Foster Kitten Adventure (1 Sweet + 1 Feral)

m3rma1d

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So, being a volunteer at a cat shelter I've had opportunity over the past few years a couple of times to have a kitten overnight, and one for a weekend ..

I applied about a month or so ago to do actual kitten fostering. I was mainly inspired by a close friend who did a great job fostering mamas & litters thru our shelter. Sadly she was diagnosed with cancer in Sept. It was really fast--She actually died just a few days ago. :(

But I just got the call from the shelter's kitten person, looks like I have two foster kittens coming my way! Perfect timing, like she's sending them my way from the great beyond.
I will care for them in honor of her. :hearthrob:

All I know so far is that it's a pair coming from up north, still need to get fixed, and one is very shy.

Watch this space! I'll update as soon as I get them...

I'M SO NERVCITED!!
 
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m3rma1d

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Update:
Talked with our kitten coordinator (love her) and got a few more details...

It's definitely a pair, genders unknown, about 4 months old, hoarding situation.
One is veeerrry sweet, one seems to want to be sweet but is afraid/shy.
I do a lot of work (as part of a very small, dedicated team) at the shelter with our "undersocialized" gang (we don't like to call them ferals), so she thinks this is the perfect project for me. I'm honored!!!!

Bad news... :flail:
Possibly Maine Coon mixes. My gawd. Maybe I'll just have two new cats. Kidding!!!

Possibly getting them Saturday (CATURDAY!!!)

Freaking out. In a good way. :)
 

kashmir64

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I usually foster bottle babies, however, all but one of my cats I got as kittens. So, in case you haven't dealt with them before...
Make sure to kitten proof your home. This means all electrical cords and outlets. Put plastic bags in a high cabinet and figure a way to keep it closed (I use small bungee cords on the double doors). Clear all house plants from anywhere they can get to. Make sure all spices and food is put away. Make sure all access to small spaces is blocked, like under the stove or refrigerator. Other plastic bags like dog/cat food, lock away or there will be big holes in the bags.
Good luck and we want to see pictures.
 

Kimberly07

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I usually foster bottle babies, however, all but one of my cats I got as kittens. So, in case you haven't dealt with them before...
Make sure to kitten proof your home. This means all electrical cords and outlets. Put plastic bags in a high cabinet and figure a way to keep it closed (I use small bungee cords on the double doors). Clear all house plants from anywhere they can get to. Make sure all spices and food is put away. Make sure all access to small spaces is blocked, like under the stove or refrigerator. Other plastic bags like dog/cat food, lock away or there will be big holes in the bags.
Good luck and we want to see pictures.

This is so true. There was a tiny space underneath my bathroom cabinet and 4 of the babies managed to get through the crack and were stuck under the floorboard of the vanity. Needless to say, we had to take the entire front off of the vanity to rescue them. A good fix for this was to stuff a towel tightly into the crack.
 

kashmir64

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This is so true. There was a tiny space underneath my bathroom cabinet and 4 of the babies managed to get through the crack and were stuck under the floorboard of the vanity. Needless to say, we had to take the entire front off of the vanity to rescue them. A good fix for this was to stuff a towel tightly into the crack.
When one of my kittens was around 5 months, she decided there was something under the stove she wanted and got stuck. The two I have now are terrors. They aren't allowed anywhere near the laundry room. I could just see one of them getting stuck behind the machines or maneuvering into the dryer vent and getting stuck in the tube under the house.
 

ans5181

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This is so true. There was a tiny space underneath my bathroom cabinet and 4 of the babies managed to get through the crack and were stuck under the floorboard of the vanity. Needless to say, we had to take the entire front off of the vanity to rescue them. A good fix for this was to stuff a towel tightly into the crack.
Hahahahahaha sorry I just had to laugh because I had the same idea to stuff a towel in the hole, which only made the hole MORE enticing, they would relentlessly push and pull the towel into the hole and then use it as nesting I had to tape the hole shut with duct tape
 
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m3rma1d

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Wasn't sure so I thought I'd mention it.
All good!

There's a reason I am confident in being able to foster them--I love kittens, but I don't LOOOOOOVE kittens. They're sweet enough to enjoy having around for a while, but crazy enough to give up when the time comes.
;)
 
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m3rma1d

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Ok so I didn't get them yesterday, we're driving up north and getting them today (road triiiippp)..

I woke up at 4:30am and there's no way I'm going back to sleep. :D

Still don't know genders and haven't seen pics. But I'll post pics here as soon as I get 'em!

This is way more exciting than my Christmas was!!
 
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m3rma1d

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Looking forward to seeing the new babies:heartshape: Have safe road trip, do you have nice weather for it?:crossfingers:
Weather was crystal clear! Cold, but that's Maine in late December. ;)
 
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m3rma1d

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It's two girls!
Possiblly 5-6 months old.
20181230_142859.jpg
Friendly Gal on left (short hair), Scaredy Gal on the right (long hair). I'm just calling them that temporarily, I do get to give them actual names. We'll figure those out in time. :hearthrob::hearthrob:

We gave Friendly her dewormers and Revolution and weighed her, but Scaredy wasn't ready for all that fuss yet. Tore the s#eeyit outta my hand when I tried too hard to get her outta the carrier .. I shoulda just taken "Nah" for an answer.
:flail:
It's ok, we'll try again later tonite or tomorrow.
She is definitely more than "shy", she's petrified.

Friendly has some nasty stuffy breathing and a bit of a belly. Hopefully if the belly is wormies, the stuff we gave her makes that go away. I have an emergency kit with antibiotics in case Lysine doesn't get her breathing cleared up.

Turned out that they both actually are spayed which is good to have out of the way.
We will microchip them in time.

Definitely got some work to do! But it won't be a rush job. They're safe here, and I'll take care of them for as long as they need.
 
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m3rma1d

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Friendly Gal is sooo happy to see me whenever I go into the bedroom to visit. Scaredy Gal actually wishes I would die in a fire. :)
20181230_173233.jpg

I did manage to get Scaredy's Revolution applied. Friendly came out of the plush little hidey house so I scooped up Scaredy inside of it and set it all on my lap. I don't wanna risk fleas! We'll attempt the deworming stuffs tomorrow.

Also probably gonna start Clavamox on Tues because turns out they both have icky breathing. I'll mix it up tomorrow at work (pharmacy perks--distilled water and reconstitution tools) .. I could technically start it tomorrow, but they really need to just settle in a bit and get comfortable. Especially poor little Scaredy.

And my boy Alasdair wants to meet them soooooo baaaaaad omg.
20181230_183908.jpg
Sorry it's blurry, he won't even stay still.
But they are off-limits for 2 weeks just in case they're carrying anything funky that might hurt my 3.
 

dustydiamond1

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It's two girls!
Possiblly 5-6 months old.
View attachment 268843
Friendly Gal on left (short hair), Scaredy Gal on the right (long hair). I'm just calling them that temporarily, I do get to give them actual names. We'll figure those out in time. :hearthrob::hearthrob:

We gave Friendly her dewormers and Revolution and weighed her, but Scaredy wasn't ready for all that fuss yet. Tore the s#eeyit outta my hand when I tried too hard to get her outta the carrier .. I shoulda just taken "Nah" for an answer.
:flail:
It's ok, we'll try again later tonite or tomorrow.
She is definitely more than "shy", she's petrified.

Friendly has some nasty stuffy breathing and a bit of a belly. Hopefully if the belly is wormies, the stuff we gave her makes that go away. I have an emergency kit with antibiotics in case Lysine doesn't get her breathing cleared up.

Turned out that they both actually are spayed which is good to have out of the way.
We will microchip them in time.

Definitely got some work to do! But it won't be a rush job. They're safe here, and I'll take care of them for as long as they need.
:heartshape::heartshape:The girls are so lucky they have you. :rock:
 
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m3rma1d

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:heartshape::heartshape:The girls are so lucky they have you. :rock:
I feel the same about them. Yesterday was the 4 year anniversary of the day my best cat friend Delia died, and my close friend Marleen who was a great kitten foster mom died last week ... So this just feels like perfect timing. To be able to help these two little homeless kitty girls in their memory is an honor.
(but no I'm not going to name them after Marleen and Delia haha)
 
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m3rma1d

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Me: "Good morning, foster kittens!"
IMG_20181231_062640_864.jpg
Friendly Gal: "omg hi good morning I like you."
Scaredy Gal: "Where's the friggen coffee I hate you."

But note, Scaredy's pupils are a tad less dilated, and she's out of the hidey house thing. These are tiny signs of progress. :hearthrob:
 
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m3rma1d

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Just a note, if anyone is already in love with these two gals and wants to help out, their wants are at the top of our Amazon wish list:

Amazon.com

Of course our shelter will provide them with whatever they need, but whatever can be supplemented will save the shelter money so we can keep helping lots more kitties. Ours is a no-kill, all-volunteer, all-donation, cat-only shelter. It's important to save money and help all the kitties we can.
:whitecat::creampersian::silver::bicolorcat::blackcat2:

(side-note, I wish Chewy.com had a shareable wishlist feature.... Chewy if you're reading get on that.)
 
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