Sadness and Hope

Animal rescue involves time and devotion. And, never doubt it, it is hard work. Volunteers do their best to save as many homeless pets as they can, nursing them back to health, teaching them to trust humans, and finding them loving homes. Along the way, each dog/cat makes his/her way into our hearts. And while it is hard to let them go when they are adopted, we can only save new ones if we move current fosters to forever homes.

It is rare for me to see fosters multiple times, and that is as it should be. If I see them several times it means they have not been adopted. But every once in a while I get to see them just as they arrive to foster care, and observe how they change as they receive the care of foster families. This was the case of four kittens I met for the first time in mid-May. They had just been brought to a temporary safe house after being found together without a momma cat. They were scared, and huddled together as far away from the enclosure door as they could.

When I saw them again two weeks later, they were getting comfortable with people coming in and out of the room where they were staying, and while not coming to greet us they were not running away.

I was thrilled to see three of them again the first Sunday of July. Loving care shows in the way they moved among humans during the Friends of Rescue (FOR) kitten party. Here they are: Sally,

Spot,

and Charlotte.

Sadly, the fourth sister (Bella, the kitten with a black nose) died after I saw her in late May. The sadness felt by her loss is tempered by the hope felt for her sisters’ future. I will remember them all, and am glad to have met them. These three sisters are still available for adoption. If you are interested in them or any of FOR’s fosters, please email them at info@forrescue.net.