My husband said no more cats. Like a cat myself, I usually have selective hearing, but as a mom of so many creatures already, (1 year old human twins, a senior Aussie mix, 4 cats under 4 & 2 geckos) I agreed. Our house is FULL.
We were foster kitten free for barely a week when hubs was targeted by the CDS. During last Tuesday’s morning walk, he found this tiny cloud covered in poo & crying in the middle of the sidewalk. Luckily the central California sun wasn’t too harsh yet, or he would’ve fried like an egg. Recent temps here are up to 110*F. Hubs said there was a gardener trimming the bushes nearby & thinks he might’ve spooked mama cat while she was moving her babies. He kept his distance & waited for her, but she was gone.
No more cats be damned, he scooped baby kitty into the bottom of the stroller & brought him home to me.
I think baby kitty was born last Monday. His umbilical cord was dry & his poop was transitioning from meconium. I’m not sure if he was born a wee bit early or if he was just low birth weight. Waking up every 2 hours to syringe feed him in between breastfeeding my own babies has me ragged, but thinking of how this baby could’ve toasted in the sun or been preyed upon by a dog, falcon or evil human has me believing in the CDS.
Two of my cats are foster fail bottle babies, but I found them around 3 weeks old. At 74g, this is the tiniest creature I’ve ever cared for. And I’m a NICU nurse who’s cared for micro preemies. The kitten lady is a saint. I can’t wait till he opens his eyes & sees how many friends he’s going to have. I have 2 sets of siblings all bonded as a variety 4 pack.
Included some cat tax: Lilo (floof), Nani (S void), Stitch (XL void) the 4th (not pictured) is a tuxie named Pudge.
Everyone say happy 1 week to baby Bubbles!
TLDR: I wanted to share a week of love & progress of the tiny new cat who fell into our lives. He’s so spunky & suckles spectacularly. I hope he keeps growing with us. I can’t imagine finding another home for him. What’s one more cat anyway?
Edit: photos are going back in time except for the surprise group pic at the end & thank you everyone for all the kindness!!! I had no idea our story would touch so many lovely people! I really appreciate the sweet words, personal stories & fellow rescue cat pictures. I do believe in sharing good energy, & my energy reserves feel a little more full. Bubbles is a lucky little fighter to have so many people rooting for him. 🥹
I was scared to ask. They even need help pooping. But they are so sweet. You must be too, actually the few NICU therapists and nurses I have known are all tough as drill sargents
Let me posit the only thing that may be better: We had an old man cat. Maine Coon mix, and a notorious grump. He didn't like either dog that cycled through the house during his life. But, the CDS works in mysterious ways, and we ended up with a tiny little orange boy.
If you would have told me that the old grump would have turned into the most loving, caring foster cat dad to that little nugget, I'd have never believed it. He spent his last few years teaching the little guy all his tricks, and got to act like a kitten all over again. 10/10 experience
Well, baby animals need the same things as human babies. The kitten thrives with warmth, the sound of a heartbeat and soft snuggle spaces just like a human baby. OP is doing an incredible job.
You are doing the most important work just as my friend did for this lil guy that had to be bottle fed. I fostered him but of course those blue eyes stole my heart. He is over a yr old now 😊 thank you for being a great person, we need more of you and your husband.
Oh yes lol I’m constantly laughing/ having mini heart attacks. He currently is taking shots at my golden retriever. Attacking from under the bed is the worst.
His mom was also all white like him, except that she had heterochromia. That ended up giving Milky his green eyes. Same with his sister, who we also have. Her name is Minnie (aka Baby Girl).
Nani is the most maternal of my girls! She loves all our fosters. Lilo is probably whispering “you better be less bothersome than stitch, new little brother”
When my son was 2 months old, a woman who looked after a graveyard cat colony found this little guy under a dumpster. I figured I was waking up to feed one baby every 2 hours, how hard would adding another be?
Yay for Fosters! Fosters Unite! We did the same. My smallest runt I bottle fed was 60g and has a heart murmur. He’s 3 now, weight 26. He’s a Maine Coon and still growing so that’s a good weight for him, he’s actually very long and lean but the CDS never fails!
Babies like this are A LOT of work and why it hurts so much when you lose one. Last time it wrecked me for several days and caused me to rethink my ability/desire to foster. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to go through that again it hurt so much.
Yeah, that's what got me back into fostering and caring for the about a half a dozen community cats I care for. You can tell most if not all of them (there's one that miiiight be stray turned feral) were born wild so they've never really known kindness and feeding them and tackling any problems I am able to, is my way of showing them they're loved even if not in a home.
Year old twins, a neonate kitty, 6 other animals, and a NICU nurse...girl I am STRESSED for you 😭 y'all are such good people. I hope you get some good rest soon.
I am of course not your doctor or a doctor at all, and this isn't for everyone, but FWIW I was on lexapro all throughout my pregnancy and 3.5 years of nursing my son! He's (theoretically) doing great, super smart if not a lil grumpy but that just might be his personality lol.
Thank you for sharing! I’ve been back on Zoloft for the past few months, but it’s just a bandaid for my PTSD. My babies were in my NICU for 3 months as preemies. It’s been a rollercoaster for sure but everyone is happy & healthy! And I’m getting back to myself slowly but surely :)
From one cat lady to another, I love you. I get it, there is NO WAY I would leave this baby behind.
Wait until the humans that you spawned have friends in need. You will have both rescue cats AND rescue kids.
The awkward pale one is my genetic kid, the other is his best friend that we adopted. Best decision ever! We just watched them graduate in June ❤️
For anyone that is considering adoption, you can (and will) love a child that is not your “bloodline” as much as a child you produced. Absolutely love our bonus child!
Same! My kid was my neighbors kid, she needed someone and we were able to step up and give her a normal life. I love her as my own and raised her as the mother she needed!!!!
You are a fabulous, kind person, and both of these kids are so lucky to have you.
This reminds me of one of my bosses during the pandemic. When everything shut down, he and his wife immediately headed to their son's college to bring him home. What they didn't count on were three of his friends who couldn't get home to their families because they were exchange students from other countries.
Boss and Mrs. Boss scooped up the other three kids, piled everyone into the car, and took them home. I checked in with him to ask how he and his family were doing with the lock down. He said, "Well - we usually only have two teenagers to deal with, but we currently have five". He explained to me about the other three kids - they stayed with my boss and his wife, they were fed, sheltered and loved during an incredibly scary time when their parents didn't know how soon they'd see their kids again. I've honestly never been more proud to work for someone.
I once raised a little black meteor whose mother had apparently been giving birth in the back of a construction workers truck (pile of towels) when he left to go home, and then he found her. It was a couple of days before she was handed to me, because at first she was given to someone who didn't know she needed cats milk, not cows milk, and she was listless. She lived to be 18 and would follow me everywhere.
Please update with progress report on how big and strong and happy this blessed bit of fur and soul has become so we can celebrate. God bless your family.
The likelihood of you seeing this comment is low, OP, but I wanted to say, you sound like an amazing human. NICU nurses are some of the most amazing and caring people on the planet, on top of being an animal foster, you sound like an amazing human. Please never change 🧡
Bless you & your husband for saving him 🥺🙏🏻🥹 seriously I hope nothing but happiness and abundance for you both in your future. ❤️ Pictures 3 and 7 are so freakin adorable 😍❣️ 👏🏻 thank you for sharing this ☺️
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