Good days, bad days

Just like fall turns into winter, babies grow up and leave the nest. This handsome guy was the first of the three to move out to seek great adventures beyond the nest. But then he was the leader of his three brothers.

I nicknamed this guy Cowboy, because he was always jumping on me or someone else and hanging on tight for the ride. I don't think he missed a single cleaning of the litter box and he always felt a need to announce when he needed to use the facilities.

Whereas his brother I nicknamed Catitude. He really should have been born a female because he acted like a princess. I never realized that catitude started at such an early age. But good golly could this guy turn on the charm.




Although this is how I usually saw him. That "oh dang I'm busted look". You see Cat didn't concern himself with needing to use the litter box. He much preferred softer less dusty places such as my bed, the carpet, even his cringle sack or cat bed. I worked with this guy trying to get him to see things my way for weeks. And just as I thought, what a good boy he's finally coming around, I'd catch him "digging a hole" on the carpet in a devil may care sort of way.

Cowboy and Catitude get to stay together as they went to the same home.

And as luck would have it, just as the three brothers moved out someone else moved in.

This poor little guy moved in because he was coming down with a cursed upper respiratory infection. He'd have more room in my bathroom then his other options. But very sadly this sweet but shy little guy had more problems then just an URI. Turns out he was FeLv+ and FIP+. So my home and my mom's home became his 'forever home'. During the day he'd be at Mom's sitting on the lounge chair being petted while she read, and at night he'd sleep soundly in my bathroom. He'd purr the whole time he was getting petted. We miss him, he was good company.

Winter turns into spring and life begins again all a-new. The 'Foster Five' are visiting right now and spreading fun and joy where ever they are. Three boys and two girls.

They have taken over the basement. Lots of room for them to run and play. They have been an easy group to care for, but alas they are almost big enough to send out into the world to seek adventures and a home of their own. They grow up so fast. ::sniff::

Meanwhile...

It seems that Mr. Teddy T. Bear (T for Trouble) Has found himself a home. Here he is bonding with one of the current residents. And he is absolutely correct in wanting to make himself at home because I recognized him for the keeper he is and adopted him.

Five adopted more arrive

I am thrilled to announce that all five of the kittens that were in my bedroom have found great homes in which to explore and discover wonderful adventures.
I miss them already, but I am happy for them.


The two little boys are doing well. Getting bigger of course. Here is an updated photo of Teddy.
"Hello, my name is Teddy, I am addicted to bottled milk formula"

Although Teddy is over two months old he still clings to his bottle. He is seeking a home that will bottle feed him for the rest of his life. And he has such a special personality that he would be worth the extra work.
Meanwhile, his brother sleeps like the contented baby he is because he just had a plate of food all to himself.

The same day that the five beautiful kittens went along their new journeys, a litter of three moved in. They were three weeks old and their mother had stopped nursing. These poor little guys were the hardest ones to work with so far. Poor babies were dealing with an oncoming upper respiratory infection and consiptation at the same time.
I am happy to say that they are all better now. They taught me that cat-itude starts at an earlier age then I imagined. Now if I can just get the guy on the bottom to stop wetting my bed.

In the beginning

Well, this is it, I started a blog. Now I need to decide what I want to share. Of course that topic must be the joys of fostering cats.

I'll start in the beginning of my fostering ....

In the fall of '04 I volunteered to foster some kittens. Having never bottled fed babies before, I didn't know what I was getting into but it sounded like a good idea. Fortunately my first "litter" was a surrogate mother and kitten. The mother was at Animal Services and wasn't nursing the baby consistently. So off they came to me so I could supplement the feedings. The baby was a feisty little thing to try to bottle feed and I worried about my skills. Luckily the mother felt comfortable enough to take care of the baby, so my job was to pamper the mother.

Just a few days later I welcomed another litter into the house. They were only a few days old and a litter of four beautiful boys that were found in a storm drain. Unfortunately I learned just how fragile these babies are when I lost the smallest one six days later.

These boys welcomed the bottle far better then Brandy and it was very rewarding to watch them develop into handsome kittens. It is a bitter-sweet time as they are about ready to leave me. I wish them well on their journey as they seek great adventures.


Next came two wonderful little boys.Their mother dried up and stopped nursing. Although they were at least three weeks old they seemed so tiny. I named the yellow kitten Teddy because he is so fuzzy he reminds me of a teddy bear. His brother I call Panda Bear. When they first arrived I thought I would lose them because they were so quiet and took awhile to embrace the bottle . So it is with great joy that I watch these little bears playing.

The last arrivals are a brother and sister that didn't need fostering but needed some room to run. They joined forces with the litter of three and they all took over my bedroom and my heart.

Of course I needed some help every now and then. So "Mama" Meg offered her services.

Although it can be very worrisome when they aren't doing well I have found fostering to be a very rewarding experience. There is a total joy in watching them grow and play having been with them as they were fragile itty bitty things. I hope they will be loved, adored, and cared for all of their lives as they deserve no less. I am their mommy after all and want the best for them.