A Great Day

As many of you know, our most recent litter of foster kittens was unfortunately diagnosed with Feline Leukemia.  They are such good, sweet little kittens, and I found the entire situation heart-breaking.  They were in my home for almost three months while we tried, desperately, to think of something to do with them.  They could NOT stay at my house, nor could they be absorbed into any number of feline-friendly households...  FeLV is contagious to other cats.  (They were able to stay at my house for those three months because they were under strict quarantine in the guest room.)  The shelter contacted sanctuaries, but there were no nibbles.

It was heart-breaking to me to go into their room every day, to clean up, change litter, feed, and yes, snuggle and play, and not know what was going to happen to them.  I would lay on the bed and all three would crawl on top of me, purring and purring.  Clark would insist on lying down next to my face, and he would purr and gaze into my eyes and occasionally nuzzle my cheek or my nose.  Lewis would perch wherever he could, kneading my clothes with his front paws, and every once in awhile he wouldn't be able to resist giving the tip of my nose an experimental nibble.  Nellie would run up and down my frame, purring madly all the while, and occasionally swoop in and demand petting.

(But are you noticing past-tense in my wording here?)

Last week, everything changed.  I got an email from a woman who had seen my blog.  She was looking for an FeLV positive kitten as a companion to her already FeLV positive cat.  Could she meet the kittens to see if she wanted to adopt any of them?

She came to our house on Wednesday night, and met all three of them, and left to think about it.  I fully expected to hear back from her, and just wondered which of the kittens had gotten a lucky break.

Thursday morning she contacted me and the shelter to say that she'd thought about it, done some research, and wanted to adopt ALL THREE OF THEM.  All of them got a lucky break!

And the rest, as they say, is history.  She and her sister came and picked them up today, and they are off to their own home, where it is so obvious to me that they will be loved and well cared for and adored.

No foster parent could ever ask for a better situation for any litter of kittens that they have gotten to know and love...  but especially in a situation like this one.

It's of course always bittersweet to watch them leave, and the house always seems just a little bit emptier after they go.  But...  they went to a good home.  Which means that it's more sweet than bitter, because that's what we as fosters DO.

Today, I took them downstairs about an hour before their new mom came to pick them up, to play with them, say my good-byes, and get some pictures.  They didn't ALWAYS cooperate with my plans for them, but here are a few pictures that I managed to get.

Nellie, considering how to steal the string toy from her brother.

Lewis, holding still for a fraction of a second.

Clark, REALLY getting into the string-toy.

So this is very much a cause for celebration!

Congratulations to Lewis, Clark and Nellie, as they move on to explore the next horizon.  And congratulations to their new mom, who I am certain will get a lot of joy out of them.