Each of these fur babies is here to stay. Read below about these three angels and how they found their way home.
The moral of Maisy’s story is that we don’t deserve dogs. She was found as a frightened stray in Missouri and someone brought her to a shelter called Wayside Waifs. In spite of being only 7 months old, spayed, potty trained, and having a registered microchip, staff members couldn’t reach her owners. It was clear that someone put a lot of time and effort into raising this puppy.
When we saw each other on the adoption floor, I walked away because I didn’t want a puppy. I wanted to give a home to an adult dog that was more in need. This was her very first day on the adoption floor in an adoption-guarantee shelter, so she could easily wait a few more days. But I kept coming back to her. None of the other dogs were a good energy match for me, so I decided to meet her. We ran around in the play room, gave her lots of treats, and took her for a crazy walk.
The second we got back inside, this puppy sat on the floor with me with her paws in my lap. She gently licked my cheek as I said, “Do we even need time to think?” I remember all the smiles and butterflies as I signed the paperwork and requested the microchip ownership transfer. I got an uncomfortable feeling when just a few days later, her owner signed off on the transfer.
Who couldn’t want her?
She was immediately, and always will be, my perfect companion. Maisy also deserves so much credit for my introduction to fostering. If it weren’t for her unending love for all cats, I would have never adopted Minnie nor learned about the huge need for adopters and foster homes in our community.
In the summer of 2018, a sick little kitten named Pippa came to Animal Friends Alliance (known as Fort Collins Cat Rescue at the time). She came all the way from a feral colony in New Mexico, and she and her brother were very sick. She had ear mites, big cuts on her body, a URI, ringworm, and calicivirus. Not many shelters have the ability to take on such an unhealthy kitten, so she is one lucky girl.
A few weeks before I met her, I had just witnessed Maisy’s love for cats. My family members are allergic to cats, and now that I was living on my own I was tempted to finally adopt a cat. I impulsively walked into PetSmart one day and saw a tiny kitten that looked and acted an awful lot like Maisy. The staff said, “This kitten will tear apart your home and get into everything. She’s just crazy.” I immediately felt defensive of this kitten that I didn’t know and asked if I could meet her. The cage was opened, and she immediately jumped onto my shoulder and licked my cheek.
This greeting was so similar to Maisy’s that I knew she needed to come home with us right away, and she has been Maisy’s best friend from day one.
I stepped inside with my very first litter of foster kittens. This group of four 6-week-old feral babies had been found at a truck stop in a nearby town, and they were very underweight. I thought, “I’ll name these tabbies after something ridiculous so I won’t get too attached,” and proceeded to name them after different species of birds.
That didn’t work out.
I named the smallest kitten Finch and I became obsessed with caring for him. He was depressed, lethargic, and was not eating well. It took a lot of time to help him start keeping weight on. By the time that he stabilized, the quarantine period was over and Minnie was able to meet the litter.
She was suspicious of them all at first, but she took to Finch very quickly. I think she knew that he needed some extra attention. He would slowly walk over to her and push his face into her neck, to which she happily responded by giving him aggressive baths and cuddles. When any of the other kittens tried this, she would hiss and leave the room. Finch and Minnie seemed like such a perfect match.
I did a lot of reflecting on what should be done. When I started writing his bio and imagined him leaving our home, I would get tears in my eyes and an uneasy feeling in my body. Once we made sure that adopting another cat would not impact our ability to continue fostering, we adopted him. He is such a special boy and is the perfect addition to our family!
Exploring animal welfare one foster kitten at a time
The Kitten Koop 