Hello Again

About 2 weeks after we took the foster cats back to the shelter, my daughter asked if we could go visit them, and I thought it was a great idea. On Saturday, I called the Unicoi Animal Shelter to see if it was okay. The shelter said, "Come on down!"

When we got there, we saw that Miss Dora and her kittens were on display in a cage in the lobby. We took each kitten out, one at a time, and held them for quite a while. When I got Friday out, I noticed that he was quite a bit lighter than when he had been at my house. The shelter workers told me that they had wormed the whole family and that that can cause them to lose weight. But I was still really concerned about him - he was downright scrawny, but I knew the shelter had been taking good care of him. And Miss Dora had that look of "I'm going stir crazy in this cage." I wanted to take them all home again! It was sort of a mistake to make this visit. I'll post more about this later, but I see now that it is best to cut ties permanently. As much of an animal lover as I am, I realize that I can't save every animal out there, and I certainly can't keep every animal I find. One day, my dream is to have a no-kill animal sanctuary that will have room for lots of animals, particularly cats. For now, I have to accept the fact that I have to limit the number of cats I can have in my home.

But......I told the shelter people that I'd like to foster the Jones family a little longer. I told them I'd have to discuss it with my husband first (and I'd be back on Monday). After I talked to my husband, we decided to just bring Friday back to our house. The other Jones family members were doing well, and the shelter assured me that they have a home for a while.

On Monday, I went to get Friday (and took turns holding Miss Dora, Indiana, and Alaska before I left). Friday sat on my shoulder during the car ride home. He is so sweet.

I'm still concerned about his scrawniness. I bought some kitten "formula" to feed him because I hardly see him eat. I've seen him nibble something once. But he is drinking water. Last night, I swaddled him in a towel and fed him kitten formula with a syringe. He liked it! I hope he will put on some weight and get interested in real food.

I realize I can't keep Friday. I have 3 indoor cats of my own plus an outdoor cat that showed up one day and is still here 2+ years later. I've made a flyer about Miss Dora, Indiana, Alaska, and Friday, and I've sent it to most everyone I know. I hope I can help the shelter get some leads and find the Jones family a home!