Reub's journey

31 October 2012

Fostering comes to an end


I knew when I fostered a pregnant cat in July that it would be all over some day, and that day came this week. Finally there was room at the shelter, and at last the kittens were all healthy enough to go.  They purred when I put them in the carrier, and it broke my heart. It would have been easier if only they had hissed and spit.

I'm sorry little guys, I know you trusted me and thought it would last forever, but now is the beginning of the rest of your lives, and it's going to be a little rough at first. The first thing they do at the shelter is to make sure all animals are spayed and neutered, and your first day will be crummy.



It makes it a little easier to know that two will stay with me forever. I picked up Stitch and Tux last night, after their traumatic day at the shelter's vet clinic




Two have gone to the shelter, and on to their future lives. If you find Purrl and Floyd at this link, you'll see that nobody has claimed them yet. If not, then happily they have found their place in someone's arms. As I write this, they've been at Safe Haven for 24 hours. It's a no-kill shelter, so they're guaranteed a home.



Hester Prynne, their beautiful mama, was adopted immediately in September. Yesterday a shelter staff member told me what happened: A couple came in with a 12-year-old daughter; they walked past the cages and Hester reached her paw out through  the bars...of course the little girl stopped...and fell completely in love with her. It was a very good match...

Ah Hester Prynne, you are such a smart creature. Best of luck to Purrl and Floyd; may they be equally lucky.

27 comments:

  1. I would be sneezing my head off at your house. But glad you saved the little dander-filled animals.

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    1. Luckily our family seems to be free of cat allergies, but I think I will be using a mist on the kitties that lessens the dander problem for people who are allergic. So you could visit.

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  2. ok, maybe i'm feeling a little raw here this morning, but i am sitting in a puddle. (no, not that kind of puddle, sniff sniff)
    you are amazing! and those kittens are so lucky!!

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    1. Awwww. I've been doing a bit of sniffing myself. I felt lucky to have been present for the appearance and early weeks of these little animals.

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  3. oh, i'm so glad to know hester was adopted and placed well! and that you're keeping two of those sweet babies for yourself. our barn cat who passed earlier this year was named tuxedo. :) i miss him terribly, still.

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    1. I'm so sorry to hear of your kitty's passing. How hard that is.

      It was really nice of the shelter to share Hester's adoption details with me, and it made my day. Now I don't feel her absence so badly.

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  4. having just - barely 2 weeks ago - adopted an 18 month old cat who'd been in a shelter for 5 months ... he, Harry, has taken over our lives and made friends with our 4 yr old cat Jack .. so much love ... on both sides .. so i understand how hard it had to be to let the other two go .. and hooray for Hester and for that family who adopted her ... made my day to read this!

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    1. You adopted a cat! Congratulations and thank you!I must check and see if you've posted pictures.

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  5. I'll keep my fingers crossed that everyone finds a good home. I would love to have a kitten but Mrs. C. is allergic.

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    1. After Tas, your nightmare cat, I'm not surprised that you aren't in the market for a kitten. I promise you, though, Purrl and Floyd are nothing like Tas!

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  6. I had the same reaction as Slim, sniff sniff. So glad you fostered and loved them while you could. I don't think I would be a good foster parent because I would get too attached. I'd want to keep every single animal that came through my door. I applaud you for being able to do it and so glad that you kept two of them. They are soooo cute. So glad the mama found a home to a sweet little girl and I'm sure the other two will find good homes as well. :)

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    1. I had thought, being a dog person, that I would be immune to the kitties. But no! They got to me. I had to keep somebody. Another foster mom last week kept all four kittens, and yet another foster mom (whom I met when I was at the shelter Wed night) kept the mother cat and 3 of the 5 offspring! So yeah, it's pretty hard to give them up!

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  7. Good wishes to the nice felines.

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    1. Thank you Laoch. May luck follow them always.

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  8. Awww... I know you miss those little cuties very much. I'm glad to hear that it's a no kill shelter and that they keep you informed about their status. Hester Prynne chose that family the way that my Topaz (long gone now) chose me a few decades ago. That paw through the bars is the sign of a very wise kitty indeed. The two you kept will bring you much joy. They're all adorable.

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    1. Topaz must have been whispering her secrets to Hester Prynne from the spirit world, how wonderful is that.

      Being a no-kill shelter means there is a constant need for foster homes, and now I don't know if I can do it again. But at the very least I did it this one time, and now have two adorable new companions to show for it.

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  9. Your words and photos made me choke up for the two going to the adoption center. At least it's a no-kill place. The photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing the entire journey of these precious ones. I do hope they find a good home.

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    1. Thanks Gail. As of this morning they're still at the shelter, along with other summer-born kittens. But it's a clean friendly shelter & I hope the right person will come along for them soon.

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  10. Awww! Cats are badasses and they will prevail. But I would have had a hard time with it, too.

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    1. **smile** Cats are resilient, adaptable, independent creatures and it helps to think of them this way. They will make their lives with or without me, but it was sad to see them born, raise them, & then pass them off to a shelter.

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  11. Oh sad day. Of course they will find homes as adorable as they are. But two stay.

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    1. Two stay! And they are two funny little monkeys for sure.

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  12. Kerry, this post absolutely charmed me. Thanks for your visit to my blog today. Hope to see you again. I'm pretty sure you'll see me here again. :)

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    1. Hi Linda! Welcome. I think you must be an animal lover.

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  13. I'm happy to report that both Floyd and Purrrl found homes yesterday, Saturday, after spending 3 1/2 days in the shelter. Not bad.

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  14. Wow, that bought a tear to my eye - how do you do that in such a small space of time?!!!

    I would have taken the other two, i think it would be better to keep them together. But so glad Hester Prynne found her place in the World, it certainly seemed like a very smart move.

    Saul x

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    1. Oh MAN, Saul. how I would have loved for you to have Purrl and Floyd. Since they were both adopted within a few hours of each other I've fancied that the people who took Purrl had second thoughts and went back for her brother. It may have happened that way. It may have.

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