a foster gets adopted, I loose a small part of my heart, but I know that I have a big enough heart to keep on.  And keep on is what I will do.... until they all have a home.

Live. Love. Rescue.

Sally Mae Adopted 3/26/11

Looking for Luck in 2011

Well, it's 2011.

I had a good year last year with adoptions. 5 total!  I hope this year brings good luck as well. 

I still have little Sally, who grows more and more attached to me each day, and I to her.  Even thought she is such a doll, she does terrible at the shows and is now requiring A LOT more effort to find her the perfect home.  I see two totally different cats in her, one at home and one at the adoption shows.  The adoption show Sally is NEVER around when at home.  Like two sides to a coin.  I have a feeling that she will be around for a little while.

Now I'm in the process of deciding if I should take on other fosters in the mean time?  I'm leaning towards yes, but there's so much going on, that 3 cats is keeping me busy enough.  I'm thinking that I will wait until kitten season starts..... they may be more work when they are young, but they go much much faster.  Plus with a house full of cats and a dog, they will be well socialized.  I'm not 100% decided though.  There will be more fosters, it's just all about timing, and finding one that will fit in with my current crowd.  No need to stress everyone out! :o)

Home for the Holidays!

Great News!

Franklin was finally adopted last weeked!  I'm so happy for him.  It was really hard those first few days since he was my little buddy.  He was the first one to say "Good Morning!" to me and the first one to say "Welcome HOME!" and now I just have 3 hungry cats that look at me like "well are you going to feed us or what?" 

BUT back to Franklin.  He found a great home with a lovely couple that builds their own cat trees!!  He was such a climber, being that his favorite past time was climbing up my leg to get to my shoulder and then sit there like my scarf.  He will be such a good fit for their other cat, who is older and female since he is so low key.  I'm so happy that he found a good home just in time for the holidays!  I even sent him home with his one little goodie bag of gifts!  My boyfriend and I will miss him dearly, but he is in a good place and once his siter gets adopted, we can help more cats find good homes! 

Live. Love. Rescue. <3

Franklin on his last night home.... on my shoulder. <3

Dealing with Disappointment

Foiled again!  I was contacted by someone who was interested in my little foster Franklin.  We sent emails back and forth and I was really excited to meet this person at the next adoption show and maybe get a long awaited adoption! But no.  They did not show.  And I have heard nothing since then.  :(

I never seems to fail that every Saturday, I have lots of people interested in one or the other or my fosters.  Yet no one takes them home.  Franklin, who shows the best, is always out of his cage, on my shoulders, playing with a feather toy, and in my opinion, if I saw a cat like that at an adoption show I would say: I WANT THAT ONE! 

Then comes the fact that I can't tell if the two of them would be OK separated.  Not many people want to take home 2 cats at one time.  I guess all I can do is wait and hope that the right person/persons/family comes along and falls in love with them.  I hope sooner rather than later because they already have a place in my heart, and if I had the time the space and the money I would keep them.  But 4 cats and a dog is a little much for a 2 bedroom apartment. :D

My Little Hero

Got some good news the other day.

The Emergency Vet where Aedin donates blood called.

1) She's ready to donate again

2)  Her blood was used to help save the life of someone else's cat!

I'm so proud of her!  It's a good thing she does so well at the vet.  I don't know why or how but she is as cool as a cucumber when there.  Nothing freaks her out, the vet can do anything to her and she takes it like a pro!  It's like she is smart enough to know that it's for her own good, as well as the good of a stranger's cat. 

I tried donated blood as well.  Didn't work out as well, but I can still have the satisfaction that Aedin and I helped out a fellow feline and their human. 

Can't wait to take her again..... I have some good ideas. 

Seperation Anxiety

Going on 2 months in my home, my fosters are still searching for their forever home.  They are getting to that inevitable age of 6 months when they can potentially be adopted out seperately and that saddens me.  They are so good together, like ying and yang.  Franklin is very personable, crazy, outragous and a cuddler!  Where as Sally is more quite and reserved, but just as loveable as her brother.  I don't know how they would be if seperated, but if it came down to them being adopted or not, how can I not let them go their own ways?  I had this problem at this same time last year when I had two brothers.  They went to two different homes, and everything was just fine, but they weren't as close to each other as Sally and Franklin are. 

I suppose all that I can hope for, is that someone, somewhere will come along for them and they will fit right in to their homes..... as long as they have another kitty to make friends with.