The Squee Diaries Ch 11. The Blue Room Part 2

The email was from a young man in a neighboring town. He’d been evicted from his home and needed to place his two, 5-month old kittens. They’d been bottle fed, which meant they were bonded well to humans. All I could see from the photo he included was that they were tabbies. One was medium haired and one short haired. I had the space to take them on, but if I didn’t adopt them out quickly, it would cause a jam with Mochachino’s kittens coming up here in a few weeks from Georgia. Going with my gut, I decided to help them out.

All I saw of the kittens before I agreed to take them on.

That’s the thing about doing rescue—it’s a constant juggling act between space and resources that’s very fragile. One little thing, like a cat suddenly getting sick, can derail the whole works. For someone like me, who likes their routine and predictability, this was a stupid career move. Can you spell S-T-R-E-S-S?

Sam and I met Josh, the cat’s owner. He was very nice and told me all about the cats. I asked if they went outdoors and he said no. I asked about fleas, ticks, any sneezing and he again replied, no. In my mind I made a checklist for what needed to be done since they'd never been to the vet: snap test, FVRCP vaccination, Rabies vaccination, de-worm, check for fleas, mites, treat, if needed, spay/netuer, done. Easy-peasy.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Lolly the explorer while Clark prefers to observe from the safety of the cat carrier.

I never bring cats into my house unless they’re vetted first, so off we went to our friends at the Cat Clinic for a visit where the cats would get a full workup. Once we were directed into an exam room I finally had a chance to meet the cats. The little female, who I named Lolly, was vocal and outgoing, while her brother, Clark was a bit more reserved. Though they were a month older than my own foster kittens, they were a POUND lighter in weight, really just skin and bones and their coats felt rough under my fingertips-a sign of poor diet.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Well Hello, Lolly.

The cats stayed overnight since they were getting spayed/neutered while I got their room ready back at my house. The Blue Bathroom was the first home Minnie’s family had known, but her kittens were too big for the small space and had been moved into the main foster room. I thought the bathroom would suit the kittens well since it was just the two cats. I didn’t figure I was going to have any problems with them.

Ha ha ha…famous last words.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Clark with his charming ear tufts.

Both cats had fleas AND ear mites (bad case) and I had to drive 80 miles to get medication for the ear mites or face using something else twice a day for four WEEKS instead of ONE TREATMENT, ONE TIME. I was panicked by finding out there were fleas because I don’t often have to deal with them. Since many of our cats come from out of state, the foster homes in those states treat the fleas, then I get nice clean cats. This time I had to deal with it and let’s just say I did a lot of extra cleaning with the hopes I wouldn’t have an outbreak on my hands. I STILL feel itchy thinking about it.

Lolly and Clark were very nice cats, but one of them kept pooping in the bathtub so I had to sort out the underlying cause (parasites and loose stool can make for litterbox aversion). They were both charming and sweet and loved jumping impressively high after toys. Lolly fixated on nursing on my sweater sleeves, leaving my arms damp any time I held her. I don’t know if they had much play time in their former home, but they gained confidence every time we did it.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Hee hee.

After less than a week, as their coats began to fill in and smooth out and there were no signs of fleas, I got an application from a family who were interested in the kittens. Everything went smoothly and the home visit sealed the deal. Sam and I both thought this was the right home. The family has two young boys, who I took an immediate liking to, and the parents seem devoted to their animals as much as they are to each other.

They came over to visit the kittens, but since we don’t have a big space they had to hang out in our hallway to meet the cats. They crammed into the small space and the kittens had a blast. They ran around after the toys I put out. They let the boys pick them up without a fuss. The mom and dad were smiling ear to ear and even though I knew to be polite to ask if these were their cats, I already knew.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Little flirt.

Unlike so many of our other fosters, Lolly and Clark found their home in less than two weeks. I hadn’t even had a chance to get to know these cats very well so our parting wasn’t painful. They were so sweet I knew the longer they stayed, the harder it would be to let them go. In the end I was quite happy that it worked out so quickly. It was best for all of us.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. The happy family and the sad photographer who experienced flash-fail taking this picture.

A few days ago I got an update that the boys had played with the kittens for three hours after they got home from school and that their mom had been cuddling with them most of the day. Apparently they have taken over the entire condo without any reservations and were well behaved (no stray poops) and having a great time.

Fostering isn’t always heartbreaking when the fosters find their homes, but the next two cats who got adopted just hours later…well, that’s another story…