by Crouchy » Wed May 31, 2017 4:35 am
"Kitten fosters desperately needed," headed my facebook feed. I got a nervous feeling. I asked myself, 'should I do this?' Taking care of foster kittens could mean falling in love, and then having to let go, or alternatively, being stuck keeping all the cats I couldn't adopt out. I played scenarios out in my head. 'Will this be the time I act on my impulses to really do something I valued?'
Two months before, I had watched as the vet to put my eight-month old kitten to sleep after a sudden brain aneurism. It had killed me.
Throwing caution to the wind, I answered back, "I can do it," as I realized, finally, at this point in my life, I really could do it. I had a little extra space in my basement, and no one telling me not to. My other five cats would hate their smell, but I had a place where they could be separate.
That first litter of kittens was difficult. They were bright orange, and orange and white, and tiny, about six weeks old, filled with worms, and needing to learn how to use the litter box. They were also filled with love. Sometimes I'd have all five of their tiny bodies crawling on me, trying to get a better spot, while biting each other's tails. Someone had found them by a dilapidated house unfortunately located on the corner of two highways. All was well until the second week when one of them, Snowman, became lethargic. I rushed him to a vet but his tiny body couldn't maintain his body heat, and he quickly died. That day I cried so much and swore I couldn't handle fostering again.
Almost two years have passed, and now 56 kittens and cats have found refuge in my basement. Just three months ago I took in a tiny black tailless mamma cat, friendly, with her two black sons, still feral. They had been living in a trailer park overrun with stray cats. I was told people there would let their cats have a litter of kittens, play with the kittens for a season, and then dump them all, unneutered, before starting again with a new batch.
I thought the female I got was a kitten herself; she was still growing. Then I noticed it was just her belly getting bigger. And bigger. Three weeks ago she gave birth in my basement to five tiny kittens, none black, all with tails. The daddy had left his genetics and his babies all to her, and also to me.
These kittens are thriving. I'm so happy that none of them, unlike the first litter, will have a wormy belly, or die of sudden fever. They'll know nothing but kindness. They've had the best start in life that they can. I feel so happy and lucky to be able to hold them and watch them learn and do something new everyday. Its a reason to live.
So this is what I am passionate about: Rescuing cats (and dogs, and baby bunnies . . .). It can be heartbreaking. If they don't die, I still have to find good homes for them, which is quite difficult, because not that many want kittens, and I worry about giving them to people who won't vet them and keep them for the next twenty years. Then there is the heartbreak of saying goodbye. It is expensive, with the food (and I only want to give them the best I can afford), the litter, and the fear of unknown vet bills. It can be quite a drag cleaning out all the litter boxes. Perhaps the biggest sacrifice is not being able to go anywhere or take trips, since I can't leave them. But despite this, I do it. I do it because they need me. No one else has stood up for them. There aren't enough shelters and there aren't enough fosters, so if I don't, nobody will. Taking care of homeless cats keeps away the nightmares I used to have about loose animals that keep getting away from me. I find there's not much I can do to improve the world, but there is one thing I can do: Improve the world for one tiny kitten at a time.
Groups I am applying for:
1. Trade: Rare/VR
2. Faves
3. Store Pets
Question: I hope I got that right, we are allowed to chose a whole folder of rare pets or your faves? It sounds too good to be true. I see so many just asking for one pet. If I read this incorrectly, and am not allowed to ask for these groups, I would love 2013 Slumber party or the Jeweled Lion tail list pet, 2009.
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I enjoyed having the chance to write this short essay. All best wishes to you!
Last edited by
Crouchy on Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:07 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Pet's name: Fireplace