Be My Valentine, Little Duane!

Those were the words my brother said when I told him I had a new foster kitty. My first one!

Lost Baby Cry

We found him crying in our yard, so loud that we thought it was our meezer boy doing his thing downstairs like usual. But then we noticed that this was different – that lost baby cry that is unmistakable and heart wrenching. Treats in hand I ran out the door, and he ran to me and scarfed them down. Five minutes later I had him in a cat carrier and inside my house, resident cats safely isolated upstairs.

Fostering is something I’ve always wanted to do…

…but didn’t think I could. Either I failed miserably as a foster and adopted the kitty myself, or I was working too much, or it would upset my other cats. This time I was determined to make it work, and I’m learning a lot!

1. You will fall in love at first sight, but you will never know if someone is missing their baby if you don’t try to reunite them. Post flyers, phone animal shelters and vets, scan for a microchip, place ads in the paper.
2. I let my husband name him Duane. Next time I need to be more clever more faster.
3. Non-neutered males are kind of stinky. Especially if they have a urinary tract infection. Big sighs of relief all around after these issues were taken care of.
4. Take it slow. This is harder than it seems, because routines are disrupted, the new boy is unhappy, the other cats are unhappy, and you just want everyone to be happy.
5. I got lucky. Young, good-looking guy who hadn’t been lost for long. No wounds, injuries or parasites, Fe-leuk and FIV negative, hungry but not starved, uses the litter box like a champ, and super easy to handle.
6. No one is perfect. Duane has a threatening yowl, and it took us awhile to be sure that it really was all for show. And every time he takes a trip in the cat carrier, he pees. Neutering didn’t change this.
7. Take it slow. I’m saying it again! Little Duane was isolated in his own apartment for 10 days, but all cats could smell and hear each other. And when they met face to face, it was… mostly uneventful. A bit of hissing from the girls, new boy yowled when he got too nervous, and my poor Siamese boy turned tail and ran away, but within a couple days they all calmed down. Not a single fight. I’m guessing the constant treats helped too.

Adoption Day

Our first adoption day is Valentine’s Day! I’m not gonna lie – I will be sad if he is adopted, and I am going to ask a lot of questions before I let him go! But Duane deserves his own special Valentine who will love him and all his quirks as much as I do.

There are lots of Valentine’s adoption days! Check out the animal shelters and rescues near you and find your forever love