Politics and policies made the early years for the now-famous TLAC volunteer cat team very grim. The renovated cat building with its multi-cat group rooms was put into service in early 2004. A volunteer "cat behavior" team was founded, and this small group has blossomed into a team of workers and advocates so dedicated and powerful it has city- and nationwide acclaim and recognition.
The early days were grim because so many animals were euthanized every single day. Volunteers were told they had to accept this necessary killing and live with it. A few volunteers with giant rescue hearts didn't listen.
You might call it an underground railroad of sorts -- cat team volunteers would find a wonderful cat who was on the daily euthanasia list and then scramble to secure an approved rescue partner to put a hold on the cat and then find a "safe house" for this cat to stay until a forever home could be found. They put up posters around town, used craigslist, and begged friends and family to be saviors.
The kitty underground railroad saved dozens of lives … nothing compared to the thousands that have been saved by Austin Pets Alive and other rescue groups and the now burgeoning foster program … but it was a small, unstoppable effort and these volunteers are still at TLAC or elsewhere in Austin making a difference every day working with ringworm cats, unsocial cats, and very ill cats who need special feeding and encouragement.
Here's to the cats who made it out via the kitty underground railroad, and to all the ones who didn't make it -- the shelter is now a place where lives are saved, not sacrificed, and it is a very, very good time for the cats and dogs of Austin and TLAC.
I first met Maggie when I started fostering. I took home a cat with an Upper Respiratory Infection so he could get better, but instead of getting better, he got worse, and stopped eating. In a panic, I got in touch with the staff at TLAC, and they introduced me to Maggie, who taught me how to force feed the cat so that he wouldn’t get even sicker. She was kind, friendly and capable and got me through the first crisis of my volunteering with TLAC.
Since then, I’ve learned that Maggie is pretty amazing, although I doubt she’d tell you that herself. It’s not just that she’s been a volunteer for 9 years. It’s also that she’s a super foster parent. Most of the time, she has at least half a dozen foster cats at home, and they’re not easy fosters. They’re sick cats, or cats that have stopped eating, or need extra-special care for one reason or another. I’ve never heard of her turning down a needy foster, and she often asks to take home cats with a very dim prognosis. Usually she and her husband Mike manage to pull them through, but she’s lost several and keeps taking more cats, even though she cries over each cat that doesn’t make it. Her husband even maintains a blog about the trials and tribulations at Mike and Maggie's B&B "Tangent Oaks"
Just her fostering would make her special enough, but Maggie is also very actively involved with two other programs. She helped create and co-manages the Nebulization and Special Feeding teams that care for the cats with URIs and cats that have stopped eating in the shelter environment. She also created and co-manages the Desperate Housecats adoption event which showcases cats that need extra help getting adopted because of age, medical condition or lengthy stays at the shelter. Maggie attends the events, helps photograph the cats, and writes a marketing flyer for every cat in the program. In the year that it has been in operation, Desperate Housecats has placed about 120 cats at events alone, and countless others have been adopted from foster or the shelter due to Desperate Housecats marketing.
I’m so glad that I get to work with Maggie. She’s an inspiration, and the very definition of what makes the volunteers at TLAC so special.
Around the time I turned 30 I started fostering kitties as I felt the need to give back in some way plus I love animals. At first I usually fostered just one or 2 cats/kittens at a time and eventually it turned into litters of kittens. Over ten years later there have been many many kittens come through my door and I have loved every second of it. I adopted my own 2 cats, Tigger and Tabitha, from Town Lake 4 years ago and 3 years ago respectively and they are great "foster parents". I can only imagine what they are thinking when a new litter comes home-"oh no not again!"
I've had all kinds of kittens-terrified kitties, sickly kitties, crazy kitties and just plain love bugs and through it all I've managed to not adopt anymore but I have been tempted many times. I've even lost a few along the way and it's always heartbreaking but I keep on fostering. I've mastered the neb box, administered all kinds of meds and eyedrops and just recently I had to force feed one of my kittens.
My one hope for each one of my "kids" is that they have as good or better home than I've given them and that they live long, happy lives like my own cat Magic who lived to be 22 years old. She's still the apple of my eye-RIP sweet girl.
I can't imagine fostering not being a part of my life and when someone asks me about it I'm always hoping to recruit another foster parent. It's so rewarding to watch scared kittens come out of their shell and really blossom into great kitties. Helping the sick ones overcome their illness and turn into wonderful kittens is also very gratifying.
I still shed many tears each time my kitties are adopted or when I return them to the shelter to get adopted. I have been asked many times how do I give them up and it's very hard every time. A few tears is a small price to pay for saving the life of those that have no voice.
So to begin this blog one must rewind the clock back the morning of September 3rd. I was up early and just happened to be having coffee with my landlady Aundrea, when pet of the week came on KVUE.
That morning Sarah had brought this cute black and white three legged kitten named Angus, and as soon as she mentioned that he liked other cats and dogs I said to Aundrea I want that kitten. That day was also the first time that they were doing Critter Café down at Whole Foods on 6th street. Aundrea says you better get yourself down there so you can get him before he’s gone, I said I can’t go right this minute. So I waited until I was taking Aundrea who is blind out to run errands. We were getting ready to leave and says want to stop by and see if he's there, I was like sure we can and by now I'm thinking this little cute kitten is long gone. Once we arrived at Whole Foods we parked and went over to where the kittens were, and at first I didn't see little man so we started looking at the kittens that were right where we were standing and than this nice volunteer who was sitting down says hello to us and just than I saw him and said to the nice lady is that the kitten who was on tv this morning and she says yes. I said i really want to adopt him and she says really and I say yes. She goes over to ask Sarah to come over so she can take him out of his crate to see if he would even like us. Aundrea held him first and he seemed to take to her and than I just had this feeling that he would like me and I was right as soon as I held him he started purring. I said that's it we will take him. What happened next will make you smile and laugh just a little see Sarah had been fostering him she says oh this will be the last time I will hold him and see him, we have to get a picture, one was taken of Aundrea, Sarah and myself. Sarah mentioned that she was going to post it on the TLAC Facebook page later today, Aundrea says make sure you tell them that “the blind lady” adopted the three legged cat.
Little man comes home at first he was a little shy for about 5 seconds than he starts running around and talking and playing with his toys and is just as happy as can be. Aundrea my landlady has an older cat named Honey who just doesn't really play much.
Now one must fast forward to about the 6th of September I was sitting talking with Aundrea after work and said I think Angus needs a playmate as he's so active and Honey just doesn't want to play with him. I was going to contact Sarah to see if she might know of a kitten that might get along with Angus. Aundrea gets in contact with Sarah and she let’s us know that there’s this cute little girl kitten about the same age, thing is she too has lost one of her legs. Sarah says would it be too weird to have two three legged kittens. I was like let’s go see her and see if she even likes us. As soon as we meet her I was like she has to come home to meet Angus, I was almost certain they will get along and she was just so dang cute. Little miss comes home with us as a foster kitten to make sure that little man Angus even likes her of she likes him. As the days go by little miss kitten is named Gracie and she starts coming out of her shell. She needed to return to TLAC about ten days after we brought her home to have her staples removed, that same day I let them know that I wanted to adopt her.
It’s a match made in heaven Angus and Gracie have become best friends they run around like little wild kittens, playing on there condo’s and with all there toys. Odin my dog who was adopted from TLAC in 2004 tolerates the kittens as they lick on him or play with his tail. Aundrea’s cat Honey was adopted from TLAC in 2003 seems to enjoy watching the kittens just so they don’t try to jump on her and they keep there distance from her.
Even though Aundrea did go with me to Critter Café she’ll tell you Angus and Gracie are Diana’s kittens and I just visit them. I’m so blessed to have found them both and to have meet some really awesome people one who has become a new friend. Thank You for all that you do down at TLAC. I'm happy that i was watching the news that day and saw pet of the week!
Yes, it's true. I'm addicted to saving animals. It's been a life-long addiction, really. But I've only just begun to realize how important fostering really is.
My love for animals started at a very young age - we often rescued animals that wandered up to our house, and my mom even saved smaller creatures like rabbits and birds- she even helped save a trapped owl once. I am thankful that she instilled in me a love and respect for animals. My early experiences of "saving" animals has impacted my life in a huge way, and I hope to impart the same love for animals to my children!
I got started with fostering after my Boxer, Sissy, passed away on October 1st, 2009. Sissy was a special girl - my first Boxer - and she left quite a legacy in our home! Sissy came to live with us back in 2002. She was found by a coworker of mine as a stray. When I met her, she was all bones, had obviously had many litters and was so sad and desperate for love. I think it was love at first sight for both of us! Sissy came home with me and, from the very first day, acted like she had always been with us.
A couple of weeks after Sissy died, a friend of mine mentioned Austin Boxer Rescue to me as a way to work through my grief. I had never even heard of ABR at the time, but I went ahead and filled out the foster application. We actually got our first foster dog within the same week, who we almost adopted! I wasn't ready for another dog though, so we kept fostering, and have had close to 100 different dogs in our home over the past two years! Some of them stayed a few days, some of them stayed for a few months, but ALL of them were amazing!
The thing about fostering is that it opens up a place in your heart that you might not have known was there. Once that "spot" is open, it never really closes. It took me awhile to realize WHY fostering was so important to me, but about six months into it, I figured it out: it was a way to for me to make a difference in this world, every day. A tangible difference. Not like donating cloths, or recycling (which I also think is important), but something I could really take ownership of. For me, it's a way to step in for these animals (who depended on their human to take care of them, forever) when they need us the most. They've been hurt, let down, sometimes abused, and we're able to help them heal and be loved again, forever. It's an amazing thing.
Just recently, we decided to check out other rescue organizations in the area, and brought home our very first foster kittens from Town Lake Animal Center: the Spice Boys (Sage and Basil). We had never fostered kittens before, but when the call came out for help, I thought, 'Hey, WHY NOT?' And how could I resist?
Lol, thankfully my husband has a sense of adventure and agreed to let me bring them home. Both of my children have always LOVED cats, and they have been so happy to have baby kitties to play with! My youngest is almost three, and he is learning to be "gentle" with the baby kittens. They are much more delicate than the puppies we have fostered in the past. He is so excited to see them everyday, and lovingly calls Sage (who is very tolerant!) his "Coco." It has been the coolest experience to see these little kittens blossom into "pets" - they both purr and call out for attention every time we come into the room. They are so fun to watch; it seems like they put on the antics just for our entertainment!
My background is in nursing - I worked with cardiology and ER patients for almost 15 years, and "retired" when my youngest was born. However, I feel like I have found my true calling in life by working with animals. There are so many that need our help, it's hard to look the other way. Plus, getting them back on their feet, and helping them find their forever home gives me a great feeling of accomplishment and happiness - one that I never had in all my years of working as a nurse. Animals never ask you for anything but love and kindness, and they give you back so much more in return. I look forward to many more years of working with area rescue groups, and I hope to spread the word about the importance of our cause to as many people as possible.
FOSTERING RULES!!
-Erin
*mama to skin-kids Kiahna (12 yrs) and Phoenix (2.5 yrs)
*mama to fur-babies Sissy (RIP 10/1/09), Jake (10 yrs), Finn (1 yr), Noble (6 months), and "step-sister" to fur brother Pete (7 yrs)
One of the greatest things about fostering is the constant exposure to positive energy. Other fosters, vets, volunteers at Town Lake, adopters - all the people you encounter when involved in fostering make the job tremendously rewarding. To be inspired directly by an animal, however, was unusual for me – but here is the story:
A little black kitten, only about a pound and a half, was found under a Dumpster by a TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) volunteer friend of mine. He had something wrong with his back legs so he couldn’t run away like his Mama and siblings. When he opened his mouth to meow – no sound came out! Such a vulnerable little guy – my friend just couldn’t leave him behind. She scooped him up and took him home. After watching him eat like a horse and purr like a tiger, she knew that despite his injury, he had a tremendous spirit – she just had to get him off the street.
I happened to be fostering a singleton kitten (“Margarita”) from Town Lake. She’d had a cold but her sniffles had finally cleared up – and she was becoming the little ball of energy that every healthy young kitten becomes. My adult cats couldn’t keep up with her wishes to play 24/7 so she was glued to my side every minute of the day. She needed a kitten friend! But what was wrong with the Dumpster kitten? Did he have something contagious? I made a call to Town Lake’s awesome Foster Coordinator to explain the situation. Knowing that I’d foster him as long as it took to find him an indoor-only home, she arranged for him to be examined by the wonderful Town Lake vets. Instead of an injury, they discovered that he had a rare neurological disorder called Cerebeller Hyperplaysia. He’d never walk normally, but he was otherwise perfectly healthy - and Town Lake was happy to accept him into their foster program. He needed a name though – and I’m not good with names. Without knowing much about him, I called him “Wobbles”.
Introducing Wobbles to his fellow foster kitten was so fun. They sniffed each other for about 10 seconds and then immediately started wrestling. Even though Wobbles often stumbled and couldn’t run as fast as Margarita, he’d patiently wait for her to come close enough and then he’d pounce on her. She loved it! She’d follow him around, taunting him – neither one of them had any idea that he was any different than any other kitten. And he was also such a snuggly guy – he just loved cuddling. Watching him overcome obstacles on a daily basis, and with such joy, I just knew he’d find a home if someone special would take the time to meet him.
In order to help explain his condition, I found a news story on YouTube about a kitten named Noodle who had a similar condition:
I posted the video and pictures of Wobbles on Craigslist, and a few days later I got an email from a woman who’d recently lost a beloved cat to a coyote, so she was very committed to keeping her family’s cats indoors forever more. And since it was an animal-loving family of four school-aged children who had other friendly pets, I knew Wobbles would get a lot of attention – what a match! The family was so excited that they drove to Town Lake immediately and got their application approved. Then they visited Wobbles and it was instant love!
The son in the family thought the name “Gabriel” suited Wobbles as it means “God’s able-bodied one”. Joyful little Gabriel went to a home that sees him just as he sees himself!
That’s it, that is all I really wanted to do. I was lucky at the time there was a program called In House Fostering (IHF) so with little training and not a lot of effort I got to spend time with kittens (and sometimes their moms) playing and cuddling in different staff offices at the shelter.
I managed to eke out the required 6 hours a month, but I rarely volunteered for more than 6. Unfortunately, for me, there were not always kittens in IHF and since ‘kitten season’ was coming to an end I was left with no idea what I was going to do. Should or could I find something else or just give up on volunteering at TLAC?
Enter a very dedicated and hard working volunteer named Maggie. She let me (and everyone else) know that the cats in ISO-1 would love to have someone come and give them attention. ISO-1 is where the cats with upper respiratory infections are - they have colds. So I slowly started going over to ISO-1. I still didn’t have to work all that hard and there really wasn’t any special training for what I was doing. I just had to love on the cats in ISO.
The more time I spent in ISO-1 and saw what the volunteers were doing the more I thought “I think I can do that. I think I want to do that.” You see the volunteers that work in ISO-1 are called nebbers. Twice a day a volunteer will put the cat/kitten (sometimes even a puppy) in a special box where they can breath in medicine that will help their congestion so they can get better. They also make sure that they are eating and generally improving.
So I signed up and trained to be a ‘nebber.’ I worked with other nebbers before I took my own shift, but it didn’t take long. I have weighed, fed, nebbed and loved the ISO-1 cats. I have cleaned their kennels and even them. I even learned how to special feed the ones that are so sick they have stopped eating. I feel like I am making a difference in their lives and helping these wonderful cats make it to their forever homes.
After being a nebber for a while I started getting involved in other TLAC programs like Desperate House Cats .
There have been a few bumps in the road, but as my volunteer experience has grown so have I and that is the second best part of being a volunteer at TLAC. The best part is helping these wonderful animals in whatever small way I can.
On June 6th, I embarked on a new adventure, and brought home my first foster cats: a mom and her two tiny 3-week old kittens. Today is the 100th day of my adventure.
I am finding this work richly rewarding. It’s not a huge, overwhelming kind of emotion, but it goes deep, deep into my heart. To see the kittens eat their first solid meal, and learn to clean themselves; to see mama cat finally regain her appetite and eat; to see Charlie’s first tentative playful jumps and Bravo’s bravery at climbing anything and everything: it all makes me feel like I’m really making a difference, and doing some incontrovertible good in this world. It’s worth all the trouble, all the messes to clean up, all the worry and inconvenience, the schedule disruptions… all that melts away in the pure joy of helping a little creature who needs your love. Please consider fostering pets. You won’t regret it, and it’s food for your soul.
It was difficult coming to terms with the reality that these guys really go to their forever homes. It’s a heartwarming and heartbreaking moment for sure. I just have to keep reminding myself: I’m not ready for pet ownership myself right now, and when I let these guys go, that will make room for me to help my next set of fosters—and that, along with doing the Hokey Pokey, is what it’s all about.
Wherever my fosters end up, my love will follow them for all of their days. May they be long, prosperous, and full of joy.
Hi.My name is Camilla.My A number is A601007.That might be important to someone out there.You’ll see why in a minute.
I’m a foster cat, but not just any foster cat. I’m a long-stay foster.You see, most foster cats are cute little kittens that just need to get old enough to get adopted, and then they’re outta there.But some of us need a little more help.That’s like me.
I came to TLAC on May 14 as a stray.I don’t really like to talk about that, though, so nobody really knows anything about my life before then.They guess I’m about 5 years old, but a lady never tells her age, so that’s a guess.I hear that TLAC is a wonderful place that does great things for kitties, but I hated it!I was so terrified that I stopped eating.Everyone got scared for me, and a nice lady (now I call her Aunt Maggie) took me home for a month while I relaxed and started eating again.
Once that happened, Aunt Maggie thought it would be better for me to live at TLAC so people could see me and I could get adopted faster.But I was still so scared that I wouldn’t eat.That’s when my current foster mom took me to live at her house.
My new situation is pretty sweet.I have two foster siblings that keep me company, but leave me alone, which is what I like.I don’t get in their business, and they don’t get in mine.We’re all friends, but we’re not BFFS.It’s quiet and calm (loud noises scare me), and my foster mom feeds me off a plate in the kitchen, which is perfect for a delicate cat like me.At night I sit on the back of the sofa beside my foster mom, and she pets me when I give her headbutts.
Once a month, I do have to go to somethingat TLAC called http://www.desperatehousecats.info/, where long stay foster cats like me have a chance to be seen.I don’t love it, but it’s the tradeoff I have to make to live at a nice, safe home.So far, nobody has decided that I’m the right cat for them.Aunt Maggie says it might be because I’m so unusual looking but my foster mom says that it’s okay that I’m different.She says that it’s easy to be a brown tabby domestic shorthair, but it takes someone special to be an exotic Muppet-looking cat like me.
I love my foster mom because she says I can live with her as long as it takes to find my forever home and I’ll never have to live at the loud, scary shelter again.Without fosters who like to help long-stay cats, I don’t know what would have happened to me!But I want to get out as soon as I can, because as long as I’m living here, there’s not room for another cat that also needs to live in foster, and there are always more cats than foster homes for them.If you think I could live with you forever, talk to the nice staff at TLAC and tell them my A number (see, I told you it might be important!).
When I turned 30 years old, I deemed myself mature enough to be a cat owner, and so I set out in search of a feline friend. I don't recall what led me to the Town Lake Animal Center, perhaps it was just closer to my apartment. When I got there, I was told that January really wasn't the "season" for kittens, that I would have more luck in March and April. "But I want a cat NOW!" I was saying to myself, so I asked to have a look anyway. When I got to the quarantine area, I saw a small orange ball at the back of a cage, and I don't think it took me more than a few minutes to decide. I promptly submitted an adoption application.
Truth be told, I lied on my application. Instead of a house, I lived in a 400 sq. foot apartment that didn't allow pets. I even asked my references to bend the truth for me! They did and I got a call that I could adopt the cat. When I took him out of his cage, he simply put his head against my chest and purred. As it turned out, Jackson was a terror with sharp claws and teeth. If he wasn't sending litter flying across our little studio apartment or jumping into the trashcan or hurling himself onto my back from the bed (his claws poised to sink into my flesh), Jackson was biting and scratching his way through each day. So, I decided he needed a friend.
Enter Lucy.
Again I went to TLAC and again I lied (and had others lie for me) and again I adopted a cat. Lucy sat in her top row cage and looked down on me as if to say, "Take me or not. I don't care." I took her, and after some protests from Jackson, she settled in. While Jackson was tearing up the screen door, getting lodged in wheel wells and refusing to stay off the counter, Lucy just watched. She was a good jumper and loved to play, but really she just liked to hang out with me. Fire and ice; ying and yang; Jackson and Lucy.
Jackson will be 13 years old in November and Lucy follows suit in March 2012. Since leaving TLAC and Austin, they've lived a cosmopolitan life in Chicago, braved the snows of Upstate New York and basked in the heat of an Atlanta summer. Countless adventures were had along the way. Jackson once stood paw to hoof with a white-tailed deer and didn't budge; he cheated Death even after a vet tech gave him an overdose of medication; and his veterinary folder is several inches thick. Lucy meanwhile has eaten her way to 18 lbs. and then back down to 14 lbs; she got Jackson blamed for tearing up the toilet paper; and she fearlessly welcomed a dog into her life (Jackson still protests the arrangement). They are old now and their bodies and lives are winding down, and I'm not quite sure what I'll do with myself when I don't have to worry about them anymore.
Forgive me, TLAC, for lying on my adoption applications; it wasn't the right thing to do. I did, however, keep my promise to give these cats the best life possible, and I know there's not a soul out there who could have given them more or better. I love them with all my being, and I thank you for bringing us together.
In January of 2007 I was starting my second semester as a doctoral student at UT. I had struggled with the first semester and friends and family had encouraged me to adopt a cat (something I had long wanted to do) as bit of self-care. I needed something to love and take care of that would also help me have some focus outside of school.
I looked the TLAC website and finally decided that I wanted to adopt a slightly older cat. Being a grad student, I didn’t have a lot of time for training, so I wanted a roommate that was a little seasoned. I checked the website over and over and decided that other than “not a kitten” I didn’t have any thoughts about the kind of cat I wanted. I figured the best thing to do would be to see who’d been at the shelter the longest. At that time, there were only 2 “long stay” residents and they had each been there almost a month, but one cat kept jumping out at me. His name was “Nero” and he was about 3 years old. He was a Russian Blue with that gorgeous blue/gray coat and big yellow eyes, but what I loved most was how regally he sat for his photo! He was ready for his close up.
My friends Taylor, Krystin and I went to TLAC to meet Nero-soon-to-be-Misha. He was in a huge cage with 1 other cat – an orange tabby teenager that clearly wanted to play and Mish was having none of it! He was chilling on a shelf near the top of the cage and looking disdainfully down at his roommate. Taylor lifted Mish off the shelf and Mish immediately began pushing away. My first thought was, “Oh, he’s not very friendly.” Then Mish climbed out of Taylor’s hands, directly into my arms and looked at me expectantly as if to say, “What took you so long and when are we going home?”
I spent that night spending way too much money at Petco and I had to leave work early the next day because I couldn’t wait any longer to go pick up my new furry friend. I decided that a regal Russian Blue deserved a good Russian name and Misha is Russian for “Mike.” It’s the shortened version of Mikhail and it’s what Baryshnikov goes by, so he’s in good company! It took Mish about 15 minutes to decide he was comfortable at my apartment (with his roughly 700 toys) and on day 2, when I came home from school I found him sleeping in the center of the pillows on my bed. He’d found his place and his cuddly nature and soft, soft fur quickly earned him the nickname “Misha the Muffin.”
Mish is the best! He’s super friendly, loves people and other animals and so enjoys belly rubs that someone once told me, “This cat should be in a petting zoo!” When I picked him up I asked the TLAC staff where they found him and the answer was an apartment parking lot. Based on his personality and trusting nature I just know he was someone’s pet and my heart breaks a little for the person who lost him. But he was at TLAC for almost a month without being claimed and that has been my gain.
Mish is 7 now. He’s still regal and quite feisty and he’s sure that anyone who comes to our home is there to see him and mostly to pet him – please don’t forget the belly! We survived 5 years in PhD coursework and we’re currently in Pennsylvania for a 1-year internship which will complete the program. In just a few months, they’ll have to call us doctor and I’m convinced Mish deserves a shout out in my dissertation dedication because he definitely helped me stay sane during this process!
“Shouldn’t you be writing your dissertation? Get back to work.”
I’m so grateful to the staff at TLAC for taking such good care of my furry child before I found him. He sleeps on my head, wakes me up way too early to eat breakfast by pawing my lips and my eyes, plops on my very expensive laptop keyboard to get attention, and gently swats or bites my ankles when he feels ignored. Getting him is the best decision I ever made.
This summer I adopted my first dog from TLAC. While I was there, I picked up a “Keep Austin No-Kill” bumper sticker. I decided that I would join TLAC’s foster program in order to help keep Austin no-kill. Shortly after I completed my foster application, I signed up for the Project Starfish list-serve. Within a few days, there was an announcement about a feline family of six who needed out of the shelter.
Of course I got them! When I picked them up, TLAC loaned me a crate, gave me food, instructions and meds. I was immediately thanked for fostering by wonderful Sarah Hammond, the foster coordinator. The feline family had kitty colds and eye gook and were they were shy and/or spitting at me. I had to administer meds and food so in no time, momma (Sydney) and three of the kittens came around. They were so stuffed up they needed to be nebulized a couple times a day. I moved the “friendlies” from the bathroom to the guest room. The two kittens that were still shy got hand fed chicken flavored baby food 4-5 times a day. Within 2-3 days, these two were also ready to move to the bedroom. It was time for the fun begin.
The family was now well enough to begin rough-housing. It had been a while since I had kittens and having a whole litter of kittens was really fun. Play, eat, play, play, sleep. They kept resting and recovering and eventually they weighed 2 lbs. Uh-oh! It was time to get fixed at Emancipet and get ready for Kitty Palooza. Everyone came through and got shiny new collars. The kittens were playing within a day. Why did I ever worry about them? Emancipet did a side-spay since Sydney was still nursing. Who knew? Sydney chewed through her stitches and needed surgery again the next day. She got sent home with an e-collar, causing her to freak out and run into furniture. Eventually, momma calmed down, wore her e-collar like a good kitty and learned to cope.
Back to kittens! It was time to get them to Kitty Palooza for adoption. I was a little sad. However, I figured it was part of my job description to get them healthy and adopted. Day one, saw three of MY kittens to their new homes. Day two, MY only boy got adopted, and later, I was there to witness MY favorite kitten (that I was secretly hoping wouldn’t get adopted) go home with a wonderful family with three daughters. I left my crate at the shelter and went home to focus on momma.
Sydney ate, came out for pets, but mainly slept for two days straight! I guess having five kittens is tiring. I took some pictures and posted a listing on Craigslist. I posted three times and weeded out some responders. Eventually, I got a really solid introduction from a person who introduced me to herself and her furry family. I asked for references. Everything checked out! We made an appt. for a meet and greet and even though Sydney was shy, the adopter was still interested. Kathy, the new mom, made an appt. to pick up Sydney on Friday after work. Since then, I have had many updates from Kathy and Whimsy, a.k.a. Sydney. It is great to know that Whimsy is in a great home and that she is loved.
The new mom speaks:
I have always been involved in rescue and several of my pets have come from TLAC. So it was natural that I would turn there when looking for a new family member. I love the Manx look and personality. I fell in love with Syndey, now Whimsy, when I read about her on Craigslist. Like so many, she became a mom too young, and then all her kittens got adopted, leaving her waiting. I prefer adopting adult animals. I corresponded with her foster mom, went over to meet her, was totally smitten, and arranged to pick her upon a Friday. It has almost been too good to be true. Her laid back personality made it easy for her to blend right in with my 4 small dogs, and two cats. She is very loving and follows me around like a dog, a classical Manx trait. We will never know how she ended up at the shelter, but it was very fortunate for my family that she did. I look forward to years of companionship with her.
I have been happily fostering Bonsai (a sweet, affectionate 16 YEAR old love) for several months. She has been to a few Desperate House Cat Adoption events, but doesn't do well in that situation. She is THE perfect kitty. I had let it be known that I was committed to keeping Bonsai for the rest of her life if she was not adopted and pretty much thought that would be how things would turn out, which was great with me!
Last Thursday I received an email from Mr M., a retired gentleman who lives in Laredo. He and his wife were looking for an older feline companion for his wife, who has cancer. They looked on the TLAC website, focusing on older cats, and found Bonsai. The Desperate House Cat poster and beautiful photos of Bonsai caused Mrs. M. to fall head over heels in love with Bonsai immediately! Mr. M. emailed TLAC. A staff member gave him my email address, which got the ball rolling. This husband and wife KNEW that they wanted Bonsai without even meeting her. It was love at first (internet) sight! I used the Foster to Forever adoption process, so all of the paperwork was taken care of easily and quickly. Mr. M. and his son drove to Austin all the way from Laredo Saturday morning and we met in the Davenport Bldg. at 11:20. Bonsai didn't quite know what to think, so was understandably frightened and apprehensive. Mr. M. didn't hesitate for one second. Bonsai is the cat that he and his wife wanted! After just a few minutes, with prompt service from the office staff, I was able to give Mr. M. all of the paperwork that he needed and all was complete in short order. He was ready to take precious Bonsai to her forever home.
Lo and behold, Mr. M.'s son had ridden to Austin with his dad from Laredo because he was thinking of adopting a kitten. After looking in AB, with the wonderful volunteer showing us all of the kittens in that building, we went to SB. She showed him only 2 kittens and he fell absolutely in love with little Rein. It was so heartwarming. He has always been fond of cats and now that he was settled in his law practice and his own place, he wanted a cat of his own. Once again, the staff made this process as speedy and painless as possible.
Rein and his new daddy!
There were so many "goose bump" moments throughout this process. It is a PERFECT example of how every single person played such an important role in these 2 adoptions from folks who live 3 hours away--Maggie, who creates the Desperate House Cat posters; Alli and Rebecca, who take so many of the photos; the staff member who got Mr. M. in touch with me; Sarah, Joanna, and Carla who post helpful documents on the Project Starfish website; the volunteers who help "hands on" in the cat buildings; the staff who finalize the adoption process; the person who keeps the website up-to-date and user friendly--and everyone in between. It is truly a community effort. Without such helpful, giving people, I just know that things wouldn't have ended up as happily and stress-free for this family from Laredo or for Bonsai and Rein.
I heard from Bonsai's (now called Sophie) new family this morning. She has adjusted very well and is giving lots of lovin' all around! Rein is having a ball in his new home, plus entertaining his new owner! A very, very happy ending for all involved. Thank you, thank you ALL!
