Diary of a (Pet) Foster

One Cute Foster Kitten... You Can Have One Too!

2006-06-29T23:09:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,
this is Husky :)

I just picked her up from Toronto Humane Society a few days ago. I'm really lucky to have her individually without the whole litter 'cuz I'm afraid too many lil kittens would bother Tasha.

Well, to be honest, Tasha has been rather insecure with the presence of Husky. I hope she'll get used to it soon.

Sometimes it's sad to think of these cats and kittens. In a way, they are orphans, waiting for reaching hands to give them a home and shower them with love. In our perception, we sometimes think dogs are better than cats. I'd say that is because we don't know cats that well. Perhaps this doesn't apply to everyone. But it surely does apply to me. I've never owned a pet cat before in my life. I've only owned rabbits, turtles, birds, guinea pigs, squirells, fish, and of course dogs. Back home, cats are normally not kept as pets. They live outside on their own, reproducing until overpopulating our country. At times, they can be a bit of a trouble. STealing foods from people's houses, making noises at night, and even carry bacteria around since they are not well-kept [read: dirty].

In Canada, it's all different. I've only realised it after I became their foster volunteer. Taking these cats and kittens into my place have been one of my greatest experience during the summer. They need a place to stay for a while before they can be adopted. And I'm happy to care for them and provide them with the love they deserved.

If you like animals, why not spare a moment of your time and become a foster parent? Everything is covered and you'll be guaranteed that satisfaction of accomplishing a task as a foster parent. You can even chek out the list of foster animals here.

*Did you know* Cat's purr is believed to make us relax and reduce blood pressure :)

Please welcome....

2006-06-11T17:21:00.000-04:00

Tasha!

Hey everyone, my name is Tasha :)
I'm 7 years old and have trouble walking due to my weak hind legs. However, my new foster parent, Ceendy, is kind enough to take me home to see if I'm well enough for adoption.

I love my newly found haven here with my foster. I got plenty of loving caresses, which I very much enjoy.

My favorite spots are the carpet where I can roll my back, behind the computer desk where my foster foster is working, and on the chair next to my foster which she specially provide for me :) I am one happy cat now !

However, what lies ahead in the future, I cannot foresee. I hope after a month someone will drop by at the Toronto Humane Society and adopt me into an equally comfortable home ;)

One of my favorite spots

My Wish Came True

2006-06-04T23:42:00.000-04:00

According to the cat adoption list at Toronto Humane Societ y website, both MiuMiu and Sneezey have successfully been adopted! I should be ashamed but I admit that I regularly check the list to see if their profiles are still up.

Tonight I discovered that both have disappeared.
Aww... people easily fell in love with these cute kittens :)

My hope that they'll be adopted into a new, long-term, loving home has come true. I am very happy for them!!!

Now, I'd be happy to welcome new foster cat(s) :)

Farewell Sneezey and MiuMiu....

2006-06-04T00:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I brought my two foster kittens to the animal clinic. For general check-up, really. And for determining whether they are fit for adoption. I thought I would still have to bring them home again. Cause they are still so small. Living in a tiny cage is very much unpreferable to them. However, the vet lady told me they are okay for adoption. Thinking that this weekend is Adopt-A-Thon, they should have a better chance of being adopted.

I really hope that they will find a loving home and that both are adopted together.

I still think that they will come back home with me. Thinking about them is very unbearable. I think I've become too attached. I must not let that happen. I let them go so that they can have a better life. It's just unfair to keep them here only so that I can have a company.

I hope they will be adopted soon. I'm especially worried about Sneezey. He has such a good personality, yet his deformed left leg might be a bit discouraging. Let me tell you, there is nothing wrong with it. It's not contagious and the vet told me "cats do very well on three legs"!

If anyone is sincerely interested in adopting kittens, please go to the Toronto Humane Society website and visit them sometime. If you want the specific kittens I fostered, please e-mail me and I will provide you with the reference number at ccayadi/at/rogers/dot/com.

As a foster parent, I will have to learn to let them go and not miss them too much. Nevertheless, I still think about them.

Wish them well.
Visit my Friendster Album for more of their pcitures :)

They like it warm....

2006-05-13T14:52:00.000-04:00

... just like us.

I wonder what that means?

Before that, let me tell you how it started.

So far, I have successfully gone through the first two days with my kittens. These two days were not without problems. In fact, some things came up that made me worried quite badly. Yesterday MiuMiu didn't want to eat at all during the day. Not even when I offered the food on my fingers like I did the day before. I was so worried that she won't gain any weight in this very important growth phase.

Turned my head around, upside down, inside out. What should I do to make her attracted to FOOD? I think giving her liquid food would be a good idea. Afterall, she's been behaving like a baby looking for her mum.

Went to the pet store, bought a jar of powdered milk replacer, then prepared the formula for MiuMiu and Sneezey by mixing it with warm water. And voila! They sniffed it, touched it with their white noses, and.. lick it. Eating the milk replacer!! Yay! Felt like I've accomplished something.

Nonetheless, something's missing. They still won't touch their solid foods, both wet and dry. And it's causing their feces to be extremely soft [no way I didn't touch it, just observed it!] What should I do to attract them to eat their solid foods that are waiting for them in the seemingly polished stainless steel, no-spill, bowls?

I brought my troubled mind to sleep.

In the morning, I remember I had an ephiphany. I should warm the food fisrt before serving it!
When left outside too long, the wet food became crusty on the surface. And I betcha cats don't like it!

So, trying to think like cats in the human way...
If I like my food warm, cats should like it too. Besides, they drank the milk replacer while it was lukewarm.

I got out of my bed, greeted the kittens, then grabbed their wet food and popped it into the microwave. A nice bowl of warm fishy breakfast. Yummy for cats! And ow YES, they ate it!!!!

Anyhow, I'm still a bit down because they didn't even finish a tablespoonful of wet food.
Do kittens of 5 weeks eat that little or they are just losing their appetite?
How often are they supposed to eat and how much?
What should their feces look like?
How do normal and healthy kittens behave?

I wish I could ask these questions and get a precise answer. I hate researching, I just need to talk to an expert and get a response immediately. I guess I have to do my research anyway.

All these problems aside, they are still quite active, especially Sneezey. She's a tad bigger than MiuMiu.

Sshh.. Mr. W is here and both kittens are sleeping soundly on his legs. Feels like I have three kittens in the house. ;)

Hulaa... :D

Miumiu and Sneezy

2006-05-12T00:02:00.000-04:00

Although it does not show, I am overwhelmed! Why, you may ask.

Oh, it's nothing big. It's just that, beginning yesterday I officially became a foster parent. Not your ordinary foster parent. I'm fostering kittens who are too young to be adopted and in need of a lot of love for growing up. They are kittens from Toronto Humane Society. So, yeah, I'm temporarily their parent. A single parent you may say.. Just kidding.

My first two foster kittens arrived home yesterday evening. In a cardboard box with "Toronto Humane Society" written on the front and the back. Along the way to home, I carried this cardboard box. With two gray kittens inside. With their white noses sniffing from the air holes created for them to breathe. Catching people's attention, what creature could be inside that box?

I was alone on the way and I was nervous. Afraid that they might get sick because of oxygen deficiency.

But I was wrong. They're pretty strong. They even play around with their toy plastic ball on the way. Phew, I was worried for nothing.

At home, I frantically prepared their sleeping corner, filled the newly-bought metal bowls with fresh filtered water and cat food, and tried making some barricade. The barricade did not work. I forgot how cats, even tiny kittens are really good at climbing up and down any barrier. Rather than seeing htem hurt themselves trying to jump over the barricade, I removed it immediately.

Aww.. it's so cute that they found a tiny corner atop the boxes I initally piled for their barricade. I covered the boxes with my old towel and they decided to make that area their sleeping bed. Not long after wandering around, inspecting the new space, they both climbed to their bed and cuddled together to sleep.

As the first-time foster parent, I was worried the whole night that something would happen to them. They are only five to six weeks old and supposedly able to eat on their own. However, they barely touched their food. One of them ate a scant amount of wet food and the other only ate when I fed her. Should I be worried about this? Gonna call the Humane Society soon.

One important thing I've forgotten to share with all of you. These newcomers are very active and always playing around while they're not asleep. As one of thme was cheerfully dogding the other's paw, I noticed something weird. Why is one of her back leg seemingly shorter than the others? I gawked and gasped. She was born missing one lower back leg! She's walking in a Captain Hook style. I felt sad and pitied her. On the other hand, she doesn't seems to be feeling like something's missing. She's just as cheerful as her sister.

On the happy side, they have lovely eye colors! The one I just mentioned has blue eyes and the smaller one who always cries has green eyes.

Yup! I've named them! [though I'm not sure if I can] Just for easy reference. Sneezey for the one with blue eyes because she's been sneezing since she came here. And MiuMiu for the one with green eyes because this lil kitten is always crying for attention [I think she's still too young to be separated from her mom].

Psss... they are sleeping right now..