Anyone who reads this blog or who knows me in real life has learned by now how much I love being a foster mother to the various cats and kittens that have come through our home this year. But what many of you may not know is why I got into fostering in the first place.
Due to various health conditions, I have not been able to work since early 2005. Since I love animals and could not work, I wanted to volunteer. But I quickly found out that I was not physically up to going into the shelter even once a week because in order to drive I have to skip my medications and when I do that I am too sore and weak to be of much use at the shelter. Fostering was the perfect compromise because I could care for the foster cats at home without needing to drive very often. I was thrilled to find a way to help even with my limitations. There is just one thing that I have wanted to do for a long time and still can not do.
Many charities that I care about often have fundraising walks where people can sponsor you and then you go and walk. I am sure that you are all familiar with the concept, so I won't go into details. One walk that I really had hoped to be able to do is a walk for the shelter I foster for - The MSPCA Walk for Animals 2009. People will be walking with their dogs to raise money for the shelter.
I almost signed up to walk, but the reality is that even though it is a short walk, I am still just not physically capable of doing it. I am going to be there on the day of the walk as a volunteer because they have found me something I can do sitting down, but I was still disappointed that I could not join in the walking.
Then that made me think: I know that I am not the only one out there that can not do charity walks. There are others like me that are not up to the walking, or those who can not walk at all. People whose schedules are too busy, but wish they could find the time. And people who have cats, birds, hamsters and other pets that don't really go for a walk. So I have decide to reach out to my friends, family and cyber friends and ask you to sponsor me as I walk in spirit for this really good cause. With more and more animals being surrendered to the shelter every day due to the economy, they need help now more than ever.
To make a donation, no matter how small, please visit my participant page and donate online. The team I have joined is the Fabulous Foster Failures. Or to donate by mail, send a check to: MSPCA Walk for Animals350 S. Huntington Ave.Boston, MA, 02130 and put the team name of Fabulous Foster Failures in the note section. Thanks for your help.
8/26/09
Simon Says Hiss
I have three more new foster kittens. Two girls and one boy. They are so adorable! They are feral kittens that are just three weeks old. At this age they are just terrified more than truly feral and aggressive. I am currently teaching them how to eat solid food. This requires feeding them the food through a medicine syringe until they understand that it is food and then slowly getting them used to eating from a plate. So far they are doing OK and gaining weight even though they also have colds like my other foster kittens. My older feral foster that was feeling so poorly is doing much better now though, so that is good.
So now I have six sneezing kitten ranging in age from three weeks to nine weeks. They are Jordan, Jack, Silvermist, Jaz, Sophie and Simon. Simon is the only boy out of the three young ones and he does tend to hiss whenever I come near him, but when he is only 15 oz., the hissing is so cute it just makes me laugh.
On a side note, we lost our camera recently so until we get the new one that we ordered, this blog will be pictureless. But I promise to post pictures of all the new arrivals once the new camera is in my hands.
So now I have six sneezing kitten ranging in age from three weeks to nine weeks. They are Jordan, Jack, Silvermist, Jaz, Sophie and Simon. Simon is the only boy out of the three young ones and he does tend to hiss whenever I come near him, but when he is only 15 oz., the hissing is so cute it just makes me laugh.
On a side note, we lost our camera recently so until we get the new one that we ordered, this blog will be pictureless. But I promise to post pictures of all the new arrivals once the new camera is in my hands.
8/20/09
Feeling Useless
Well it is official - my feral kittens are boys. I was pretty sure that Jordan was a boy but could not really tell with the other one because it only has part of a tail and it kept the tail tucked down all the time. But I had to take them into the shelter today because Jordan was sick, so they helped me verify that they are both boys. I am pretty set on the name Jordan for the little brown tiger kitten, but have not really decided on a name for the black and white one. Now that I know it is a boy though, I will see if I can find a name that seems to fit.
Right now I am most concerned about Jordan's health. He has an upper respiratory infection that has gotten suddenly much worse. This is a common condition for shelter cats and feral cats in particular so it is nothing that I have not dealt with before, but Jordan was doing fine last night at this time and now he is struggling to breathe normally. I had him checked out at the shelter today when I picked up his medications and he just needs time to get better. I feel so bad for him and I wish that I could do more than I already have for him, but just like a person with a head cold, he just has to get through it.
He started on the medications tonight and I have been bringing him into the bathroom and filling the room with steam in order to help clear out his sinuses and help him breathe. (This works for people with a head cold too in case you were wondering). And if he keeps going the way he is, I will probably have to give him some food with a medicine syringe tomorrow because he is too worn out to eat like he should. I have held him to comfort him as much as he will tolerate, but since he is still mostly feral, I can't cuddle him as much as I have my other fosters that got sick. I will just have to keep an eye on him and help him through this, although it is hard because there is really not much I can do that I have not already done. I know he is getting all he needs, but somehow, when I look at him miserable and all huddled up in his cage, it just does not seem to be enough.
Right now I am most concerned about Jordan's health. He has an upper respiratory infection that has gotten suddenly much worse. This is a common condition for shelter cats and feral cats in particular so it is nothing that I have not dealt with before, but Jordan was doing fine last night at this time and now he is struggling to breathe normally. I had him checked out at the shelter today when I picked up his medications and he just needs time to get better. I feel so bad for him and I wish that I could do more than I already have for him, but just like a person with a head cold, he just has to get through it.
He started on the medications tonight and I have been bringing him into the bathroom and filling the room with steam in order to help clear out his sinuses and help him breathe. (This works for people with a head cold too in case you were wondering). And if he keeps going the way he is, I will probably have to give him some food with a medicine syringe tomorrow because he is too worn out to eat like he should. I have held him to comfort him as much as he will tolerate, but since he is still mostly feral, I can't cuddle him as much as I have my other fosters that got sick. I will just have to keep an eye on him and help him through this, although it is hard because there is really not much I can do that I have not already done. I know he is getting all he needs, but somehow, when I look at him miserable and all huddled up in his cage, it just does not seem to be enough.
8/19/09
Purring is a wonderful thing
I decided to name my two feral fosters Jordan and Stormy for the time being. Oddly enough, they are not real keen on me checking under their tails to see what sex they are - imagine that. :)
They really want to get out of the cage and run around so I have been using this to my advantage. They can see that Doyle, my kitten and Silvermist, the other foster are loose and they want to be with them. So in order to get out of the cage, they have to let me pick them up and pet them for a minute before they can run loose around the room. Today, I actually got both of them to let out a little bit of a purr while I was holding them, so I am seeing that as progress.
So far I have to trick them to get them back into the cage each time I let them out. I decided to just let them be tonight and have the run of the foster room for the night. If they are more skittish and won't let me handle them again in the morning then it will be back into the cage for them. Hopefully they will be too interested in breakfast to run from me and I will be petting them before they realize what happens.
They really want to get out of the cage and run around so I have been using this to my advantage. They can see that Doyle, my kitten and Silvermist, the other foster are loose and they want to be with them. So in order to get out of the cage, they have to let me pick them up and pet them for a minute before they can run loose around the room. Today, I actually got both of them to let out a little bit of a purr while I was holding them, so I am seeing that as progress.
So far I have to trick them to get them back into the cage each time I let them out. I decided to just let them be tonight and have the run of the foster room for the night. If they are more skittish and won't let me handle them again in the morning then it will be back into the cage for them. Hopefully they will be too interested in breakfast to run from me and I will be petting them before they realize what happens.
8/17/09
Silvermist and friends
I have three new fosters in my home right now. They are all too scared for photos at the moment. One is a 4 week old female who my niece named Silvermist after one of the fairies in the Tinkerbell movie. I was just happy it was not yet another one of Ariel's sisters. Silvermist is small, but beautiful. She appears to be either a pure Persian kitten or possibly a Persian Siamese mix.
She was found in a local state forest where someone had probably dumped her. She was too clean and unmatted to have been in the forest since birth. This makes no sense to me. Why would someone just dump a kitten that will be worth money when it is older. Of course, I do not understand why anyone would dump ANY kitten but even people who are not animal lovers seem to value animals that are worth some money. Oh well, I am just glad that she is now with us where she is valuable just because she is a sweet little girl. She is very timid from her time in the state park, but we are working on that.
My other two guys - at least I think they are guys - are feral kittens. They can not be handled at all yet which is why I am not sure yet what sex they are. They are the most feral kittens that I have had so far as fosters. In fact, the rest of their litter was sent to a feral cat rescue. These two were the only two the shelter felt had a chance of become social pets. The rest will probably end up in a feral cat colony that the feral cat rescue manages. They are around 8 weeks old and have been here for 5 days now but they are still terrified of me. I have had to move to the "tough love" method of socialization which I don't really like even though I know it does not hurt them and it works. What that means is that they have a comfortable cage, litter box, bed and water at all times, but they only get food, toys or a chance to get out of the cage when I am in the room. That way they soon realize that every time I come in the room, something good happens.
I did not want to try this method because I like to leave dry food down for my fosters at all times because so many are underweight or sick. But these guys are not sick or underweight and I was not making any progress just spending time with them. Since I started only putting food bowls in when I am in the room, they have actually let me pet their backs while they eat, so it is working. Of course, I am going down about every 20 minutes or so throughout the day and offering them the food, so they are not going hungry. Hopefully we will make more progress in the days to come.
Since I do not know their sex yet, they do not have names. I have never been very good at coming up with traditional either sex names for my cats. So right now they are just the brown tiger guy and the black and white guy. They are going to be a challenge, but if they come out of my home as social, adoptable kittens, then it will be worth it.
She was found in a local state forest where someone had probably dumped her. She was too clean and unmatted to have been in the forest since birth. This makes no sense to me. Why would someone just dump a kitten that will be worth money when it is older. Of course, I do not understand why anyone would dump ANY kitten but even people who are not animal lovers seem to value animals that are worth some money. Oh well, I am just glad that she is now with us where she is valuable just because she is a sweet little girl. She is very timid from her time in the state park, but we are working on that.
My other two guys - at least I think they are guys - are feral kittens. They can not be handled at all yet which is why I am not sure yet what sex they are. They are the most feral kittens that I have had so far as fosters. In fact, the rest of their litter was sent to a feral cat rescue. These two were the only two the shelter felt had a chance of become social pets. The rest will probably end up in a feral cat colony that the feral cat rescue manages. They are around 8 weeks old and have been here for 5 days now but they are still terrified of me. I have had to move to the "tough love" method of socialization which I don't really like even though I know it does not hurt them and it works. What that means is that they have a comfortable cage, litter box, bed and water at all times, but they only get food, toys or a chance to get out of the cage when I am in the room. That way they soon realize that every time I come in the room, something good happens.
I did not want to try this method because I like to leave dry food down for my fosters at all times because so many are underweight or sick. But these guys are not sick or underweight and I was not making any progress just spending time with them. Since I started only putting food bowls in when I am in the room, they have actually let me pet their backs while they eat, so it is working. Of course, I am going down about every 20 minutes or so throughout the day and offering them the food, so they are not going hungry. Hopefully we will make more progress in the days to come.
Since I do not know their sex yet, they do not have names. I have never been very good at coming up with traditional either sex names for my cats. So right now they are just the brown tiger guy and the black and white guy. They are going to be a challenge, but if they come out of my home as social, adoptable kittens, then it will be worth it.
8/15/09
Meeting a New Mom
I volunteered at the shelter that I foster for today. They were having a special event and were going to need the extra help so I went in. I am so glad that I did because I got to meet the woman who was taking Darcy home. Darcy and her brother Julius had a special place in my heart because they overcame a lot of odds to become the social adoptable kittens they are now. They also looked like my previous cat Maggie did when she was young. I still miss her and it was nice to have orange kittens around again. I missed both of them when I brought them into the shelter.
Of course, I miss all of my fosters, but some are harder than others. Since Darcy was one of the hard ones to give up, it was really great to get to meet the person she was going home with. Her new mom promised to send pictures and updates to the shelter so I could see how she grows. And I am happy that Darcy is in good hands. :)
Of course, I miss all of my fosters, but some are harder than others. Since Darcy was one of the hard ones to give up, it was really great to get to meet the person she was going home with. Her new mom promised to send pictures and updates to the shelter so I could see how she grows. And I am happy that Darcy is in good hands. :)
8/12/09
Just For Fun
This is Tiger. He is at the shelter now, looking for a home. Even though he is old enough to be adopted, he is still a tiny guy. Someone at the shelter found this hat and gave it to my 4 year old niece for him to wear. He is such a well tempered guy, he actually let us put it on. We had to take pictures because he was so cute. Everyone that saw him with the hat burst out laughing. :)UPDATE: Tiger got adopted! I am so pleased because he had some problems that made it so he could only go to certain types of homes and we were concerned it would take a long time to find him a home, but he got adopted in less than a week. Yeah Tiger!
8/8/09
Cat Collar Safety
Our newest foster kitten came home with me on Friday. He is a little gray and white tiger. His name is Taro, which apparently is a Japanese name meaning first born son or big boy. We did not name Taro. He got his name from the foster family he and his brothers stayed with before he came home to us.
Both of Taro's brothers went up for adoption on Friday and may have even already found their forever homes. Taro was not so lucky. He was supposed to go up for adoption with his brothers, but instead had to come home with me to be given pain medication and an antibiotic. His situation has led to this post on cat collar safety. The basic rule is - too tight is bad, but so is too loose and Taro is a perfect example of why.
I was at the shelter on Friday morning dropping off Tiger and Arista so they could (finally) go up for adoption. As I often do after dropping off a foster, I stayed around to help the regular volunteers get the cat area cleaned and ready for the public.
When a cat or kitten is ready to go on to the adoption floor, a staff member checks it out, gives it any vaccinations it needs and places it in a carrier with food and litter. If the animal came in late in the day, it will spend the night in the carrier and be placed into the appropriate cage when the volunteers get in the next day. Most of the cats and kittens are perfectly happy to spend the night in these large carriers and in my opinion it is always better to have people around watching when you introduce new kittens to the kitten cages to make sure there are no fights or other problems.
Well, Taro and his brothers were a group of these sort of kittens. I was hanging their hello cards on the cage while another volunteer opened their carrier and put them in the large kitten cage. As she was doing this she noticed that Taro's temporary collar was caught around his lower jaw. Sometime during the night, he must have worked it loose enough that he got it into his mouth and got stuck. He was unable to get his mouth shut and the collar had been digging into his jaw all night.
We immediately cut the collar off him and checked him out. His mouth was so swollen that he could not close it and the sides of his mouth were all cut up and smelled like infection. He was also obviously in pain. Although it was not an emergency situation, we knew he needed to be seen by a staff member and probably the vet as soon as possible. The vet was doing spay and neuter surgeries that day. The less people that enter the sterile environment the better, so I just sat with him in my arms until we found a staff member who could take him in to the surgery area to see the vet.
Now Taro will probably be just fine and ready to go up for adoption by Thursday. Until then he is my guest and I am happy to have him. He is a fun, spunky little guy. The point of this post is to let people know to please check your cat's collar regularly. Most people think of an embedded collar as being mainly a dog problem, but cats can get them too. And they can happen quickly, even overnight. If you adopt a cat from a shelter please remember that their shelter collars are temporary and should be replaced with a kitten collar or an adult safety collar as soon as you get them home.
The problem with Taro's collar was that it was too loose, thereby allowing him to get his jaw stuck in it. The shelter I foster for takes amazing care of its animals and everyone who heard what happened to Taro was horrified. Each cat in that shelter is checked out closely at least once a day and if this can happen in that type of environment, then it can certainly happen in even the most loving of pet owner's home.
You should be able to fit one or two finger between your cats neck and the collar - no more, no less. Having it too tight or too lose can be dangerous and cause problems for the cat. So if you are not already checking the fit of your cat's collar once a day or every other day, then please start. Especially if they are young and growing or senior aged and putting on weight due to decreased activity.
I know I will be checking Doyle's collar daily from now on. He has been growing in leaps and bounds ever since I adopted him.
Both of Taro's brothers went up for adoption on Friday and may have even already found their forever homes. Taro was not so lucky. He was supposed to go up for adoption with his brothers, but instead had to come home with me to be given pain medication and an antibiotic. His situation has led to this post on cat collar safety. The basic rule is - too tight is bad, but so is too loose and Taro is a perfect example of why.
I was at the shelter on Friday morning dropping off Tiger and Arista so they could (finally) go up for adoption. As I often do after dropping off a foster, I stayed around to help the regular volunteers get the cat area cleaned and ready for the public.
When a cat or kitten is ready to go on to the adoption floor, a staff member checks it out, gives it any vaccinations it needs and places it in a carrier with food and litter. If the animal came in late in the day, it will spend the night in the carrier and be placed into the appropriate cage when the volunteers get in the next day. Most of the cats and kittens are perfectly happy to spend the night in these large carriers and in my opinion it is always better to have people around watching when you introduce new kittens to the kitten cages to make sure there are no fights or other problems.
Well, Taro and his brothers were a group of these sort of kittens. I was hanging their hello cards on the cage while another volunteer opened their carrier and put them in the large kitten cage. As she was doing this she noticed that Taro's temporary collar was caught around his lower jaw. Sometime during the night, he must have worked it loose enough that he got it into his mouth and got stuck. He was unable to get his mouth shut and the collar had been digging into his jaw all night.
We immediately cut the collar off him and checked him out. His mouth was so swollen that he could not close it and the sides of his mouth were all cut up and smelled like infection. He was also obviously in pain. Although it was not an emergency situation, we knew he needed to be seen by a staff member and probably the vet as soon as possible. The vet was doing spay and neuter surgeries that day. The less people that enter the sterile environment the better, so I just sat with him in my arms until we found a staff member who could take him in to the surgery area to see the vet.
Now Taro will probably be just fine and ready to go up for adoption by Thursday. Until then he is my guest and I am happy to have him. He is a fun, spunky little guy. The point of this post is to let people know to please check your cat's collar regularly. Most people think of an embedded collar as being mainly a dog problem, but cats can get them too. And they can happen quickly, even overnight. If you adopt a cat from a shelter please remember that their shelter collars are temporary and should be replaced with a kitten collar or an adult safety collar as soon as you get them home.
The problem with Taro's collar was that it was too loose, thereby allowing him to get his jaw stuck in it. The shelter I foster for takes amazing care of its animals and everyone who heard what happened to Taro was horrified. Each cat in that shelter is checked out closely at least once a day and if this can happen in that type of environment, then it can certainly happen in even the most loving of pet owner's home.
You should be able to fit one or two finger between your cats neck and the collar - no more, no less. Having it too tight or too lose can be dangerous and cause problems for the cat. So if you are not already checking the fit of your cat's collar once a day or every other day, then please start. Especially if they are young and growing or senior aged and putting on weight due to decreased activity.
I know I will be checking Doyle's collar daily from now on. He has been growing in leaps and bounds ever since I adopted him.
8/4/09
Adoption Updates
I am pleased to report that Magic, Duncan and Pixie have been adopted. I believe that Darcy has been adopted, but have to confirm it tomorrow. And while I was in the shelter getting Arista checked out, Chica was in with a family that wants to adopt her if the shelter can keep her for them until Saturday.
That means that of my latest crew, only Arista and Tiger still need homes. Arista has developed some complications from her spay and needs to stay with us a little longer. Tiger is still having some litter box issues, but they are getting better. He is going in to be neutered on Friday and then placed up for limited adoption which means he will only be allowed to go home with a family that is willing to take him home knowing he may have these issues for his whole life.
Muffin, the last mother cat I had is also still looking for a home, but all in all, I am pleased that so many of them have found their forever homes.
That means that of my latest crew, only Arista and Tiger still need homes. Arista has developed some complications from her spay and needs to stay with us a little longer. Tiger is still having some litter box issues, but they are getting better. He is going in to be neutered on Friday and then placed up for limited adoption which means he will only be allowed to go home with a family that is willing to take him home knowing he may have these issues for his whole life.
Muffin, the last mother cat I had is also still looking for a home, but all in all, I am pleased that so many of them have found their forever homes.
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