A few years ago I was a foster mom for an animal shelter in New Jersey. On a cold winter day, the shelter called me for help. Without asking any questions, I said yes.
When I got there, I had two cages to pick up…a mother cat and her babies in each cage. Two cats and fourteen kittens...lol…and I have four boys!
When kittens are under 6 weeks old, the shelter staff do not like to leave them there due to kennel cough. So, off we go home to a warm house with cages of kittens and cats.
At the time they were not on solid food yet or litter box trained. This was a job for Super Woman! On with the cape, and off I went, feeding every two hours.
The cages were in the study and the food in the kitchen. When the doors were opened, fourteen of the cutest kittens came a-running like wind-up toys…lol! It was the highlight of the kids’ day to see them all run towards the food.
Having four boys who love animals made this easy. The kittens were held and played with all the time. As weeks went by and people came to visit, the kittens found homes. We ended up keeping the mommy cats. The boys named each kitten…ahhhh the names!
The shelter did call each person who took home a kitten and then called me to tell me everyone was so surprised how playful the kittens were, and she asked me what did we do different. Lots of love, and each of my boys had three or four kittens sleeping in their bed every night. It was so rewarding that I did it again! We still have the cats and frogs and fish and other furry little pets. I would so tell everyone to give it a try...it's a beautiful thing!
Some of our gang:
Some of our gang:
Fero
Rosie
Mars
Submitted by Laura of Funky Luke on ArtFire where you can find a wonderful collection of eclectic and colorful handcrafted original items that show Laura's love of animals and our environment as expressed through her many creative talents. Laura has been involved with animal rescue, fostering, and adoption for many years and has a houseful of finned and furry friends and is a new member of the Crafting for Animals Guild on ArtFire which is raising funds in October for the Close to Home Animal Rescue group as part of our support of National Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month; get all the info by clicking on the box below.
4 comments:
How wonderful that you fostered these kittens and gave them what they needed to become happy, lovable pets. The world needs more people like you!
What a wonderful thing for you to do! It really goes to show what a difference a loving home can make in a pet's personality. My Calcifer kitty was fostered before I adopted him and he is the friendliest, most loving cat I've ever known. He quickly adapted to his new home and the rest of the family. With shelters full to overflowing people willing to foster cats and dogs are so important!
There is a little magic in fostering kittens in a home. You and your boys did a wonderful job!
Very heart-warming story! Love the photos, too. All of you are to be commended for extending yourselves this way. A lot of hard work with great rewards all around. Thanks for writing this article!
Post a Comment