Saying Goodbye to Lady

Why is it so hard?!

We picked up the semi feral Lady on Sunday last week (the 10th). Lady is a 4 month old kitten found living under the Airdrie Food Bank along with a couple of siblings and ton of other kittens. I imagine they hide there because its warm and they don't have to travel far to scavenge for food. She was basically skin and bones and terrified. She didn't want us anywhere near her. We had to block off under the bed so she couldn't get to the back corner (the spare room bed has little cubbies underneath so she could still get to the front ones) and we kept her in the spare room.

Hanging out in the covered kitty bed 

Day one with Lady was to be expected. She would let you pet her but she hated to be picked up. I got her home around lunch time, headed out to yoga and once Steve was home we gave her a bath. Cos she was a smelly kitten. Cats hate baths, we all know this, but cats also love being clean and I have a theory that a clean kitten will be much happier once she is dry then a smelly kitten. After her bath I wrapped her up in a towel and cuddled her.

Bath time is not fun

She seemed to like being cocooned during cuddles so we did this for the first few days, gradually removing the towel until it was just me and her or Steve and her. She didn't eat anything for the first two days. Eventually we coaxed her into eating with, believe it or not, chicken flavored baby food. 

chicken baby food on a spoon and a tiny kitten tongue

The second or third day we had her Steve and I were in the spare room with her and Isis snuck in (one of us forgot to close the door). Seeing another cat really seemed to put her at ease. She started eating like a champ almost right away! I think she also started to realize she wouldn't have to worry about her next meal.

eat or sleep? 

Over the next couple of days she got progressively friendlier with us. There was still the occasional hiss when we first walked in the room but once we started petting her she settled in and really started to enjoy it. She would even paw at her dish when she was hungry.

Hanging out!

Since she was starting to do well with us we figured it was time to throw a new human in the mix, we invited my sister's BF over for dinner and brought him into the spare room to meet Lady. Let's just say it was love at first pet. Marc didn't want to say goodbye and was texting my sister on his way out about how much he wanted to adopt Lady. Chelsea came over to meet Lady and I think it was pretty much the same thing.

We started to let Lady explore the rest of the house. She REALLY loved exploring! She started actively playing with the cat toys she found, she began seeking us out for attention and she started to really bond with Isis. We knew once she started settling in so well that it was time to let her do all of this at her forever home.

Such a pretty girl

Last night my sister picked up Lady and took her over to their house. As long as Lady gets along with their resident cat she has a forever home. I am beyond ecstatic for Lady!

It's always hard saying good bye to my foster kittens. I don't know why it's so hard, it just is. I just thought we would have her a little longer I guess. When we got home last night I sat with her on the couch and cuddled her. I let her say bye to Isis as they were becoming buds, and then we let her go. 

my last cuddles with Ladybug

The first thing people say to me when I say I foster kittens is that they could never do it because they couldn't handle saying goodbye. First and foremost, it's sad! I love my foster kittens. I love seeing them grow and gain confidence and friendliness. I love when they want to cuddle me. The thing is, I can't adopt every kitten in the world as much as I'd love to. We have three resident cats at our house and some days Steve and I really feel the fact that we are outnumbered lol. So no more kittens for us. 

But I can help kittens on their way to their forever homes. I can be that resting period where they can learn to trust humans, appreciate the greatness that is a forever home. I can teach them what it is like to be loved. Yes, I can let them go. Because I know it's the best thing for them. I can take time out of my day to show them what having a home is like. I can play with them and cuddle with them. And when it's time I can kiss them on their fuzzy little ears and I can let them go. Fostering is being part of so much more. It's about being part of something bigger then you are.

Would Lady have been happy with us forever? She definitely would have. Will she be happy at her forever home? Definitely. So the choice is simple. You can absolutely adopt your foster (we did with Isis) and there is nothing wrong with that. Or you can let your foster go to a forever home and then help another animal. I chose to let Lady move on to a forever home, and I am happy with that decision. She is going to love her life and her home and her new momma. (And being that it was my sister this time, I still get to visit!) 

I don't mind being a temporary haven for these little kittens while they learn what it's like to have a forever home. I just miss them when they go.