Category: Personal

I have always stated that my work with Friends of Rescue (FOR) was easy compared to what foster families do every day. This past week I confirmed my comments by joining the rescue efforts from the “other side”.

Two Saturdays ago, a neighbor told us that she had seen a kitten among the flower beds near our condominium. Sure enough, my spouse and I easily found a light orange kitten, about six weeks old, between buildings. While it did not let us get too close, it did not run away when we offered food and water. A second neighbor saw us and mentioned that he’d seen the kitten a few days earlier. However, the kitten ran away after he gave it some food. We talked to some of our FOR friends, who offered guidance on how we could trap the kitten. As we tried to get closer to it, offering more food, we noticed that a second kitten was watching us from a distance! This one was smaller than the orange kitten, with gray and white fur. To make a long story short, a few hours later we had captured them and brought them inside. We placed them together in a big carrier with food, water, and a litter box overnight. Though we searched the area, no additional kittens were found, and there was no sign of a mother cat.

The next morning, we carefully evaluated our new charges. We carefully worked with them (using gloves at first) to judge their reactions. After we deemed that they could be safely handled, without biting and scratching, we gave them baths. These were definitely not feral kittens! We reported our interactions to FOR, offered to cover the initial costs for their care, and to keep them for the mandatory Huntsville Animal Services in-home stray hold period. An experienced foster parent would take care of them until they are adopted.

It has been a while since we’ve had kittens in our household, and working with them was fun. Even knowing that they were going to be at a great foster mom’s home, letting them go was harder than I thought. I hope to see them again before they find their forever home (hopefully together), and update their images to help with their adoption. A very lucky family will take two wonderful kittens home.

By the way, their foster mom has named them Picasso (white/gray kitten) and Degas (orange kitten). They should be ready for adoption in a few weeks. Inquiries can be sent to info@forrescue.net.

This is Moo, a Friends of Rescue (FOR) kitten. I saw him first in late April of this year, when his mom and siblings were rescued. I had the privilege of photographing him five times between April and July. It was wonderful to see him grow. FOR is giving him the gift of time: he is alive and growing still, waiting for a loving home.

I have been volunteering with Friends of Rescue (FOR) since March 2014. There have been a lot of dogs and cats that have captured a piece of my heart. I meet them when their foster parents bring them for their imaging sessions. If all goes well, in a few weeks they get adopted, and they move from foster to permanent homes. If I’m lucky, the adoptive parents send notes and images to let me know how their new family members are doing, but I rarely see them again. And that is good, because it means they are loved and will be well. But every once in a while, this is not the end of the story…

Jack is a gorgeous cat. I still remember the first time I saw him. His foster mom brought him out of his carrier, and he was huge! He also has a big personality, and is very photogenic. He was adopted last summer, and I thought I would not see him again. Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, Jack was returned to FOR a few weeks ago. I hope that these images help him find a forever home. And while I will be sad to see him leave, it will be good for him to have a successful search for a loving family.

These two images made a big difference in the lives of a kitten and a family. The FOR foster parent posted them in one of the group’s Facebook pages. Within half an hour, she was contacted by potential adopters. They were looking for a tuxedo kitten, and they just wanted to meet him. They had their first meeting this afternoon, and love at first sight was confirmed. Poe will be going to his forever home soon. I love happy beginnings!

 

Ming is a Friends of Rescue (FOR) foster cat. I met him two weeks ago. I was photographing a kitten, and noticed a cat slowly walking towards me from the other side of the room. He stopped near me, tilted his head from side to side, and kept walking towards me. Once he was closer, he gave me the friendliest greeting I received that afternoon, and started to play with the toy I was using with the kitten. He did this the way he does everything: with a calm demeanor that denies how hard this must be for him. Ming is blind, and does not let that stop him from exploring and enjoying life. FOR also rescued Jin, Ming’s friend. She is partially blind, and shares Ming’s joy of life. They help each other, enjoying both quiet moments, and play time. It will be wonderful if they get adopted together. If you are searching for an amazing cat and his side kick, please email info@forrescue.net and ask for Ming and Jin.

UPDATE: Ming and Jin were adopted together in mid-August. 🙂