More fosters!

We took-in 18 cats from one household. That's right! And all of these cats come from one single mother cat that they "meant to spay." I know they really meant to - but didn't get around to it.. and a year and a half later, they already had to give away two litters of kittens and we ended up taking the year-old litter, the 8-week old litter and a 1-week old litter of 7 kittens. Yikes!



So far 5 kittens have found homes.. but none of the adult cats. Strange. And sad.

Bob the cat

We rescued 19 cats from someone's home the other day - and Bob is the only one being fostered at our house right now. (Of the 19, 14 are kittens.. and 7 of them are only a week and a half old now!) These guys are the most socialized fosters we've ever had! They like kids, rabbits, dogs, adults, you name it. . . they're as close to a rag doll as you can get without actually being a rag doll!



I'm not kidding. They are easy-going, purrrrry and they hang when you hold them. I just love that. Bob has an orange tabby brother and two solid white brothers - all up for adoption. Videos and photos coming soon.



They're all malnourished and anemic from the fleas.. but after only two days in foster care (flea treatments and better food) they're feeling better and it shows!

Beautiful Jezabel

What a beauty!



We found her on the side of the road a few days ago. She's not spayed, of course, and seems like she's coming into her heat cycle. Hooray?

Honestly, we're not usually around this sort of thing since everybody is spayed or neutered as soon as possible after we rescue them. So, she's been... let's just say, interesting.

Spay is scheduled for next weekend - and hopefully we'll get a few interested adopters soon. She really is a beautiful, fluffy, cuddly, sweet girl!



I just realized we haven't taken many pictures of her yet! Sheesh. I'll have to get right on that.

Destiny, a bear of a cat

Look at how much love this big girl wants to give!!



Our fosters have a process here: we put them in a cage in the living room for a while so they can get used to us, our foster animals and just get used to the way we do things. It helps speed up the process. Then, once everybody gets along our fosters are loose more and more.. so they can begin to trust people again. She is adjusting quickly - and already gets along with ALL of our cats. She hasn't played with them yet but they share bowls and play areas and bedding, too.



Poor Destiny... she's been with her family for almost 6 years now. What I was told by her human dad is that they won't put a litter box in the house, instead they kept it in the garage. Normally that would be fine except that that is also the pool house / game room. So, there is lots of noise and loud people in there all the time. But Destiny needs a quiet place to use a litter box (and they know this).. but the family, because they had another human baby, won't put a litter box in the house for her. That meant she had accidents because she was just too terrified to go out into the garage, even if she had to use the litter box.

So, she's with us now!

She's very overweight, probably from nervous eating and hiding at their house. She loves people but doesn't love loud noises (like pool balls smacking together or ball games on the TV.)

Though I think she's already losing weight... because she's absolutely heartbroken and wouldn't eat at all! She has been with her family for almost 6 years - and now she's with strangers, in a strange home and she has no idea why.



She's so soft-spoken and SO sweet! She LOVES to be held. In fact, if you put her in your lap and start petting her she grabs onto your neck and shoulders and cuddles. She wants more! She'll let you brush her for hours, if you want.

What a sweetie!



She just needs a family that will put her needs first sometimes and not always think about their own. Trust me, she's worth it!

Overlooked Abby

I love when she jumps on the sink, walks over to me and puts her little paws on my chest. She's adorable!



Abby is a super loving, outgoing, sweet girl! She's just been overlooked for adoption because she's full grown and gray. Won't someone give her a chance?



What a sweetheart! We are her THIRD foster home in a very short period of time. We were warned that she doesn't like other cats and wants to be outdoors.. but it's just NOT TRUE! I don't know what those foster homes were whining about. She's great!

She's loving, cuddly, purry and wants to rub on you all day long. Seriously!

Jewel of a cat

She's Opal, Onyx and Topaz's mother.. and what a great mother she is!



As you can see, she lets her huge, 8.5-week old kittens nurse still. She bathes them, they purr like crazy and they all fall asleep in a huge blob of fur! Yes, it's completely ridiculous.



Jewel and all three of her girls are scheduled to be spayed and microchipped this weekend. Yay! No fosters can go to new homes until they're sterilized, so I'm super happy to have found a few vets in this backwards town that will spay/neuter at 8-weeks.

SUCCESS: Onyx and Topaz got adopted today! (Though they aren't going home until after their surgeries this weekend.) They will be happy, spoiled, indoor cats!

MORE SUCCESS: Less than 3 days later, Jewel and Opal got adopted together, too. What a great day! The family that visited has been looking for solid black cats. They only adopt black cats. How great is that??



They really just want to be on your lap or chest, sniffing at your face, cuddling your neck.. and, you guessed it, purring. Come get yours before they're gone!



Jewel even nurses homeless kittens. What a sweetheart!

Opal, Onyx and Topaz

Well, these are moma kitty's actual biological litter of kittens. All black, of course!



See them in action:



So spunky and so cute. And they've been socialized to kids, animals, birds, you name it!

They'll be spayed next week - and ready to go.



REMEMBER: Black cats are euthanized in shelters more than any other color animal (dogs, too!).. so fall in love with a black cat today.




Please!

Barney, Betty and Bamm-Bamm

So, we sort of had an emergency last night.. I got a call that someone was giving away kittens on craigslist. So, of course I called to check on their status. Most people don't know how to bottle feed so I wanted to make sure that they weren't going to starve to death.

Sure enough, the girl who "found" the kittens didn't know what to do - and had the kittens for over 24 hours. But by the time I called her she already gave away 3 to someone, that she said was a 'vet tech'. Can you believe this woman actually only took half of the kittens? The nerve! She didn't even care what was going to happen to the other 3.. and she knew this girl had no idea how to feed a newborn kitten. Jerk.



As it turns out we had planned to take a mother and her 3 kittens, that were about 8 weeks old, in a few days. And instead of bottle-feeding I sent a frantic email to the owner of the cat asking her if we could take the mother cat in early - hoping that she would nurse the kittens so I wouldn't have to.



Well, the wonderful, wonderful girl who had taken-in this black cat (who ended up having 3 black kittens) drove almost an hour to bring the mother cat to us! Can you believe that? There ARE nice people out there!

So, thank you SO much Sydni! You saved us two months of annoying and exhausting bottle-feeding! :)



Whew!

Punkin' the pup

Punkin isn't at our house right now - because we don't have room to foster. Besides, the woman who has her right now has the space to foster. She just wants Punkin' to find a new home.



Originally, Punkin was one of those dogs that are left behind when someone is evicted from their home. Yep. They left Punkin inside their house, locked the doors - and were never seen again.

Nobody even pressed cruelty charges against them. And that means they'll probably do this again!

Punkin was found several weeks later, in a house full of feces - nearly starved to death. Her current foster home originally planned to adopt her as a buddy for her other dog. Her other dog has neurological problems and needed a small playmate. Well, Punkin isn't the playful type!

So, Punkin needs a more reserved, quiet home life.. and that's what we're looking for.

George of the jungle

So, we didn't plan to.. but we ended up with a little orange kitten last week.

Our sweet Hermes loves all of the fosters. He especially loves being able to tackle kittens.. not sure how he feels about their constant interest in his tail, though:




Kittens are so.. playful. They're pointed! They're crazy! They climb and jump and pester all the adult cats!



He arrived frazzled and jumpy. I think it was because the family that found him had lots of kids and at least a few dogs and the kitten wasn't ever given his own space. They brought him to me in a van full of people - and no pet carrier. No wonder the little guy was scared!

But at least they brought him to me - most people won't even do that much. Truly. They did great!



I'd love for him to go to a new home with Jetta. They love each other so much!



UPDATE: Sometimes things work out perfectly. Jetta and George are off to their new home together next week! The mom is in love with Jetta and the kids may actually be able to tired out little George.. something we haven't successfully been able to do!

Jetta, the black(est) cat

Did you know: black cats and dogs are euthanized more often than any other color?

Why? Just because they're black. That's it!

Adopting?.. please choose black.



Jetta arrived two days ago, the same day as Lucky, because they both need a few ringworm dips before they can go to their new homes or adoption events again.



She shied away from us at first and still does sometimes... that is until she realizes you're still friendly. Constant reassurance and quiet is what she needs. But as soon as she realizes who you are again - say goodbye to your privacy! She loooooooves attention. And she made friends with the only nice cat in our house right now, Hermes (our tabby and white.)



We've decided that she can stay with us until she comes out of her shell or gets adopted, whichever comes first. She's so friendly that she'll get along with any other foster that comes through here!

GOOD NEWS: Jetta and George are adopted together! As soon as George is neutered next week, they'll go to their new home. Yay!

Fanta, forget Orange Crush

Another scaredy cat.. she hid for over a month before wanting us to pet her.

After the first month she began to trust us more. She came out in the evenings, only if we were quiet. She hates blenders, doors shutting, loud movies, you name it.

So, we started sending her to adoptions (at the local Petco) on weekends. She hid at first but started showing herself after a while. We were sure she would get adopted.

A space opened up in the adoption center so we decided to let her spend the week there. Boy, that was a mistake. Now all she does is hide!

We're working on finding a home environment for her because clearly she isn't going to get adopted this way. Do you have room in your home? (As previously mentioned, we have ringworm-y fosters right now who will be here for 2 more weeks.)

Isn't she a beauty? She just needs a little understanding.

Her favorite spot to sleep, our closet:

Lucky (generic name, I know)

She's in my bathroom drying off right now. She's been on an anti-fungal medication for almost a month now but her ringworm came back. That's why we're dipping her 3x in the next 15 days (once every 5 days) before sending her to her new home.

Ringworm isn't a big deal - but it's such a hassle!

She was also chosen during our 2-for-1 adoption special so she's got other cats waiting for her at her forever-home. Formerly a stray, found by an older woman and fed for a few months, Lucky was spayed, vaccinated and put up for adoption less than 6-weeks ago.

What a beauty!!

... the first family who swore they wanted her were flakes. And you can't have my cats if you're not 100% truly in love with the cat.

This is Lucky.. putting herself to bed. She really does that! When we can't find her, she's asleep buried under blankets, pillows or anything else she can find. It's absolutely adorable.



A wonderful family adopted Lucky last week. They have 2 kids who are great with cats. But Lucky seemed most taken with the dad. She would run up to him happily when he walked in! And she even walked into their pet carrier on her own.

She was ready to go home!

Sven, a victim of the animal breeding industry

Anyone who buys a dog from a breeder is one of two things:

1) ignorant and doesn't realize they are helping a lazy person make a living off of the breeding, caging and exploitation of an animal or
2) a completely selfish individual who knows what they're doing: buying an animal while thousands, or millions, die every year in animal shelters across the country.

I hope you're not one of them. Or if you are, maybe this blog will help you become a better person.

Sven came to us because a local breeder couldn't sell him. She breeds 4 different breeds of dogs and apparently cross-breeds whenever she feels like it. Sven is half chihuahua and half min-pinscher.

Amazingly, she couldn't sell him!



She even lowered his price and put him on Craigslist. Still, no one answered. It seems that anyone who wants to buy a dog thinks lowered prices = defective dogs. Boy did they miss out! Sven is such a sweetie! He loved our other foster dog, Gigi, even though she was almost 20x his size! He played chase and wrestled with our cat, Hermes.

Sadly, he smelled SO badly when he arrived that it was clear he had been living in his own poo for 6 months, i.e., his entire life. It took several baths to remove or even lessen the smell. It was in his skin. She said "He must've rolled in something this morning" and "he's nearly house-trained." What a load! He had no idea what leashes were, had not been socialized and certainly didn't have any idea what house-training or paper-training was.

Who knows how many other animals are at her property, waiting in filth, all because she can't sell them to make a quick buck? Anyone who buys a puppy should feel the guilt of leaving the parent dogs in these conditions. Shame!

But after a month of training (if you need help with it, just ask) he finally started to learn! And since we couldn't find him a wonderful home here, we actually found him a great home all the way over in San Francisco. So, we sent him on his first airplane ride this weekend - and received happy emails from his new, loving family.

We've never done that before but we're so glad we did! Within hours of his arrival they already took him shopping for new clothes. (San Francisco is a little cold for small dogs with little hair, like Sven.)

Please, please don't breed or buy while homeless animals die.

Gigi, lab/shepherd mix

Can you believe we had a 90lb foster in our 1-bedroom apartment?

Originally, I was just helping someone (who was supposed to foster her until we found Gigi a forever-home) but when the first potential-adopter couldn't keep Gigi they told me to drop her off at the shelter if I couldn't take her. I don't know why but it still amazes me when people just decide that an animal's life isn't worth a little inconvenience.

Lucky for Gigi, the adopter (who knew she couldn't keep such a large dog permanently) fostered Gigi for a few weeks while I made room for her at our place. We can only take-in fosters as we make room - which means we can only rescue when our current fosters get adopted.

She actually behaved better than most of our feline fosters that are a fraction of her size! And as you can see, she loves animals of all sizes. We just had to be careful that Gigi's enormous paws didn't hurt little Sven (the foster in the photo) or our cat Hermes, that Gigi loved to chase around.



What a well-behaved girl. I miss her!.. but I don't really miss walking her at 7:30 am in our freezing winter weather. Brrrrr

Leah, the odd-eyed oddity

She was such a scaredy cat when she first arrived. We actually thought we lost her the first day!

We looked everywhere for her.. at least we thought we did. She wasn't under the bed, in the closet, hiding in a cat bed or under any blankets.

After a few nerve-wrecking hours we realized she had jumped on the fridge, opened the cabinets (that we never use) and hid! She is almost completely silent so we really had no idea she where she was.

Adopted-out last month with Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue's 2-for-1 adoption specials. Leah loves other cats, so we're so glad she has a friend in her new home!

Intro to fostering

I wish I had thought to keep records of all the fosters we've had over the years... but as a foster home we really try not to get too attached. That's one of the things every good foster home knows how to do - keep a distance while fostering so you're excited when your animal goes to a new home, rather than sad.

That excitement turns to joy every time your foster finds a forever-family!

You get to know them.. and realize just how different every animal is. Cats have fears and interests, just like people do. Dogs aren't all slobbery, ball-catching dummies. Their personalities are just as unique as you or me. Just ask any foster home and they'll be able to tell you which of their past animals liked playing, or loved the quiet, or enjoyed the company of others and which were loners.

There was Steve, the neighborhood stray that everyone knew existed but no one ever bothered to try to pet. When we moved in our neighbors said "Oh he belongs to someone. He has been here for years." When we asked who actually claimed him the answer was always the same, "I don't know. Someone." He was missing most of the hair on his legs, had scars all over his face (some new and some old) and wouldn't get within 20 feet of you. We were pretty sure one of his back legs had most of the hair burned off. Whether it was from warming himself under the hood of someone's car or caused by a cruel person, we'll never know. He was certainly not loved by anyone - until we came along.

Now he lives in Texas with my wonderful parents. Yep. He hated all other cats, was ridiculously unhappy in our rented homes, didn't like moving (which we do every year) so we had to think of something else for him. That's when we decided to drive all the way from Salt Lake City, UT down to Southeast Texas to deliver him. That was over 3 years ago and he's now a happy, healthy, country boy!

From alley cat to couch potato:



There were 4 ringworm-infested siblings (three of them black!)





They were adopted-out in pairs to indoor-only, loving homes. We love it when our kittens/cats are adopted-out in pairs!

Then there was Fang, an aging, semi-blind, mostly-deaf spaniel mix. She was so anemic when we picked her up on the side of the road that her gums were white. We took her home and put her straight into the bathtub. After hand-picking off a few hundred fleas, she fell asleep in my lap while she was still in the tub.



She slept for about two days straight - recovering in a warm home and gaining strength. What a sweetie. She was one of the best foster dogs we ever had.

Of course, foster homes sometimes become permanent homes, too. We adopted T'Oni a few years ago because he was completely blind and toothless. Yep. I just couldn't resist that face. His story is one of the worst I've heard in years. He and another cat (presumably his brother) were picked-up by animal control. Nobody even noticed that T'Oni couldn't see. That is, until his brother was euthanized - either by accident or for a reason that no one wanted to admit to after the fact. Then, suddenly T'Oni started freaking out in his cage, hitting his face against the wall, acting confused. That's when they realized something was very wrong: T'Oni's best friend and guide had been killed!



That's how he ended up with us. Special-needs cats require an attentive family, one that knows vet expenses are expected and you never know what your special kitty will end up needing. He gave us three wonderful years. Last June he died from complications caused by his diabetes and leukemia.



So, you see.. being a foster home doesn't mean you never adopt. But you have to keep in mind that the more animals you adopt, the less room you'll have to foster!

Right now we have two cats of our own (Normal and Hermes) and foster whatever we have room for. Depending on where we live, that could be one cat, two dogs or even more if we have foster cages. So, no matter what your situation is, you can foster. You don't have to foster many - even fostering one at a time saves lives. And lots of them! I honestly can't remember most of them. But knowing we've helped so many 'unwanted' animals gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling all over. Give it a try!

More stories to come. I hope you enjoy them and it inspires you. If we can foster in a 1-bedroom apartment, so can you!

Our furries, Normal (tuxedo) and Hermes (tabby and white):