And then there were 5.....

I'm currently fostering bottle baby kittens for a shelter. I raise them & love them & socialize them til they are 2.5 months old or 2.5 pounds, then I take them to the shelter, & they adopt them out (hopefully).

I was given 7 kittens, 2 were runts. The healthier kittens have been thriving...growing, eating solid food, playing. The runts never grew, never played, never got any better.

The first runt, Sammy, died a few nights ago. Man....heartbreaking. I came home from work & he was near death. He wasn't moving, barely breathing. It is so tragic to watch something so tiny die in front of you. He only had 4 weeks to experience life. I'm somewhat happy that at least he had an abundance of love & attention for almost 2 weeks. He died loved. He KNEW love. If they don't find fosters for the orphans, they will likely be euthanized. So I saved 7 lives by fostering them.

The second runt, Larry, died tonight. He has been lethargic since I got him. He cried all the time, never played, didn't grow at all. But we had just been with the kittens 2 hours prior to finding him near death. I have been taking the kittens to work every day with me, so I can keep an eye on them. We visit them after almost every show. They're still at the age where they sleep a lot. They will run around & play for 15-20 minutes, & then they're ready for a nap! Very much like me! :-) So we went to our break room to let them nap, then did a show, then went back to get them to go home, & Larry wasn't moving. This was the exact same way Sammy died. When I picked him up, he was like a ragdoll. He couldn't move any part of his body, & his head just flopped to the side. I rushed him to the shelter, & stroked his tiny little head all the way there, cause he would cry occasionally. I knew he was dying & wanted him to know he wasn't alone. I tried to hold his tiny little paw, but it was so cold. His body temp dropped really low, & his gums & mouth & nose were white. I called a friend of mine who is a vet, & he told me that none of that was good. They could have feline distemper, but I REALLY hope not. That's bad stuff. I had to just drop Larry off at the shelter, & since the medical staff had already left for the day, they took him to a private vet. They said I should know more tomorrow, & while it's unlikely they can save him, at least they may be able to find out WHY these little guys died. MAYBE it's just because they were the runts. The mortality rate of orhaned kittens is, sadly, very high. I was told they rarely make it. But for some reason, I was just SURE mine would survive, if purely through the amount of love I would give them.

Of course, I feel responsible. I know, honestly, I am not. The other 5 are doing great & getting bigger every day! I just truly hope it's not something that they ALL have, that's going to kill them off, one by one. I would be beside myself. These tiny little babies...dependent entirely on me. I AM their mom, as far as they know. They are my responsibility.

This has been a sad experience, but it's a good one, too. I am TRYING to help. I am doing all I can. I am so broke right now, I cannot do what I'd normally do, which is to donate money to animal charities. I HAVE no money to donate. I can't even pay my own bills (& yet, every time I go to PetsMart, I still donate a $1 to their cause!). But donate TIME & LOVE, that I CAN do! The shelter provides the food, a blanket, medical care, etc. I just provide my time, attention, & love. Piece of cake. These little guys have a chance to get adopted & get a great, loving forever home. *I* gave them this chance. Every foster gives the babies a chance.

I would HIGHLY suggest to ANYONE to foster baby animals IF you are in a situation where you can. I am fortunate to have a job where I get a lot of breaks, & there used to be a petting zoo at Knott's, & there are still some cages back where the zoo was, AND there are on-farm cats there, too! I'm able to take them to work with me. It's 2 months of your life. Not easy, not remotely. You make a lot of sacrifces. Forget having a social life. Luckily, I was a hermit already, so it's perfect for my lifestyle. But when I take them to work...if my co-workers want to grab dinner after work....I can't. I have kittens with me, can't take them in restaurants. And SOOOO many people are allergic to cats, I have to be careful where I take them, out of consideration for others. When I need to run to Wal-Mart to get stuff, I drag a friend along with me to watch the kitties in the car for 15 minutes. My friends are being really awesome about helping me out. It's a lot of work & sacrifice...but SOOOO worth it!

Far too many people don't feel animals are worth the trouble. I find it difficult to swallow that when it's Christians talking. They will say humans are the superior beings, & animals don't matter....but if you believe in God, then we are ALL God's creatures, correct? We all get an equal opportunity at life, right? The abundance of stray dogs & cats, the blame for that can all be placed squarely on the shoulders of HUMANS. Animals depend on us to take care of them. It's our duty to care for them, get them the help they need, & spay & neuter them. It's our duty. If we spayed & neutered our pets, and kept cats indoors & dogs securely fenced, we wouldn't have this problem. Over 300,000 dogs & cats are euthanized EVERY YEAR in Los Angeles ALONE, simply because no one wants them. How sad is that? They didn't ask to be born. But they ARE born, & then no one finds them cute....or they are unhealthy, being born on the streets, etc. Not their fault. HUMAN'S fault! We OWE it to animals to do right by them. They need our help.

Please.....foster some orphaned babies if you can, & if you can't, donate to a shelter or a rescue group or the ASPCA or Human Society, etc.....even if that means you donate to them & not to me. :-)