Foster Cat Journal

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson

My southern belle posse is posing for their next album cover entitled: “Teenage Kittaen Dreamz.” Sugar Pie (far left) is obviously the troublemaker of the group and Honey B. does not “do” photo shoots, so she's off camera, sulking.

Their CD is available on Mee-owTunes.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Pattycake LOVES her treats!

Dear Petcurean Pet Nutrition,

Two of my foster kittens have ringworm. They're locked in the bathroom for the next month while I'm treating them for this fungal infection. It breaks my heart to confine such perky, happy creatures into such a small space, so every day I try to do something fun for them to keep their spirits up.

Normally, I don't ever buy any dry cat food at all, but in this situation, since these cats once had lots of dry food at the Kill Shelter I rescued them from, I thought I would find a good quality, grain-free treat to hide all over their room. That way they'd have fun trying to find the yummy pieces and give them something to do.

They REALLY like the treats. A lot.

They both look like crack addicts about to get a fix whenever they hear the sound of the treat bag being opened and once there are treats to be found they scamper about, hoovering up every morsel.

They seem to be having fun. This all sounds great, right?

Here's the problem:

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The bag in question. No. I did not do anything to the bag other than photograph it. This is how I found it.

I must have inadvertently left the bag where they could get at it. Since they get a bit too much "alone time," they had plenty of time to figure out how to EAT open the bag. Yes, I said, EAT. Once I found this bag, stashed behind a blanket, I realized that there were pieces of the bag that, even now, are still missing. Maybe they're only temporarily missing...if you get my drift.

The real question is, do you have a program to provide grants for emergency surgery to remove bits of the treat bag from my kitten's belly?

Just wondering if I can start the application process now. If I don't see any shiny surprises in their litter pan soon, I'm thinking I'll be going to the ER Vet since it's a HOLIDAY WEEKEND here in the USA.

Really good treats. Maybe you should consider packing them in KEVLAR?

Sincerely yours,

Robin, the freaked out foster mom

Little Maria and Pauly are safely out of Henry County, in the loving care of Bobby, our devoted driver, babysitter, and photographer of all kitties we rescue from there. Though knowing they're off death row is one thing, but the kitties are never out of the woods until we get them to see the Vet and get the results of their Snap Test, which lets us know with some accuracy (depending on the age of the cat), if the cat is positive for Feline Leukemia or FIV.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. Some of the friendly staff at East Lake, where we often take our shelter rescued kitties.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. Little Maria waits for her exam.

I really hate waiting for results.

If a cat is positive for Feline Leukemia, which is easily transmitted between cats, then what do I do? Guidelines will say euthanize. I am terrified I will have to make that decision one day.

At least for Pauly and Little M., the results were negative. On to the next concern...what is wrong with Little M.'s rear end? Why does one bone in her right leg protrude out? What happened to this little baby?

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. Dr. Segal with Little M..

After a few xray's it was pretty clear what was wrong. Little M. has a broken right rear leg. It's broken near the femoral head, which is basically the top end of the femur that usually fits into the hip socket. Little M., who we are told is only NINE WEEKS OLD, at 2.2 POUNDS, has been living with this broken leg for quite some time. There is evidence of the injury healing itself, but not healing correctly. Little M. can walk, but with a wobble. She does not seem to be in pain, but she will be as she ages, if nothing is done.

Dr. Segal gave us some options:

1. Do nothing but give her cage rest-meaning lock her up in a small crate so she can't move around much and let the break heal on its' own. The result will be that Little M. will have one leg a bit shorter than the other, will develop arthritis in her leg and perhaps never be able to jump.

And...Little M. is sick.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. One of the Vet Tech's checks out Little M.'s hips.

She has an upper respiratory infection and a temp of 104°F. We can't even think of doing any surgery to her until she is clear of the disease. With any luck she will be fine in a week, but she is young, sick and just came out of a shelter. We all know that URIs can last for months.

Even through all of this, Little M. purrs and is a sweet cat. She will even try to play. Her will to live is still strong. One day I hope we can look back on the challenges we're facing with this kitten and realize it all ended up well. I guess my gut will be in a knot until things get sorted out for her.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. Pauly does a great job defying gravity.

Meanwhile, there's Pauly. At about 4 months old, he's a bundle of raw energy mixed with sugary sweetness. Pauly does not want to hold still for the camera, especially when he's being fussed with at the Vet. He is in good shape, but of course, has been exposed to Little M.'s URI, so we will see how big of a mess this turns into.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. Pauly isn't so sure about this...is it a treat or treatment?

Pauly finally burned himself out long enough for Bobby to get a photo of him. His white toe tips and tail tip is adorable! He's got very lovely tabby markings and beautiful eyes. All we have to do is get him neutered and he will be ready to go in no time! Connie said she felt he will do well here in CT-I agree 100%.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. At last, Pauly relaxes long enough to be photographed.

We're going to have to do a fundraiser to help cover Little M.'s expenses and to pay for transport (some day!) to come north. I'm getting the nagging feeling I may have to drive down there to get the cats. I can't imagine putting a cat who recently had surgery onto a big, loud, transport. If any of you are going to be traveling northward in about 3 weeks or so, let me know! Until then, we just have to hold tight and hope that Little M.'s fever comes down and Pauly doesn't get sick, too.

©2010 Bobby Stanford. Used with Permission. Kitty artwork at a Vet's office is always a good sign.

You just never know what you're going to find out once you “bust” cats out of a shelter, but aside from any health issues, in time we'll find the same thing we always do—loving, lonely cats who deserve the best forever home possible.

I had every intention of taking the kittens to the Vet, mostly so that Dr. M could compare them to tiny Cinnamon, but not do anything else with them, since they seem to be fine. Cin was the one whose eye bothered her and who is skin-and-bones skinny. Just having the Vet look at one kitten could not cost much. Of course, that was not to be.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Waiting to see Dr. M. while Dr. Larry lollygags in ITALY.

The kittens were a definite hit with everyone at the newly-almost-done-with-remodling Maple Ridge Animal Clinic. I was sad that Dr. Larry didn't decide to scrub his family trip to ITALY, just to take care of my kittens, but I'll have to get over that.

These kits are delightful. After the initial “ooo-ing” and “ahh-ing” was over, Miss Amber brought us into the exam room, put the carrier onto the floor and opened the door. One by one each kitten shot out of their confines and began to race and sniff around the room. Cin ran to the back of one of the exam tables, into a TINY space where she was able to collect a bit of fuzz and give us a good scare. If she had been timid, I doubt we would have been able to get her out of that space! A moment later she was bored with her confines and jumped out and continued to run around with the others.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Super Deb giving Sugar Pie a lift, while trying not to fall in love with her.

Miss Amber began to weigh the cats. Cin is up to 1 lb 2oz, which is up from being less than a pound a week ago, but still about 6 ozs less than her SISTERS..and yes it is confirmed, I have a GIRL CLUB!

Weighing the cats was a good indicator of age, which is at about 6 weeks. I began to feel some dread as each cat had their temp taken and we discussed what should be done for the kittens. That's when I realized this simple visit was going to cost some bucks. Ugh. Then, Dr. M. came into the room and started to talk about testing, more shots, more meds...ho boy..here we go...and I don't get a discounted rate, (because I haven't asked and because I'm not a Non-Profit just yet and because I'm scared to ask, so I have to feel the situation out when Dr. Larry gets back from his trip) so this is going to hurt.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Yodel and Sugar Pie enjoy running around while their sisters get weighed.

Cinnamon's temp was a bit low, but not dangerously so. The stool samples came back. One tested negative for anything and one Elisa tested positive for Giardia. Dr. M wants me to treat all the kittens for about a week and said that this may be why ALL of them feel very boney. What is weird is they don't have the runs! For such little kittens they have really nice stool. Nice size and shape. Not mushy or even that smelly. Maria and I have been giving the kittens Bene-Bac, which may be keeping their digestive tract in better condition? One thing's for certain, the cats LOVE IT, so getting them to eat it is not a problem. And yes, if you foster cats, you need to know about the beauty of a nice stool. Many kittens have lots of intestinal parasites. Add to that, transitioning from their mama's milk over to cat food and odds are you'll be seeing mooshy poop-and with kittens that can be a dangerous thing if it doesn't resolve.

The other thing I learned was that because I wasn't sure how old the kittens were when they were pulled out of Henry County, I opted to let the vet in GA decide if they should be started on FVRCP shots. Well, that was a waste of time because they were too young. Now we have to start the series all over again. So each kitten got a shot, which really hurt poor Cin. and which didn't bother Sugar Pie a bit. The shots will be repeated again in 4 weeks and 4 weeks after that. They also should be re-snap tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia because they were too young to have an accurate result, as well. Great! So I just wasted a bunch of money on Vet stuff in GA. Live and learn. I hope learn...oy veh.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Sugar and Honey B. completely dwarfed by the chair.

Cinnamon's eye was definitely irritated. Was it due to a trauma or the beginning of the dreaded URI beginning to take hold? Whatever it is, she's being treated with antibiotic eye drops to see if we can get her feeling better.

We talked about diet and I'm going to add Nutri-cal to their food for awhile, along with my own idea of adding some plain chicken baby food into their grain free canned. They're also getting some KMR since they're still a bit on the young side. Basically, I give them whatever I've got.

You can say the same thing about the Vet bill...I gave them everything I've got, too. I have sooo got to find a Vet who will work with me and who I like and and and...but I first need to get my papers filed so I'm a proper Non-Profit! I've retained a great Lawyer and am looking forward getting this done, though let's not talk about money, because legal fees and filing fees make the Vet bill look quite tame.

Deep breath. It's going to be fine. It will work out. You won't lose your house and be forced to live in a cardboard box. You won't. Maybe a small shed? Like that guy on “Confessions of an Animal Hoarder?” I have to stop watching that show...more on that next...

I got up at 6AM yesterday. The fear that Moonpie was sick and in the same room with the tiny kittens gave me a gut ache. So I got up and did what I really didn't want to do. I moved Moonie and Pattycake into the bathroom, the only other spare room I can keep foster cats.

Moonie and Patty are BIG four month old kittens. They have lots of energy and enthusiasm. I hated to put them in a small room, but I made sure they have lots of soft places to rest and some space to bounce off the walls-which from time to time, sounds like what they're doing.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Moonpie, ever the clown, reacts to my singing!

They don't seem to mind. Moonpie's runny eye has cleared up and though he sneezes, it seems to be dry and a rare event. His appetite is great and he seems to be doing just fine. That said, I'm not moving him back to the room with the kittens any time soon. He is just too big and they are just too small.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Pattycake.

Last night I sat with the two cowbabies and Patty climbed into my lap. She definitely is a serious lap cat. She didn't move, just rested her head on my leg and relaxed. Moonpie ran around and BIT my iPhone! I moved it 5 or 6 times and he would find it and bite it again. He put claw marks through the clear protective screen gel!

When he wasn't being a nutcase, he was standing on the edge of the bathtub, rubbing his head on me. He jumped down and tried to get into my lap so I picked him up and held him while Patty stayed in my lap.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Moonpie, taking a time out from sharpening his claws.

Yeah, these two are friendly cats. No question. They are also a handful! I think they should be adopted together. Patty has a serene quality about her and Moonpie is a goofhead, but an affectionate goofhead.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Sugar Pie (left), Yodel (rear), Cinnamon (front), Honey B. (facing away from the camera).

The tiny kittens. Well, they are just the cutest things ever. Sugar Pie has a nickname-“Mini-Spencer.” Her markings are very similar to Spencer's and it looks like she will be just as fluffy! Her top coat is sparse and very long. I wonder what she'll look like when she grows up? As if I even have to wonder!

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Honey B. with Cinnamon.

Honey B. isn't as outgoing as Sugar Pie, but with more handling, I know she'll come around. She purrs easily and enjoys running around the room, chasing after her sisters. She's very pretty and has very nice markings.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Honey B. demonstrating Kung Fu Fighting. She's got skillz!

Cinnamon. Who wouldn't love this little “owlette?” She's sweet as can be, but far too tiny. She's skin and bones, but her appetite is great. Her siblings are far larger than she is, so I find myself very protective of her. I wonder if she has tapeworm on board-which would answer why she is so small and hungry. The de-wormers we use wouldn't kill that parasite.

Sadly, this afternoon, I went to feed the kittens and Cinnamon was a bit “off.” Her left eye was slightly closed and it appeared she was swallowing hard-maybe post nasal drip? She's not sneezing. Has no discharge. Her energy level isn't great. I gave her some L Lysine and I called the Vet. Dr. Larry is in ITALY, so we are seeing his partner, Dr. M. in the morning. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, but with a kitten this size, everything is serious.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Yodel sees his reflection.

Yodel. Another sweet kitten. Yodel has a goofy face and could be a miniature version of Moonpie, but with long fur. Yodel stayed more in the background, but would let me pet her and would give me a nice purr. This morning she was more outgoing and really enjoyed playing with the cardboard scratching pad and climbing the cat tree.

There really is no problem child in this group. They are all simply marvelous and I treasure each one.

If I could only relax. I'm very worried about Cinnamon. She is too little to have health problems.

Update: Just before posting this I checked on Cinnamon. Her eyes were open, tail up, she was running around, playing. She ate well and seems to be doing better-but she is STILL going to the Vet tomorrow just in case.

I got up early to try to trap Buddy, my injured feral cat. No luck. If I could only tell him what was going on, I'm sure he'd cooperate. I keep hoping I'll see him and he'll have miraculously stopped limping, but that is not the case. I didn't even see him yesterday.

While I waited to hear the trap “clunk” shut, I packed up a small bag of cat food, dishes, cleaning supplies and water for my trip to New Jersey where I was going to rendezvous with Mark. It was fortuitous that Mark had to drive from his home in PA to NJ for work reasons, so it saved me an extra six hours of driving-for which I was very grateful. Meanwhile, Sam was still in NYC with his Mother, waiting for her paperwork to be finalized so she could be discharged from the hospital. This meant I couldn't borrow his sport wagon sized car and was stuck with my coupe. I emptied out my car and did some quick calculations. If the crates weren't too big, they'd all just fit. I had plans to take Connie with me, Bobbi's foster mom, so I had to account for her in the car, too. Maybe if we only breathed in, we'd be able to fit?

Finally around 2pm, I got the call. Time to head out to meet Mark! We'd leave in an hour. I was glad that Connie could come with me. She's very perky and can chat like there's no tomorrow. I love it! I told her I figured the time would fly if we talked on the trip. If we didn't hit so much traffic, it would have been a breeze. It wasn't terrible, but I sure was in a hurry to get to those kittens.

I was nursing a headache and was very tired from not getting much sleep these past few weeks. I decided to have some iced tea and some water, thinking I was dehydrated. It was a good idea until I got on the road.

My headache faded, but my bladder was getting full. I stopped at a rest area about an hour into our two hour drive. The line was so LONG at the Ladies Room, I gave up and went back to the car. I figured I could do my “thing” at the hotel.

My phone rang at about 5:03pm. It was Mark. He said he was just about to pull into the hotel parking lot. We were about a minute away, ourselves. Connie and I both thought that our timing could not have been better and that surely this was a sign that we were doing the right thing (as if we needed a sign!).

I pulled into the lot and Connie offered to wait for Mark, while I went in search of a bathroom. I briskly walked into the hotel, trying to blend in, so they wouldn't notice that I wasn't a guest. The place was a tomb. Silent. Empty. Great! I found a directory and quickly walked to the bathroom, my bladder throbbing with anticipation.

I saw the sign for the bathroom, the door was open and there were bands of wide yellow tape across the door with “Do Not Enter Cleaning in Progress” printed on it. I stopped cold in my tracks. I looked into the bathroom. A man was wiping off a sink. He turned and looked at me, then went back to slowly cleaning the sink. I whimpered, but he ignored me. I went back to the directory. No sign of a second bathroom that wasn't in a guest room. I was doomed!

So I went back to the car and waited for Mark to arrive.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. At last! Our first glimpse of Bobbi.

I'd planned to take a lot of photos as Mark pulled up, detailing every second of unloading the car and loading mine up, but it was hot and humid. The cats had already been in the car for over 3 hours and would have another 2 in the car with me and Connie. For their sake I just wanted to load and go.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Moonpie and Pattycake.

I said Hello to the kitties and took a quick look at them. Moonpie's eye had a big green mucus goop on it. Oh great! This is just great. We had to transfer the four smallest kittens into my carrier. I wanted to do it inside the car, but Mark insisted that the kittens were too small to run off. I was reluctant, but we did the transfer quickly, from one crate to another, across the parking lot. Once I saw how TINY the kittens were, I realized he was right.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Bobbi's ready to rock.

We got everyone settled. Connie insisted on holding Bobbi on her lap all the way home, so there was more than enough room for the other carriers to fit on the back seat. Bobbi cried and fussed so Connie opened the top of her carrier and she popped right out and took a look around. Connie started to coo and marvel about Bobbi, petting her and scratching her. Bobbi sat down as she was being scratched and started to jerk her back leg, as Connie found the good itchy spots around Bobbi's neck. Connie was saying how she'd love to keep Bobbi, so I yelled at her (okay, strongly reminded) that “if she keeps Bobbi then she can't foster more cats.” Connie reluctantly agreed, but we'll see if she can stop from adopting Bobbi after the week is over.

As I raced us back to CT, we'd hear an occasional sneeze from the back seat. I really started to stress out and had a nice flashback of last December when I picked up 9 kittens, some deathly ill, off a transport-followed by 4 MONTHS of sick cats. Connie and I tried to brush it off-the climate was different here than Georgia. The allergens were different. Moonpie's sneezes were just allergies or even if he was sick, it was probably not bad and would be better with some rest.

I knew all the cats had been exposed to each other so it was too late. We'd just have to wait and see how it goes. I didn't want to pit stop for my poor bladder. Those cats needed to be out of the car, quick, so I focused on getting us home.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Yodel just out of the cat carrier.

We arrived just before 7:30pm. I dropped Connie and Bobbie off. I almost shoved them out of the car. I was beginning to worry that the kittens really needed to get some food as soon as possible and wanted to be on my way. I think Connie was anxious to have some snuggle time with Bobbi, so she was out the door and moments later I was home since we only live about 1 1/2 miles apart.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Cinnamon enjoys dinner.

I got home. Sam was there, after his adventure caring for his Mother, so he helped me load the kitties into the foster room. I had a big dog crate set up for Moonpie and Pattycake. I thought that it would force them to rest and maybe keep the sneezes to their area, not all over the room. Silly me.

I let the kittens out and as they explored their new home, I quickly opened up a few cans of cat food. I put the plates down on the floor and without hesitation ALL six cats were eating hungrily and enjoying sips of water.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Cin is TINY! What a goofy little cutie. She's a sweetie, too.

I started to relax. Eating is a good sign. Little Yodel's back legs were a bit wobbly, which gave me some concern. I figured he was sitting a lot in transport, plus his blood sugar was probably down. In time he should be fine.

I ended up putting down extra food because the kitties were so hungry. I was glad to see them eat so well and hoped that trend would continue.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Sugar Pie. Ryan and I call her “Mini-Spencer.” I'm already madly in love with her. Uh oh! She's a real love-muffin.

Then I remembered I needed to do something for myself, so I welcomed the kitties to Connecticut and left the them to their kitten food. At last, we were all getting what we needed.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Yodel is sweet ,too and what a goofy face!

I didn't want to do to much with the cats last night, so I had a few short visits. Ryan came over and met them-he approved-and I gave each kitten some loving and pets before leaving them to rest up.

So far, so good. They made it here-all of them. Now I wait and see how this will play out. My very first Kitten Associates fosters! I hope to, one day, remember them as my first, not the first batch of sick cats that broke the bank!

Quarantine is over (even had an extra week). Little Cinnamon got her Health Certificate today! She's safe to travel with Izzy and Mark and the gang! I'm so excited, of course, nervous, too. It's been a very long time since I've had fosters and my first time finding homes for them on my own.

It was touch and go on whether Cin could make the transport. There was also concern that Pattycake was shy a kidney, which would effect her ability to be adopted. Happily for her, Pattycake got a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH after her ultrasound. She has two normal sized kidneys and her bladder is fine-everything looks good.

These were the last two hurdles. I wasn't sure we would make it, but we did. Now we just have to wait. Tomorrow morning, Izzy & Mark will pick up the gang, then make their way back north. I'm VERY glad the weather here is cool and dry. It will certainly make the traveling easier once they get out of the South.

©2010 Maria S. Cinnamon waits for her Vet appointment.

Of course my next concern is if the kitties will stay healthy once they arrive. Please no URIs! I've asked before. I will ask again! Since Izzy and Mark are super cat people, I know they'll be keeping a close eye on the cats. It's like playing a game of “hot potato.” Move the cats as fast and safely as possible before they get sick, then get them into a nice quiet room to rest and recover.

©2010 Maria S.----Honey B. No, they don't get any cuter than this!

It wasn't all smooth sailing. There was some troubling news today, too. I got a call this afternoon from Sam's daughter, who lives in NYC. She got a message from Medic Alert that Sam's Mother had put in a call for help. I can't go into specifics, but she is in the hospital now. Sam and his daughter are with her. I stayed behind to take care of our cats since we don't know how long she'll be in the hospital. We hope that after all the tests are done, his Mama can go home. If not, Sam will stay there until we can work things out. I'm trying not to think about the arriving cats, during such a stressful time, but I still have to finish preparing for their arrival.

Also, on top of barely any sleep for either of us, we were up at 6AM trying to trap one of our feral cats-Buddy. Buddy has been around for years, but lately he's been seen limping. We're very concerned for his safety and need to get him trapped and to the Vet. Of course he's a smart cat, so we didn't trap him today. Now we have to wait to try again on Monday.

©2010 Maria S.----Yodel. Yes, they CAN get any cuter!

Our dear friend and new foster, Connie, may have lost her kitty: Lion King. He looks a lot like my boy, Bob. Lion King has to be an outdoor cat, even though Connie wishes she could lock him down inside. I just met him two days ago. Connie hasn't seen him in over a day and it's not like him to be absent. I hope my good luck finding cats hasn't turned into making cats get lost!

I'm still struggling with an outbreak of Feline Acne. Nora and Nicky are eh, okay, but Spencer is getting worse even though I've been treating him every day. I'm going to run him to visit Dr. Larry and Super Deb tomorrow. He will be an unhappy cat, but I gotta get him some help. I know he must be uncomfortable.

There's lots to do to get the kittens adopted, too. I got my Petfinder account approved, which is a huge milestone for me. I know you can look for coincidences anywhere if you try hard enough, but I have to admit that my shelter code is also my birthday. It feels like a cosmic sign of good luck some how! Every shelter gets a state code and a number. Mine is CT 431. My birthday is 4/3 ___1 Hee hee! The page has to be filled out and I have to get my web site up and running so I can have adoption forms available and it all has to happen quickly! Even though many of the kittens are too small to be adopted, I want to post them on PF so I can begin screening potential adopters.

©2010 Maria S.---Sugar Pie. Too much cute to look at!

In some ways, this is the calm before the storm. If all I have to do is find homes and keep the kittens socialized and fed, I'm golden.

©2010 Maria S.----Cinnamon and Moonpie get ready to go on their big trip.

Of course things never go as planned. I'm just wondering what I'll think when I look back on these first days. For now, I'll try to be positive. Sam's Mother will be all right (knock wood), we will trap Buddy and get him to the Vet (knocking again), the kittens and Bobbi will arrive safely and in good health and stay that way (knock, knock, knock), poor Connie will find her dear cat, Lion King! (super knock wood) and Spencer will get some medicine for his hard-to-get-rid-of feline acne (kkkkknock!).

And oh yeah, I need a cookie. Maybe one with vodka flavored chocolate chips.

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson Jelly-Belly

In 2008, I took in three kittens and their feral mama to foster. It was how I met and made super-friends with Super-Jennifer, a foster Mama, herself and curer of Diabetic cats! (okay, she keeps fostering diabetic cats and they stop being diabetic when she changes their diet to grain-free food and no kibble!).

Jelly-Belly, left and Elmo (Jack Black), right

Anyway, the kittens, Happy, Elmo and Jelly-Belly lived with me until they were about 9 weeks old. Another CiCH Friend: Diana, adopted Elmo, who she renamed, Jack Black. Jelly-Belly, who I wanted to keep, went to another nice family (and Happy found her forever home too. She lives with four other kitties).

Today I got an update on Jelly Belly. He sure has GROWN!!

Apparently, he's doing great and much loved by his family. He has a good buddy (see below) and the family might adopt another kitty pal, soon, too. I guess they liked our Deluxe-sized cats!

Jelly Belly and his goggie buddy.

Can you believe how BIG HE IS?!

If you'd like to see more photos of Jelly-Belly and his family, you can visit my Flickr page. If the link doesn't work, you can visit here and do a search for Pi Day Babies and it should come up.

Candy, taken a few days ago. One of the first times I saw exposed belly! Then I noticed something else, Candy is BOY! Hee hee!

It's been two weeks since Candytuft arrived. Each day there have been small improvements. Candy continues to impress me with his willingness to trust and to go outside his comfort zone.

Don't be scared, Candy!

The key was I kept using the good ol' toothbrush on the little guy, any time he would hiss, to get him to change course, so to speak. I never let him scare me away. If he hissed, I ignored it. Eventually, the hissing has reduced down to just a few times a day. I'm aiming for no times per day and if he can continue to gain confidence, it will happen.

Candy trying to figure out if I'm scary without makeup on. The answer: YES!

After a week had passed, I allowed Candy to explore more and more of the foster room, until I felt confident that he could stay out of the crate and not hide when I came into the room. It took a few days. Each session of being "free" was longer and longer. He never really hid. He did get into a small space, but he always came out to explore toys or, of course, eat high value food. His favorite-raw meat! He loves Raw! He would rather eat it than anything else I've tempted him with.

Candy poses with his stuffed kitty cat friend.

Now out of the crate 24/7, Candy's mood seems better. He seems happier and is very spunky and playful. I know he's lonely, but the “tough love” of keeping him sequestered has forced him to find love with humans. When he's not trying to play-attack me, he wants to sit on my lap, purr, or play close by. At times, I think he confuses me with a cat tree and I have the scratches to prove it. It's a huge change from the terrified, angry soul who first arrived such a short time ago.

Candy has also taken to watching TV from his perch atop the dog crate.

All in all, Candy is just about ready to go. He's slated to be neutered next week, so it won't be long before he leaves. I need to make sure he's ok with me standing near him or picking him up. He sat on Sam's lap last night, so that was good, too. If he stops hissing when he gets scared, I'll feel more confident that he's ready. I think another week would be great, but hopefully wherever he goes next, he won't regress. At least he knows humans are not scary and he's stopped being angry and aggressive towards me.

As I was writing, I heard a curious meow coming from outside my window. It was Buddy, the feral I trapped a few years ago. He still comes here to eat almost every day, but he looked thin. I know Buddy's been around the block, and then some. He's not a young cat. His ears are ragged. He coat is wet from the recent rain. I realized that Candy could have faced the same life as Buddy's, if I hadn't taken the time to work with him. Yes, Candy would have had a caretaker and possibly have been released with his mother, but what life would he ultimately have had? And he would have been released at only 9 weeks old. I doubt he would have lived very long on his own.

I'm very glad I don't have to imagine that future for this little cat. Very glad, indeed.

We appreciate toothbrushes for helping socialize feral kittens!

A week has passed. Little Candy is doing very well. I must say the big key was using the toothbrush on her, instead of that giant hairbrush. I notice that kittens are easily frightened by large objects and pretty much everything is bigger than they are, so keeping that in mind is important.

When I sacrificed my only good wooden spoon and taped the toothbrush to it, that was the breakthrough. Candy reacted VERY well to being brushed, even though she hissed as I did it. She'd quickly forget to hiss a few moments later because she felt so good being touched. I also used the toothbrush as a toy and I rubbed the bristles against the newspaper or paper plates so she'd come up to me when she heard the sound.

Well, hello Candy. I see you're SITTING ON MY LAP NOW!

I'm not sure how wise this is, but I just started petting Candy even though she was still hissing. She showed me no aggression and has not bitten or scratched me once (knock wood). I believe her instinctual fear reaction is hissing, but I'm not taking it personally. I just pick her up, pet her, rub her belly. She purrs very quickly and seems relaxed and excited to be out of the crate during our training time. I can even pick her up and she doesn't fuss much.

Candy explores her cat carrier.

Last night I let Candy roam around half of the foster room. She ran, hopped like a bunny, chased toys, sniffed and sniffed everything she could. She also hissed at me, which gave me pause, but moments later, instead of hiding, which is what I feared, she came over and I was able to put her back into her crate-for which she hissed and walked off calmly, then began to cry because she was bored or lonely or both.

I don't know why the obvious is so foreign to me, but I just realized that fostering is full of feeling bad. Not just saying good bye to your ward or worrying about their health, but geez, I feel bad locking Candy up in the cage now. She's had a tough week. Her confidence is growing and she's becoming friendlier every day. I know she's not very stimulated where she is right now, but I have to do what's best for her and gives her the most chance at success. She still needs to see me as her friend and letting her run loose right now is not going to help that.

It IS wonderful, though, to see her running around the room. A little free spirit, with no fear and just simple joy in her heart. I know she will be a good companion now. Just another week or so and she should be in great shape.

All hail the mighty toothbrush!