So, okay. Obsidian and I are members of a cat rescue organization. We foster homeless cats and kittens until they are old enough and socialized enough to go to permenant homes. Last season we took care of eleven kittens and one adult cat and found good homes for all of them. The last one left in January.
We’ve been waiting on kitten season since our last baby left in December (the January adoption was an adult, the mother from our first litter) but thought we had another month or two. Tonight we got the call. Mother cat with two kittens, maybe two weeks old trapped and ready to go. Obsidian is on a date and I am home alone to make the decision. We are basically the only ones in the group who will handle a mother so if they’re going anywhere but the SPCA (most likely to be put down) then they have to come here. Tonight. Now.
So, now I have a feral cat and two adorable kittens in the bathroom in my garage. Even though you can’t touch the mom, and she needs to be with them for at least another month.
You know those cartoons where the character’s head turns into a sucker? That’s what I’m feeling right now.
Good job! I wish I could do rescue, but I would not be able to let them go. I don’t think you’re a sucker, just a soft hearted person, and that’s cool.
A beautiful Chocolate Point Siamese from a wonderful foster lady. The cat hadnt been eating very much the last few weeks due to stress from being moved around and such. Hes doing great now, I couldn`t be happier.
Keep your chin up. Hopefully you`ll make someone like myself a happy cat owner soon.
I think I’m a sucker too.
I’ve been considering doing some kitten fostering for the local shelter. My biggest worry is that I might not be able to let the little fuzzballs go. However, the kitty that I adopted last summer is being annoying enough right now to make it a bit easier.
So, what the heck, I might as well go for it.
Ms. lollipop
Some people have a lot of trouble with letting go. We don’t. It’s all a matter of getting yourself in a mindset of ‘babysitting’, that this kittens aren’t yours. You are just watching them.
Also, I feel it helps tremendously if you foster with a place that lets you help find (or at least meet) the family that adopts your kitten. Some shelters separate adoption and fostering completely-- you return your kittens to the shelter at 8 weeks and others handle that end. For those that don’t want to hassle with screening/interviewing/home visiting or what have you, this is a good option. For myself, I couldn’t let go of this little life I’d sweated and cried over without looking the adopters in the eye and feeling the kitten will be safe with them.
If you do not want to be involved with the adoption process, you may want to make sure the shelter will call you if something goes wrong or the kitten remains unadopted and its ‘time is up’-- especially at the more crowded, underfunded shelters where that time is short. I know someone who’s foster kittens (that she bottle fed) were put down without her knowledge when they came down with a URI, even though she would have gladly taken them back in that situation.
Please also make sure that your shelter provides adequate training, clear policies, and access to veterinary care. Kittens are way more fragile than people think, and nothing’s more terrifying than a sick little one in the middle of the night and no idea who to call or what to do (especially if you personally can’t afford the mucho expensive emergency vet)
Hey, LittleCat and her big sister were both feral cats I trapped from a junkyard in hopes I’d catch them before they got pregnant (no such luck).
LittleCat’s been with me almost 6 years now. Still terrfied of strangers, but feed her a few times so that she realizes your a Friendly Human and she’ll turn into quite the tart who can’t get enough pets.
Her sister was nasty-feral for an additional year. The one foster program didn’t the she could be rehabbed, so she went back to the junkyard for a year. She started to get friendly with the Feeding Humans. Once she started rolling around on the ground for a belly rub, we figured she had an change of heart and took her back to a more thorough rescue program (no kitties are turned away!).
She became a loving tart too.
The foster program I’ve volunteered for has an extremely good success rate with even the most feral beasties. You’d be amazed.
So your mom cat just might end up friendly with the right coaxing.
