Candy Bar Kittens

7/7/12

I was waiting all spring for a call from the animal shelter telling me that they had a litter of kittens to foster.  I temporarily bottle fed 4 orange and white kittens who's mother was struck and killed by a car but waking up every two hours day and night to bottle feed was way too exhausting and hard on me so they were transferred to another foster family.  Three weeks later, my foster coordinator emailed me saying that kitten season had hit and that she had THREE litters of kittens for me to choose from.  I couldn't decide which litter to choose so I asked her if she had any lighter colored ones or any fluffy ones because I love to take pictures of them. She sure did!  She assigned the "Candy Bar Kittens" on 5/22/12.

These 5 beautiful kittens were found in someone's barn.  Initially they were thought to all be females, but later we learned that one kitten, Kit Kat, was a male.  These kittens were the most beautiful litter I've ever fostered.  The stunning Baby Ruth was a long haired calico with double paws.  The pretty and petite Snickers was a short haired dilute calico.  The cute and puffy Butterfinger was mostly grey with some cream/buff colored markings and the most amazing dense/thick coat I've ever seen on a cat.  Kit Kat was a white and tiger kitten who was a bit more active than the rest.  Finally, the little runt, Milky Way, had medium length grey & white fur and double paws.  Right away, Milky Way started snuggling with me.  It turns out that she really needed the extra body heat.  She seemed fragile and quite small.  I could also tell on the first night that these kittens would be very friendly towards our dog Cody.  This was Cody's first experience at fostering kittens and he was more than we could have hoped for.  He was very patient and gentle with them. Sometimes they all played together like puppies.

Within the first week, I noticed that the kittens seemed to have an intestinal problem.  A stool sample showed that they had an intestinal parasite which couldn't be cured by the regular de-worming medicine so we treated them right away.  A few days later, they started showing signs of having a kitty cold/URI (Upper Respiratory Infection).  On May 31st, I left them at the vets office to be checked out.  They were alone in their cage for a few hours before I picked them up and once I got there, poor little Milky Way had lost all of her strength.  She appeared to have had a seizure and she couldn't hold her head up.  There wasn't going to be anybody staying overnight at the vet's office so my foster coordinator thought it would be best for me to take Milky Way home to at least give her some comfort.  What a terrible night that was!  I honestly thought she was dying.  This poor little kitten was terribly weak.  She kept making strange movements, reaching her head way back and trying to wiggle away but couldn't stand on her feet.  Her eyes were dilated and she was in a stupor.  Every time I left the room and came back, I was afraid I may find her dead.  I wondered what had happened to her that day at the vet and all I could think of was perhaps she had an allergic reaction to the new medicine for the URI.  I was afraid to give her the next dose so I called my foster coordinator who in turn contacted the rescue league's veterinarian.  The vet told her that Milky Way could be Hypoglycemic and suggested that I try feeding her some maple syrup through a syringe.  Well, I was encouraged at the thought this might work but it didn't.  I kept syringe feeding her baby food, water and maple syrup every three hours.  By 8 AM I decided that we should make an emergency appointment with the vet, and I was expecting them to say we had to euthanize her.  About an hour after I made that appointment, I checked in on Milky Way and there she was in her carrier, holding her little head up!  Wow!  I was thrilled to see signs of improvement!

Rock-n-Roll Litter

Dr. Hogg had to put the sickly kitten Janice to sleep today.  She wasn't responding to any treatments.  We all tried the best we could to help her but she wasn't getting better.  I guess I'm glad I didn't have a chance to emotionally bond with her because losing her is nowhere near as heart-wrenching as losing MW last month.  I've learned that sudden unexpected losses are much harder than expected ones.  I also believe that it is normal for us to be losing kittens due to natural selection.  Sometimes Mother Nature knows best... I just wish she didn't allow so many kittens to be born in a litter in the first place. :(  Rest in Peace my Sweet Janice Joplin, purple collar kitten.  Another life lost too soon. <3

We had to put our elderly dog Callie to sleep today. Our prayers worked because it became an easy decision and she wasn't anxious on the way over like she usually would be. She was sleepy and ready to go. My husband Eric said she was his "best friend" and he is going to be heartbroken for a while. We know we did the right thing though. Saying goodbye to foster kittens is hard but this type of goodbye is much harder. I guess I'm really becoming accustomed to experiencing loss this year. (Had to say goodbye to a cat in March too)... I look forward to fostering more kittens in the future though! They are the best! We actually stopped into Kitty City right after the vet appointment and seeing those precious babies made us feel a little better. :) ♥

Foster Litter #3 ~ Smudge and Bear

Smudge and Bear

DOB 8/18/11

Nine days after I said goodbye to my last litter of purrfect companions, I got the call to foster another litter of 2!  As soon as I heard they were long haired, I thought "Uh Oh, I'm in trouble!"  I've always been partial to long haired cats.  This must be because my first two cats as a young child were long haired.  I just can't resist them!

I went to the shelter to pick them up on Saturday 10/01/11.  While waiting for the manager to bring them to me, I met a nice volunteer named Carrie.  She works in the cat area called "Kitty City".  Being a Kitty City volunteer is quite the job!  Not only does she feed & medicate the cats, she also clean cages, litter boxes, beds and floors for the roughly 40 cats who are staying in Kitty City until they are adopted into their forever homes.  In the near future, I plan to train at Kitty City to help out because they are always in need of extra volunteers.

When I finally got the two fluffy black kittens, Smudge and Bear, into my car, I noticed something different about them right away.  My former foster kittens were very, very quiet when we rode in the car.  These two are quite different.  They really like to use their voices!  At one point, I heard a wail from one of them which was reminiscent of the sound my cat Mitzy often made when she was in distress.  Mitzy had to be put to sleep earlier this year.  She even wailed that sound on her last day.  Loosing a pet is one of the hardest things we can experience in life but I believe that grief is the price we pay for the love they give us.  Letting go of my last litter of kittens was not easy.  I fell in love with the one we named "Whiskey" and I had to let him go to share his love with someone else.  Bringing Smudge and Bear home really made me miss Whiskey even more.  While these new fosters are the cutest kittens I've ever been in contact with, they aren't my little Whiskey.  I know that in time I will grow to fall in love with these two and the sad feelings of loosing Whiskey will subside.  Being a foster Mom has many rewards, the greatest of which is the unconditional LOVE that we get to share with these precious little creatures.

Today I will make some videos of Smudge and Bear wobbling around with their fluffy bodies and short tails.  I can't wait!