We had been talking about it for a couple of years, well my daughter has. She wanted to be a foster family for kittens through our local Humane Society. While in my fantasy life I liked the idea, in reality, it seemed like a lot of work. I was also concerned about how our 2 older cats would adjust to having other felines in the house. We got our cats as kittens for my daughter’s 7th birthday. They were supposed to be her cats but it never quite worked out like that. Speedy, a long-haired gray and white ragamuffin, had gotten less friendly and affectionate as he aged and Maya, a tortoiseshell, rarely was friendly toward her no matter what she tried.
PLUEESSEEE she begged! Although I was apprehensive about her follow through, she promised up and down she would be the main person caring for the kittens. Eliana cleared out our extra bedroom and began to gather supplies. It was the fall of 2020 and with the Pandemic, we knew she would be home and doing school through E-learning. I thought the least I could do since she would be home so much during this challenging time, is to take the plunge into kitten fostering, so we finally filled out an application. After applying we were sent heaps of information and videos to watch about taking care of kittens. There was so much to learn that I put off taking the final exam for several weeks but eventually took the test and we passed! The next step was to wait for emails from the Humane Society, which are sent out to the group of foster families when they have kittens needing fostering. We were going into winter when it would be nice to have kittens around however it is not a prime time for kitten births. The emails were very few over the next several months. Some requests included caring for the mother cat “the queen” as she is called. The protocol is that you keep the foster cats separated from any household pets for 2 weeks to keep all animals safe from any potential disease spreading. We decided having a mama cat here would be a bit too much for our cats even if they were separated. So we waited.
Then it came…” Foster Dream” was the subject of the email. It was June and the adoption coordinator wrote that they had a lot of kittens and needed help. She went on to say
“This fun-foursome are as sweet as they are adorable and they need somewhere to “crash” until they are plump enough (and of age) to get spayed/neutered and placed for adoption! They currently eat like big cats on their own but still need their weights monitored to ensure their gains!”
We looked at the attached pictures and they were sooo cute! Of course, what kittens aren’t? I loved that she described them as sweet, as some kittens needed more help warming up to people. For our first go-around with fosters we were looking for as few upfront challenges as possible. I immediately emailed back and said we could take them! It was a Thursday, and we were going out of town for the weekend but could pick them up on Monday. The coordinator agreed. I quickly ordered a playpen for the kittens in time for their arrival. While a playpen isn’t necessary it was recommended by the famous “Kitten Lady” and we thought it would help to be able to contain them and move them around as needed.
When we brought the foursome home, they each weighed about a pound and were about 4 weeks old. The adoption coordinator referred to them as “The Planets” as they were all given plant names although she said we could give them new names. They were little purring machines. Anytime we were within a few feet of them they revved up their little engines. We got them settled in their new home and put a small litter box, water, and dry food in their playpen that was filled with a few blankets to keep them cozy. They started out in Eliana’s bedroom and then we would take them across the hall to the “kitten room” for playtime…and did they play! They were constantly on the move and wrestling and pouncing on top of each other. They all got along and played together, something that would continue throughout their time with us. We all had fun watching them and playing with them. They were sweet and affectionate.
Our big cats were curious, especially Speedy who would try to get a glimpse of the kittens as we transitioned them between rooms. A week into our grand kitten adventure, Eliana was off to swim camp for 5 days which meant all the care was up to my husband Bill and me. It was a lot of work keeping up with them but they were great entertainment. They looked a lot alike and we couldn’t keep their planet names straight so we not so creatively referred to them as the dark gray one, the tan one, the light gray one, and the fluffy one.
When we picked up the kittens, the adoption coordinator estimated we would have them about it for four weeks, which turned into just over 6 weeks. Throughout their time with us, they needed to be brought back to the Humane Society every so often for vaccines and checkups. The staff at the Humane Society were great and kept us supplied with most of what we needed for the kittens. We were growing quite attached. We invited friends over to play with the kittens to socialize them and help them to get used to people of all ages. They loved getting visitors and integrating new people into their play and giving them snuggles. It was amazing to watch the bond they had with each other. As much as they enjoyed people, it was wrestling around with their siblings they loved the most. Soon, we found names to match their personalities and the dark gray one became Roscoe, the tan one, Tiger, the light gray one Josie, and Marshmallow was the fluffy one.
As the kittens got older they had a freer run of the house. Our big cats weren’t thrilled with this but we tried to make sure they were confined at times during the day and always at night. Josie (who we thought was the female) was particularly comfortable in the house and walked around with an energy as if she was clear this was her forever home. She was very interested in our cats Maya and Speedy and try to gently engage with them. Marshmallow, formally known as the fluffy one, was more aggressive with our cats, often randomly bopping Speedy on the head. All of the kittens were very food obsessed. They had access to dry food at will, and wet food which loved, at timed feedings. They went off the rails when they got fed and we had to supervise to make sure the 2 smaller kittens got their share.
The time was coming close for them to be returned to the Humane Society, get spayed or neutered, and then be put up for adoption. We were attached for sure but felt good that we had cared for and socialized them well for their adoptive families. When we came in for one of the last checkups, the adoption coordinator asked if we were interested in adopting any of them. Although it was tempting, Bill was a firm no, and our whole family had to be in agreement. I took pictures and wrote up bios for the kittens. The day before we were to return them, Bill cracked! We loved the bond Eliana had built with the kittens and the affection they showed her and we wanted her to have it continue…with ONE of them.
She was elated when we told her but now it came time to choose which one. Marshmallow was her favorite but she loved them all. We were concerned Marshmallow might not be a good choice because of this interaction with our cats, so she chose Josie, who was very sweet and the one that felt most a part of our family. We later found out when we went to pick up Josie after staying overnight when all the kittens returned to be fixed, that Josie was male and that Tiger was the female! Eliana wanted to change his name so Josie became Joey.
Joey was happy when we brought him back home but was looking around for his siblings. Maya and Speedy seemed relieved we only brought back one this time. Over the next few days, Joey tried to play with them many times but they didn’t seem interested and were mean at times. We knew it would take time for them to work it out and get used to each other but we felt bad for Joey. He had his playmates with him for nearly 3 months of his life and now he was with 2 cats who weren’t interested in him. Joey seemed sad and wouldn’t eat very much. We thought for sure Speedy would want to play with him as he was typically the more playful of the cats. But nope. While Speedy seemed quite entertained watching the kittens play, he was not interested in being Joey’s playmate.
It had been just a few days into having Joey when Bill came into my office and said…I think we should adopt one of Joey’s siblings. This is from the guy who didn’t want a kitten in the first place but he has a huge heart and felt bad for Joey. I was nervous ….4 cats?? I am not even a cat person having dogs all through my life until shortly after my daughter was born. The mess, the expense! But it was too late, my heart was wide open to this little being. I checked in for spiritual guidance and the message I received was – If the desire comes from the heart, to have more love in your lives and to give your kitten a friend to play with, then let this be easy. We figured Roscoe would be the best choice. He was very affectionate, fun, and relatively easygoing. I wrote the adoption coordinator to see if he was still available – he was! She was excited we were taking him. When I told Eliana, while she was shocked and excited, she was also nervous about having 4 cats.
Eliana and I sat in the car in the Humane Society parking lot …looking at each other, we were both needing reassurance this was the right thing to do. We went in and waited in the room with Roscoe, Marshmallow, Tiger, and about 20 other kittens. It had only been a few days but it was good to see them all again and watch them interact with all the other kittens. Roscoe was busy looking for food which would be his modus operandi once we got him home.
Within minutes of bringing Roscoe home, he and Joey were back at it playing and wrestling. Joey was so happy to be reunited with his brother!
How is life with four cats? A bit chaotic at times. Both kittens are very food-obsessed and no matter how much or what we feed them are always looking for more and patrol the kitchen. The kittens were found abandoned and had to fend for themselves, we think maybe that is where it comes from. The kittens are healthy and at the right weight for their age.
The term finicky does not apply to them and have found nothing they won’t eat including all vegetables, uncooked rice, flour, and all kinds of chips! Roscoe can open the kitchen cabinet. He will climb inside and rip open bags of chips and crackers. It can be a challenge when we try to get them out of the kitchen – Joey’s favorite move is to jump behind the washing machine where we can’t reach him which is just below the cabinet that Roscoe can climb into. We even found some old Keto crackers that were munching on.
We now close off the kitchen when we are not in there. It takes extra work as we have to close the door and put a chair up against it. Yes, they manage to get the door open otherwise. Now, we think hard about going in the kitchen…do I really need that snack? We thought we could market the kittens as a weight loss aid!
The kittens are now about 9 months old. They have gotten so big! Roscoe who was the scrawniest is now the biggest and has a beautiful fluffy long coat. He is slightly less mischievous than Joey. Joey is still very crafty in trying to stay in the kitchen, hiding in corners, and still tries to make a leap behind the washing machine. Once we get him out of the kitchen he likes to jump in our laps and hang out no matter what we are doing. They both still love to cuddle and play. We were watching Leave it to Beaver the other night (a great break from the news of the day) and realized Joey’s personality is like Eddie Haskell (sweet, polite, and mischievous), and Roscoe more like the Beaver (cute, innocent, and a little sneaky.) Occasionally, they team up with Speedy and go running around the house culminating in swan dives on each other. They will also harass Maya and chase her out of the room. Maya and Speedy have both become more playful and affectionate. Sometimes Maya will even groom the kittens. The four cats vie for the best spot near the woodstove. Mealtime is a carefully orchestrated process so everyone gets their meal with the correct supplements and no bloodshed.
The kittens have brought so much joy and love into our lives. During these times that continue to be so challenging, we spend more time at home. Eliana recently started an Instagram page for them simply called – Joey and Roscoe, They have been great teachers. Some of the things we have learned
- Take every opportunity to play.
- Invite others to join in
- Don’t hold a grudge
- Be unconditional with your affection
- Don’t take life so seriously
- Say I love you with your eyes
- If you are nice you get more treats!
Spring is around the corner and we hope to foster a new batch of kittens. This time we won’t be adopting any of them…yes, really we won’t! We will have our arms open and our hearts ready to melt.
Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary 