Rescue Momma and Kittens... Advice Needed Please!

[ashade1]

Sorry we have been so inactive, we have been super busy! So we don't usually do same day adoptions because we do reference check and vet check. Our goal at this event was fundraising, getting exposure, and getting some rescue contacts in the southern part of the state (this event was almost 4 hours away). We did end up with three kittens being adopted (two siblings went together) only because the people who adopted them were people who work in rescue and had good rescue recommendations (some of the rescues we worked with previously). Olivia and her kittens were all adopted this weekend and we are meeting with adopters for another kitten and the hamster we have today! Lots of kitten adoptions- I hope we can get some of our adults adopted soon... we have so many We are taking our 4 remaining unspayed momma cats this upcoming Friday for their spays!

 

[kittens mom]

All those mama's are just kittens themselves. I think a lot of people want the bonding they get with kits but any adult cat I've taken care of has bonded just as quickly. I only had one cat but I really peddled Tera's story to anyone who would listen.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And sell, sell, sell the idea that with an older cat you more know what you are getting. I've seen kittens do drastic personality changes as they grow.

 

[ashade1]

I think the reason we are having problems getting our adults adopted is for different reasons. Sadie and Sabrina have to go together. I think if they could be separated then Sadie would have been adopted a couple of weeks ago. I have another bonded pair Sherbet and Willow who are both former ferals- they have been with me the longest- since December. They are very slow to warm up to people since they were ferals before, but they do bond to you. Willow is incredibly sweet to me. It took her months to come around to me. I know they have a perfect home out there. Another one of my longer fosters is Colby who I have talked about before, we have had him since February- he came to us from a kill shelter where he grew up for a year and a half- he isn't particularly a cuddly cat that everyone wants. I am sure in the right home he could be. He just isn't there right now. He tolerates me petting him when he is sleeping lol. My two Siamese mommas I am sure will be highly adoptable once they are spayed this week! I need to get them listed on adoptapet and hopefully get some applications on them before their spays so they can go to their homes when recovered! Then I have Mary- the mostly black mom that came to me with the 7 kittens. She is already spayed and vaccinated.. not one adoption inquiry. She is so sweet though.
I just need to be patient. There are perfect homes out there for all of these sweethearts! Just waiting for them to come along! But right now with all of these adults we are currently unable to take on anymore kittens. It is just too much right now. One of our fosters came across 3 5 week old kittens abandoned yesterday and told us they can foster them if we can take them on. So we have them now as well.
We did have a total of 11 adoptions this week though! Which is fantastic to think about. It is easy to get overwhelmed. lol.

 

[daisyd]

Omg ! You are a wonderful person !

 

[Sarthur2]

I think part of rescue work is providing long-term sanctuary for cats who require time to be adopted - as you've experienced with black cats and bonded pairs. And they do grow accustomed to your home, but there are homes out there, like you said.

You can only do what you can do. Eleven adoptions is excellent!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I may be using that emoji a LOT with Sarthur2 ! We seem to be on the same wavelength lately!

 

[ashade1]

Sorry we have been so inactive guys! We have been insanely busy (and stressed). We are having issues with our current living situation so we actually are probably moving this weekend- which as you can imagine with the animals is a LOT. We had to cancel the spays for the mommas we were going to take tomorrow. That will have to be rescheduled. One of our fosters came across a litter of kittens at a flea market. They are 5-6 weeks old. The man was feeding them roast beef and cows milk. Sigh. So we have them now with our foster. One is a bobtail, they are doing well!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Good grief! I so wish I had a car! I'd come help. I know what a job moving is with ONE cat, much less your crew!

 

[Sarthur2]

Do you know where you will be moving? Will it continue to accommodate your rescue animals?

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this right now. It's never easy to move.

Thanks for rescuing the kittens at the flea market!

 

[ashade1]

We are looking at a place tomorrow and are prepared to sign the lease and start moving! It is a landlord that one of my other friends in rescue recommends because they have a lax pet policy. We might even be able to fence in the yard for our dogs! I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, this might be better for us- even if it is more stressful now! A lot of the cats, and our new foster pup Mimi have been moved into emergency temporary foster homes for now.

 

[Sarthur2]

Best of luck with the move, and please keep us posted!

 

[ashade1]

I will! London (dilute medium hair tortie that had a panleuk scare a while back that is with a foster) her entire litter is pending adoption when they are old enough! I have someone interested in her as well.
We still have Sadie and Sabrina... no one interested in the pair of them yet.
I am still uncertain if the new Siamese mom Rachel is pregnant again or not... time will tell!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

for both the move and finding the perfect forever home for Sadie and Sabrina!

 

[sunshineclare]

Ok so 5 kittens are going to the no kill shelter with the high adoption rate early this morning! We are sending the older black girl that we have had a few weeks, one of the black boys, two brown tabby boys, and the grey boy.
So from that litter I will have the brown tabby girl, a black boy, and a grey girl. I have someone interested in the black boy and one of the girls.
Now, we are getting more kittens but I have such a hard time picking which ones I should pull from the shelter and how many I can take on. Do I take on ones that look more adoptable to me? I was looking for older kittens- 10 weeks so that they are already of adoption age when we get them. But then they sent me a picture of ANOTHER Siamese family and I am wondering if I should take them on as well...
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I would consider the longer haired looking ones to be very adoptable... Its hard for me to gauge how old the Siamese family is...
Also the Siamese family that I have in another foster home- the two kittens are going to be adopted Tuesday! So that is good!
I appreciate your input on taking in more kittens... Siamese family or not... How many of the others... I feel like I have their lives in my hands.

Aw i would take as many as I could - you do such amazing work for so many cats and kittens, must be awful to have to choose - have you ever considered crowdfunding to try to set yourself up with a larger cat rescue facility? as places like animal aid unlimited in India seem to do amazing work just from donations, I donated to them for ages, and will again there are just so many good causes out there - maybe you could start a bit at a time and try to make it your full time job as you spend so much time on it anyway and are so good at it and take amazing photos xx

 

[sunshineclare]

So here are everyone's pictures! Everyone has longer fur except for the solid black one. And it has a different looking face... I'm not sure how to explain it really. You can kind of see in the picture. The black and the tuxedo are the two I need help sexing.
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awwwwwww they are BEAUTIFUL xxxxxxxxx

 

[ashade1]

Ok. So this is what I get for saying I need to "slow down and not take anymore cats". I have been contacted just this week about SEVEN moms with kittens in desperately full shelters.
So in a couple of weeks we are probably getting a mom and 4 kittens... she is a dilute tortie. These are the only pictures I have so far. I am told the kittens are now 4 weeks old. I told the rescue that if they can foster her a couple of weeks (after we are moved and hopefully have some adoptions) we can take them- they are several hours south from me-they have a bigger homeless cat problem.

SO THEN.
We are contacted about a diabetic cat... Jasper. He was abandoned at a vet clinic after the owner was told that they would have to give him insulin. someone who works at the vet has been fostering him since November with no interest in adopting him so she reached out to us. I told her if she can wait a couple of weeks we can take him. I have never had a diabetic cat before... any tips? She said he does really well with his shots and gets them twice a day.
Good news is we have had several adoption applications this weekend. Fingers Crossed they pan out!

 

[ashade1]

We potentially might get this little family with the dilute tortie family.
Same rescue contacted me. They said it looks like it is a calico mom with only two kittens- one a dilute tortie, one might be a tortie? I cant tell from the picture.
Their vet prices are better than mine. I am hoping they can get both moms spayed and rabies vaccinated for me (I will pay their vet prices) then I will take them. They are going to ask how much it is to combo test them. It is just a lot. They were supposed to get the dilute tortie's family today but apparently those owners let them outside and they are running loose... they are going to let me know when they catch them.
Here are pictures of the calico's family.

I think I am going to need someone to sponsor them for us to pull both families... It will all work out. It usually does.

 

[Sarthur2]

It always works out!

It's very easy to give insulin. I had a diabetic cat. You'll need to check her sugar level periodically. Sometimes a cat's diet can be adjusted to lessen the need for insulin.

Are you moving this weekend?

 

[ashade1]

We were delayed due to the need for a reference check. We should be moving Monday. We have started packing everything though! We do our own vaccines so I didnt think that insulin would be too terrible...