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Saturday, July 9, 2011

Kailie's Foster Kitties

For those of you who read the blog regularly you'll be aware that on Wednesday I set out to blog about Kailie's Foster Kitties and wound up writing about just one of her fosters, our little Trilly.  Those of you who do much writing you'll know that sometimes that just happens!  Anyway, I keep saying I won't blog on weekends and then things just come up to blog about!  So I'm pleased to actually write about Kailie and her amazing kitties.

Kailie is one of several foster parents through the Saint John Animal Rescue League and has been officially fostering for nearly three years now.  She and her other half keep two rooms of their home available for fosters.  The brief window when both rooms were empty earlier this year allowed for massive cleaning and then it was straight back to fostering! In the few short months that I've known her (well online since I only met her a couple of weeks ago in person) Kailie has had three pregnant kitties each with a set of beautiful kittens as well as the odd other cat in need of special care.  Most of the mamas, like our own Trilly, aren't very old themselves.

Penny and her babies

Portia and her babies
Kailie prefers that kittens, mamas and any other fosters who come their way get adopted without having to return to the shelter.  This means there is more room at the shelter for other kitties and places less stress on the cats.  While the kittens generally find homes quite quickly the mamas can take a little longer. In some cases this means keeping a cat, usually one of the mamas, for a longer period of time.  Our Trilly said good bye to her own kittens but continued to call Kailie's home for a couple of months.

Portia has more free time now that 2 of her 3 kittens have gone to their furever homes.
She's looking for a home where she can play and be a bit of a kitten again herself.

Kailie regularly updates her Kitties Available for Adoption album.  Many times I've heard someone say they're headed to a pet store because they want a kitten rather than an adult cat.  Please, please, please set those folks straight!  There are loads of kittens available for adoption.  By following on facebook you can see them develop from birth through the weeks until you can take them home. How wonderful is that?  I can tell you from experience that Kailie is happy to send you the photos she has of your furbaby.

  
Dime at 10 days


Beuaregard is Portia's last kitten waiting for a home!
Nickel at 25 Days. Look at those paws!
(She's got a furever home lined up; lucky little fluff)
Twoonie at 25 days

Kailie and her other half take turns naming the kittens and many of them have names from mythology though Penelope's kittens are named after change because of her nickname, Penny.  Isn't that too cute? Several of their own cats have Egyptian names including Cleopatra, Osiris, Imhotep and Elliott.  Ok, so maybe that last one's not Egyptian but he's gorgeous.



Elliott

Imhotep- He told Kailie he was coming to live with her and that was it.

Kailie's name is on the facebook and she's the one known around town as the Cat Lady but her other half, Dana is a willing participant in this whole venture (and is in charge of kitty vomit most of the time).  When I asked about the cost of all of this fostering he was the one who pointed out that this is their chosen charity.  It's just more hands on charity than donating money every month.  He's also a big softy when it comes to animals.  Sadie had him pegged as her new bestfriend the second he walked in and he had Trilly playing within minutes.  It takes a special kind of man to meet a woman with five cats and ask her out anyway.  He and his one cat moved in with Kailie's crew and it's been a kind of cat Brady Bunch ever since. 

It's not all fun and cuddles though.  They recently lost a kitten, Twig, who had been growing properly and shown no signs of anything illness ahead of time.  One mother came in this year with such poor health that none of the kittens survived.  These heart breaking cases can also be costly in terms of time (Kailie's able to work from home which helps when a mama goes into labour) and money (vets bills being what they are.)  But Kailie says:

So, although there is heartache and death, there is a LOT of joy in helping all of the kitties we have helped who would have had NO chance if not for us. That is what makes it all worth it. There have been a lot of tears, money, and frustration, but also so much fullfillment. I really believe it is what I was meant to do with my life.
One last one of Beau who needs a home of his own.
 Thinking your home could do with a fluffball to keep you all in line and give you lots of head bumps? Join Kailie's Foster Kitties on facebook. If she doesn't have a kitten for you she'll know a foster parent who does!

1 comment:

Sarah Craig said...

Lovely write up Leigh-Ellen, thank you for the awareness! If other people are considering fostering; it is ideally a cost neutral exercise. The shelter will provide food, supplies, and medical care. There are extras of course, which is up to the individual to decide whether or not they want to make it their charity of choice :)