My love for the kittens

Hello. My name is Terry and I am a foster for the Venice Cat Coalition. I am proud to be associated with them because they do not give up on any cat; every cat that comes to them, stays with them until they are adopted. I have been fostering for about two months now and I LOVE it! I have always been an animal lover and have always had pets growing up. Fostering is different than owning a pet, but I still get to play with and love the animal. I believe that an animal will make a much better pet after its been in a foster home, rather than stuck in a cage at a shelter. The kittens with us get a lot of interaction and socialization while in a foster home. When a kitten I am going to foster first comes to me and I bring it to my home, it is usually scared and does not have much trust in me or my family. By the time they are adopted, they trust people and other animals and are much happier cats. When the kitten first comes to my home, I give it some space and time to adjust to the sounds and things going on in the house. I will lay on the floor besides it and just talk softly to him or her. Slowly, the kitten will approach me and I softly pet it. In that instant, I can see the kitten has let its guard down. I can sense that the kitten wants love and attention. So I hold the kitten close to me and just sit there petting and loving on it. I look into the kittens eyes and see that I earned some trust from it. That is a great feeling for me. The kitten is now relaxed and now it's time to play! I love seeing a kittens eyes light up when it sees something wiggling to play with. My daughter is 5 years old and is also an animal lover. She spends a lot of time with the kittens too and is very good with them. She helps them to be comfortable with children. She knows that we are just taking care of the kittens until someone adopts them, and the experience of her being a part of this is a good life lesson for her. We do this for the kittens, not for ourselves, and we will not get anything in return other than happy memories and good feelings. Some days I will be in a down mood or upset about something, then I go to the kittens and sit on the floor with them. Whether I am petting them or playing with them, I feel better and am happy. The kittens are healers to my mood. They are gifts from God and I am very thankful that they are in my life. I am happy to have the kittens safe with me, but I am also sad for them for not having a home of their own. Everyday I talk to people and tell them about the kittens in hopes that someone will want to adopt one. When someone does want to adopt a kitten I am so excited! They come to pick the kitten up and, I'll be honest, a part of me is sad to see them go. During the time they are with me, a bond between us is created. But, the sadness I feel for me is not as strong as the happiness I feel for the kitten. When the kitten first comes to me, it is homeless. I devote everything I can to find it a home. Then, when that finally happens and I see the kitten in its pet carrier ready to finally go to its very own home, the circle is complete. Success! My job as a foster is not to give the kittens my home and stay with me forever (even though I would love to keep them all). My job is to open my home to them and make sure the kitten is a happy and healthy kitty. It is also my job to do everything I can to help the kitten have a home and an owner to stay with forever. That is my goal...my mission...my passion. When the goal is reached and the kitten goes home, I feel an indescribable feeling through out my entire being. Then I start again with another kitten. One kitten at a time and each one brings so much joy into my life while they are with me. I feel so much love for the kittens...

Kitty Palm Cat Tree

Mary Riley posted this link on our Sarasota Kitten Club Facebook page. What an awesome new product. The Kitty Palm Company is in Sarasota. Here's what she said:

"Want to benefit the SRQ Kitten-Club? Check out this NEW cat climbing palm tree made in SRQ. Kitty Palm won 3rd place at the Global Pet Expo. It is kitten and cat tested, personally, and it curbs boredom, believe me! www.kittypalm.com You can sell them and make donations to the Kitten-Club too!"

It looks like they range from  $122 for 36" to $310 for 80" - the company is in Sarasota, FL so the locals wouldn't need to pay shipping. They're also looking to hire a few retired or semi-retired wood working types for full and part time and light manufacturing. Call 941-925-7737.

Bottle Babies for Me

July has brought me four little bottle babies - 5 weeks old. Theresa has been "Mom" for weeks already and now it's my turn to take over the duties.

She taught me how to feed the little darlings with a miniature bottle. They are so cute. I am getting used to having them climb all over me as I try to work. You can see how "easy" it was to read a book today.

Mind you, I'm not complaining. I am blessed with cuteness, soft furry babies and the opportunity to take 100 pictures a day.

Enjoy!

-Raphaella Vaisseau