Saturday, October 14, 2017

42. Foster a kitten/cat (and don't keep it)


This is my first dream-fail, but it's an adorable one so I'm going to share it anyway. Maybe someday I'll be able to cross this one off, but it won't be today... 

Last October, my sister sent me a picture of a fluffy orange kitten and said, "This is Walter. Will you foster him for me until my lease is up and I move to a place that allows pets?" My very first response was, "When is that?" and her reply was, "July."

I didn't love the idea. We had two cats already, and they were a handful by themselves. But earlier that year, my sister had put her cat Zoey down, so I knew she wanted a companion again. Against my better judgment, I eventually said yes. 

Fast forward a year. Walter is now a full-fledged member of my household. Exactly as I anticipated. Here is Walter with his brother Jack (the white one) and his sister Sophie (the gray one): 


So how did we get here? 

Last November, my sister and I picked Walter up from the foster he was with. He was so sweet. Tiny, fluffy, and incredibly friendly, he loved getting into his carrier to head home with us. When we got home, he wasn't scared or nervous at all. He was ready to explore his new home. Jack and Sophie were not as excited... but Walter didn't care in the least. Here he is on his first day in our home: 


Over the next few days, we realized that our new house-mate was having some tummy troubles. His trips to the litter box weren't as... solid... as we liked. We decided to see if his stomach settled down after he got used to his new environment and food, but a few weeks later he was still having trouble. We ended up taking him to our vet, and she treated him for worms. We thought everything would clear up and we'd be on our way, but we were SO WRONG. 

Turns out the medication that treats worms makes the kitty stomach sooo much worse before it gets better. We're talking pure liquid. It was a rough few days in our household. There were lots of baths and cleaning of walls and carpet going on... 

Finally, after a couple of months of new foods, meds, and vet visits, Walter's tummy settled down. Once his digestion was back to normal, we realized that he liked to eat - a lot. From the time we got him last November to his vet visit a couple weeks ago, he doubled in size. He's only about 18 months old, and he is way bigger than his brother and sister. And he's not even done growing! We think he has some Maine Coon in him; his head is nearly as big as Rich's!: 


I made it a point not to bond with Walter during the time he was here, because I didn't want it to hurt too badly when my sister finally took him. That doesn't mean I was mean to him, or cold, or anything... I just refrained from falling head over heels in love with him. The time finally came in July for my sister to take him, and despite my not having bonded with him, I was incredibly sad when he was gone. I mean, look at this face!!!


Almost immediately, my sister realized how much work it is to have a kitten in her house. She and my parents didn't get Zoey until she was an adult, so she had no idea how much work they are. It only took her six days before she brought him back to live with us permanently. 

I was conflicted about this. I still am. I love Walter. He is so cute and funny and lovable. But he and Sophie don't get along particularly well, and I feel terrible for her. Rather, Sophie doesn't get along with Walter well; he likes her just fine. Sophie has been having some medical issues of her own for the past few months, and we can't help but wonder if Walter being here is causing her stress and preventing her from healing like she should... We are working through that right now.

Here is one last picture of Walter; I took this one this morning, right before he tore through our brand new duvet cover with his teeth:


Kittens are fun... 

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