Our
guest blogger is Tina Cooley – a volunteer at FOR.
My
first litter.
Some
days are better than others. I guess
that’s life in general, but when you are fostering; it takes on a new
meaning. Anything can happen at any
moment. The days don’t really
matter. It’s the hours. That hour that you didn’t think would mean
anything can be an hour of life, happiness, giggles, snuggles…. or sadness,
frustration, tears, and death.
My
first experience fostering gave me all of these emotions within a 48 hour
period. I had no idea what I was doing,
but I didn’t know that until it was too late.
I was told there were three kittens brought into the shelter and we were
told they were eating canned food. And because they were so young, they
wouldn’t survive in the cold, sterile shelter cages much longer. I thought it would be a prefect opportunity
for me scoop them up, take them home, bathe them, feed them, and assure them
that they were safe and loved. I
snuggled all three of them in blankets, and held them on my chest while they
slept. I fell in love on the ride home.
My
excitement turned to concern when I couldn’t get any of them to eat. Apparently, the shelter had it wrong. They
were not EATING canned food, they were SWIMMING in it. Not one little bit was getting into their
mouths, but one very loud and obnoxious little guy we named Sambo, was going to
make sure I knew he was still hungry.
One little guy was very
quiet. Suspiciously quiet to be
exact. We named him Ashton. The third one, Kyle, was undecided. He didn’t know if he should be loud or if he
should just sit and stare, and sometimes he would cuddle next to Ashton, who
was curled up in a ball… facedown.
I
did not know that kittens needed direct heat.
I had never seen kittens this tiny in my life. I was using a heat lamp over their cage –
like the one you use for reptiles. It
was all I had. I didn’t have anything
but canned food. Soon I realized this
wasn’t going to be anything like the six-week old kittens I had imagined, but
rather a litter of on- week old orphans! I started texting and emailing people who had
experience with this sort of thing. By
11:00 p.m. I was at Walmart purchasing a kitten bottle and milk replacer. As I rushed home, all these thoughts were
going through my head (as I had been spending way too much time using Google)
and I couldn’t fail. There were lives at stake.
When
I got home, I couldn’t get the little guys to take the bottle either. Then I found out about “syringe feeding”
which sounded to me like something a drug-induced meth-head would suggest – but
coming from the sources I had at hand, it was the next step to get these babies
to eat. So that’s what we did. I dripped formula into their mouths, one drop
at a time, for literally hours. Eventually
we got it down to a routine and they were sucking it out of the syringe by
morning – except for Ashton.
I
prayed for Ashton that night. I prayed I
wouldn’t be the reason he didn’t make it.
I prayed it wasn’t going to be because of something I did wrong.
That
morning, Ashton was dead. His tiny
lifeless body sent me into an anxiety attack as everything I prayed for went
out the window. How could I do this to
this tiny little helpless creature? What
was I thinking?
I
put him in a little box and buried him.
Next to a tree I see every day from my kitchen window. It reminds me that I am not in control. It’s not up to me. I can give each and every animal my very
best, all my love, and hope they realize that if they do have to cross the
rainbow bridge they will cross it knowing what warmth, a full belly, and love
is. That’s all I can do. And that’s ok.
The
night before Kyle was adopted, I cried.
But these were tears that I couldn’t explain. I was going to miss him, but I knew in my
heart that he was NOT dying… I was simply going to share him with another
family. That’s all it was. Sharing.
I wasn’t releasing him into the wild, never to be seen again. I wasn’t euthanizing him. I had saved him from that! I was SHARING him. I was going to share this sweet, adorable
little kitten with a weird dark mark on his nose, with another family that
wanted to share their love.
And
you want to know what happened to Sambo? Well, he has the best mommy ever! He loves her so much that he waits by the
door when she comes home. He “talks” to
her when he wants to eat. He sleeps on
her pillow to keep the top of her head warm at night. And he has a large selection of stuffed
animals to suckle on and knead whenever his little heart desires. And boy is he a snuggler! All 16 pounds of him will jump on her lap and
plop down like he owns the place.
Sometimes he will even rest his head on her shoulder like a small
child. I know this, because he is mine.
FORever.
FOR now has a neonatal care group to be with fosters along the way. See our June 10, 2014 post from our neonatal care group if you would be interested in fosters new born kittens.
Barney came
to Friends of Rescue via a local shelter. His time was running out but
the staff and volunteers knew he was extra special. They also knew he
would likely have problems being adopted from the shelter. Barney was a
senior dog with skin, eye and anxiety issues. The anxiety when separated
or crated was very intense. His eye was looked at by a specialist and
treated. He had some dental work done and teeth removed and was
neutered. His eye still sometimes flares up but is much much better, he
doesnt seem to notice at all. He now willingly goes in his crate and no longer
tries to eat his way out. His skin issues are just what you might expect with
age.. he gets itchy and his hair thins out in places, but then grows back in.
But despite these minor problems, he makes up with it with the size of his
heart and his smile. He is an absolute love bug. He
cherishes time in your lap and by your side. He is great on leash. And he
is ready for his FORever.
He's about 10 years old, so he should have many
valuable years left. He weighs about 12-15 pounds and activity level is low to moderate. Would be fine in an apartment or house without a yard
He's guilty
of STEALING HEARTS! :)
.
If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net
At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait.
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