This afternoon I had to tell a new foster Mom that one of her kittens had passed away. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't anybody's fault. It was just one of those awful things. I've always said that "you know when you're a real rescuer when your foster cat passes away." That seems so blase' right now. I wonder how many times I've said that to a grieving foster parent? It sure doesn't sound very comforting now that I type it out. I'm so grateful to this foster parent for loving this kitten the way she has. The poor little thing had NO chance at the shelter. At least he died with somebody trying to save his life and with people who will grieve for him now.
I took some pictures of my new tabby girl that I named "Clementine". Here's Clementine eating from the dog food bowl:
She's fearless! My other foster guy "Owen" has a HUGE scratch down his nose from them wrestling. "Clementine" almost sounds too cute for this mini-terrorist:
I had a huge smile today when I received some "After" pictures of the little 3 week old guys I rescued last night. To refresh your memory, here's the Before picture:
Here's the picture after a mini-bath, bottle, and lots of love:
Seriously....I could kiss those guys until tomorrow!!!As usual, blogging does the trick and I'm feeling far better than when I started to write this post. I have so many blessings in my life, but am imperfect enough to not realize it half the time.
I'm not going to say what it is....but I have a VERY special blog post tomorrow....Stay tuned!
14 comments:
Beth, your blog has had me so emotional lately and this one is no exception! I know the pain of having a foster kitty pass away... it's so tough. That after picture really made me giggle (with tears in my eyes). So precious. What an emotional roller-coaster!
Oh those babies - and Clementine - are adorable!!
Big hugs to the foster mom who lost a kitten. It's so hard - I lost that whole litter of sickly black littles, plus the wee newborns with that nasty infection. And nearly lost a couple of momcats. It's awful, and stressful. But all of those kittens would have died alone, unloved, and cold if TCR hadn't rescued them. Instead, they got a chance, and a million cuddles and kisses. And the two momcats wouldn't have recovered and gotten wonderful forever homes. So that totally balanced out on the positive side of the chart. I never want to lose another one, of course, but we give them a chance they wouldn't have without TCR (and your) work.
Renee
Those before and after pics are priceless, its amazing what a little love can do, if more people knew what we do, the world would be a better place :)
Oh how I hope your special blog is about rescuing the torti mom and her babies.
A part of me wishes I lived closer so I could foster them but then I recently took in a feral/stray mom and her six feral babies.
As for the poor new foster mom... it is hard and it is very sad. One of the best "cures" is to take in another kitten to warm your heart again.
Becky
I, as well, lost 2 foster kittens....it is so tough, but at least they knew love.
I am so warmed to see the pic of those 3 weeks old....TOO cute!
Hi Beth,
Just wondering (I've been talking to someone who might be interested in fostering, with a little more arm twisting) is it a possibility for a foster cat to be tested for FELV/FIV prior to placement in the foster home, or would that be the foster parent's responsibility? Just wondering, in case it turns into a longer-term foster, and the foster parent has difficulty keeping the foster cat in isolation from their own cats.
i'll miss ozzy so much. he was such a sweet little guy.
I have the perfect name for your little wild, fearless, feisty
girl - Mikaela ;)
Nice blog Beth, anxiously waiting for tomorrow's.
http://cuteboyswithcats.tumblr.com/
Amy: Please email me and I'll give you the full scoop! So exciting!
Beth, I just have a small addendeum to your post. Ozzy didn't just have a foster mom who loved him and will grieve for him; he had a wonderful foster dad too. As you know, I was out of town on business during Ozzy's very sudden downturn, so my husband was the one who actually took care of him, and nobody could have done better. My husband stayed up into the wee hours of the morning comforting Ozzy and encourating him to drink because he could sense that he was scared, was late to work due to the vet run the next morning, and called the vet during the day to check up on him because he was really worried about that little champ. As much as I wish I could take credit for the love and care that Ozzy received in his final hours, the credit belongs to a wonderful man that I have the privilege of rescuing cats with.
Diana: Well said! Thank you so much for making that addendum. Dave is a wonderful cat rescue partner!
You're a lucky girl, Diana :)
Oh, what wonderful, wonderful news! I always have such an internal struggle when it comes to the moms and babies. I want so badly to help, but after the experience we had with the momma cat that terrorized my 7 pound maltese for 8 weeks, I know it's not fair to my dog in our one bedroom apartment. We don't have a cat of our own just so we can foster now.
I was glad to be able to take in the two orphans this week, but my heart broke for that poor momma being kept away from her babies and I had that internal conversation...maybe this momma would not climb out of the play yard when she saw my dog sleeping and go terrorize her, maybe this mom would be used to dogs....you know those conversations where you try to outrun your own common sense.
Thank you, Debbie for having the heart and dedication, and Beth, you are fast becoming an unsung hero to me for what you do everyday!
your little 3 week old fosters are sooooooo cute!!!!! the little grey and white looks like he's laughing in that last photo.
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