Another Cat’s Tale
My wife, Lisa, was approached last November by the foster
coordinator at ADL (Animal Defense League of Texas). We have been active as
shelter volunteers since last summer. Lisa loves working in the cattery helping
to socialize the cats waiting to be adopted and I split my time between the
cats and the dog kennels where I walk the dogs. Being involved with the shelter
has made us painfully aware of a growing problem. When pet owners do not get
their pets spayed or neutered, it leads inevitably to much pain and suffering
by their unwanted offspring.
Our time commitment to ADL up that point had been minimal
until Lisa got the call to foster some kittens… 6 kittens only 4 weeks old.
Their mother had contracted mastitis and could no longer nurse her kittens.
They were being forced weaned at 4 weeks. The shelter needed volunteers to take
them in until they reached 2 pounds, around 8 weeks old. At two pounds, the
kittens could be spayed or neutered and put up for adoption. After fostering
our 3 abandoned puppies that summer for ACS (Animal Control Services) or the
“city pound,” we agreed to give it a shot and foster cats.
Since the kittens were so young and would still have still
been nursing, we had a bit of a challenge. We had to introduce them to solid
food by mixing canned kitten food, water and formula in little bowls. They learned
how to lap the soupy mix. Our first attempts were comical disasters. We had to
add canned pumpkin to control their diarrhea and they were a mess of orange
faces and paws. We began putting then in the bath tub to feed. When they were
through, we would pull them out and clean them off one at a time. When they
eventually transitioned to dry food, it was a great day. We affectionately
referred to them as the “seagulls” because when we opened the bathroom door,
they would come running, sounding like a flock of seagulls. Some of the kittens
went back to the shelter early with medical problems, but eventually they
reached weight and left us. The house was quiet again much to the relief of our
house cats Babs and Calie.
Our next call for help came just after New Year’s 2012. A
woman had turned in a very pregnant mama cat, who we named Jasmine. The woman
knew the owners who had lived in her apartment complex. The family moved one
night and left Jasmine to fend for herself. The woman began feeding Jasmine
until she realized she was pregnant. It was winter and she could not take the
cat into her apartment to give birth.
Lisa and Jasmine bonded almost immediately at the
shelter. When Lisa arrived, Jasmine was cowering in the corner, but walked
right up to her and began nuzzling her. We fixed up a little warm box in the
corner of our guest bathroom and began to wait for “the blessed event.” Jasmine
was very restless and craving attention. Lisa began spending more and more time
with her. On the second or third night, Lisa took a blanket and pillow into the
bathroom for the night. Lisa woke up in the middle of the night as the first of
4 kittens was born. Jasmine was running around and freaked out. Bravely, Lisa
picked up the newborn kitten and brought it to its mother. Jasmine began
licking and cleaning her baby and Lisa helped calm her down. Lisa came in and
woke me up and together we waited for the rest of the kittens to be born. Two
more arrived about an hour later within minutes of one another. The first born
was a male and the next two were females. Then things quieted down. We had 3
kittens. We were not sure if that was it or not, but we were exhausted and
Jasmine was in charge of her new family. There was a flurry of licking and
cleaning and nursing so we went to bed. Number four, another male, was born
after we went to bed. When we checked later that morning Jasmine and her 4
babies were doing just fine.
Our third call for help came 2 days after Jasmine and the
kittens left us. The foster coordinator had a young mother cat that had given
birth to two kittens. Small litters are not unusual for first pregnancies when
the mother is still a kitten herself. One of the two kittens died before we
could pick her up. The shelter named the mother cat “Spotty Girl,” but we
renamed her “Pearl” and the surviving kitten “Little Grey” since he was grey
and white like his mother.
No sooner had we arrived home with our new charges when
we got another call from the foster coordinator. Another foster had several
newborn kittens without a mother. She was bottle feeding them and one of the
newborns was not doing well on the formula. We were asked if we could take one
more kitten, since it was the same age as Little Grey, and see if Pearl would
accept it as her own. There was a risk that she might reject it and the kitten
would die. On the other hand the thought of having only one kitten in the
litter and no playmate for Little Grey helped make the decision for us. We went
back to ADL that same day and added “Corrie” to the family. Pearl began nursing
both kittens right away. You would never know that Corrie was not her own.
Corrie and Little grey gained weight quickly. Corrie
loved to curl up in Lisa’s lap at the computer on days the cats were allowed in
the sun room, but Little Grey was more restless and preferred to explore.
Pearl, being not much more than a kitten herself, often tried to play with her
kittens, which was scary at times since she was so much bigger, but Pearl was a
good mom. She was very protective of her two and did not get along with our two
house cats at all. Later on, Pearl began going into heat every few weeks and would
wander around meowing loudly and looking out the window for “boys.” Then she
started peeing on things when she wasn’t happy.
One morning, not long before the kittens were to go back
to the shelter for neutering and adoption, Lisa went for a walk. On her walk,
she saw a box with holes punched in it. The top had been taped but someone had
torn it open then left it by the side of the street. When Lisa looked in she
found 4 black kittens covered with ants and fleas. The kittens were resting on
a bunch of children’s clothes and a handfull of cat chow had been thrown in the
box, which attracted the ants. Lisa brought them home and gave them all baths
and fed them. We had to get creative about accommodations. Now, we had Pearl
and her two kittens, our two house cats and our newest arrivals: Jet, an all
black male, Ebony, an all black female, Tippy, a tuxedo male and Panda, a tuxedo
female. Nine cats in all!
Corry and Little Grey were the first to leave for the
shelter and a week later their mother Pearl followed. We kept them in the
sunroom and kitchen which meant our two house cats were confined to our bedroom
and the new kittens were confined to the guest bathroom. Our house cats were
glad to regain access to their house once Pearl was gone, but they raced by the
guest bathroom door not wanting to know what other strange creatures had been
dragged into their house.
Jett and Tippy next to the play area I built. |
Ebony & Panda |
One obstacle to adoption is color. Black cats often get
adopted last so it may take awhile for our little black kittens. The last time
we checked, Jasmine, Pearl and her two kittens were still at the shelter
awaiting their forever homes. This time of year all the shelters get inundated
with puppies and kittens because too many pet owners let their pets roam free
without being spayed or neutered. ADL is a no kill shelter but their resources
are stretched thin. Foster volunteers can give some relief to the shelters, but
far too many animals are abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Those
animals that survive produce more unwanted cats and dogs and so the cycle
continues. All of our cats and puppies were rescues, including our house cats
Babs and Calie. The kittens we foster are the lucky ones. They will all be
spayed or neutered, given their shots and micro chipped before adoption. They
won’t be killed or die abandoned.
Perhaps it is time to spread the word about being
responsible pet owners and get your pets spayed and neutered. Shelters need
foster volunteers. Check out your local shelter and ask how you can help.
Become part of the solution.
Food for THOUGHT…
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