My husband and I live just south of Charlotte, NC, with our two rescue cats, Will Feral and Oshie. We could not do what we are doing with ferals, fosters, and rescues without their cooperation. Will is our former feral, and Oshie is our shelter “foster fail,” an expression many of you recognize as a cat we intended to foster to adoption, but fell in love with and adopted ourselves. You can read about Will’s and Oshie’s journeys in the Happily Ever After blog posts. For those of you who foster, you can appreciate the struggles and rewards recorded here. The struggles are to get our fosters healthy and socialized, and then adopted into forever homes with forever people. The rewards are when the very young or very sick charges finally get well, or when that feral admits to itself that living among people has its benefits. I joke that orphan foster kittens make the best family members because they are hand-raised, all-natural, non-GMO, and gluten-free. And once they are litter trained, they are free-range, running through the house to get familiar with the sights and sounds of a home. The orphans I have fostered have done especially well in their adopted homes because from the moment they opened their eyes at 8 to 10 days old they looked to humans for food, safety, comfort, and companionship.
The adoption process begins with filling out and submitting an Adoption Application for the kitten or cat you would like to adopt. Please submit the completed form by email or bring it with you if you stop by for a visit. We hope, however, that you understand and appreciate that even with a submitted application, it isn’t first come first served. We are trying to match every kitten and cat to the right situation. For example, we will most likely show preference to a home wanting to adopt two kittens, particularly so for a home currently without a cat. Two kittens, especially from the same litter, are already bonded, so the adopter doesn’t need to be concerned about compatibility. And if there is no one home during the day because of work or school, two cats will keep each other company. Best of all, they play together, which burns off a lot of energy. We have had many kittens adopted into homes with cat-friendly dogs. The photos and videos of these relationships are often hysterically funny and charming. However, not all dogs are cat-friendly, and small children can also injure a kitten. Ferals and semi-ferals have completely different needs than kittens, and it takes very special people to adopt and care for these cats. When a feral comes into our care, we spend countless hours getting it healthy and socialized. And we have witnessed on numerous occasions that given space, grace, and time, a former feral can become an amazingly loving companion. As a feral adopter ourselves, we know exactly how rewarding it feels to have a feral choose to live with us. As you are deciding to adopt or after you have adopted and are waiting for your new family member to be old enough to leave, you are certainly welcome to visit. Just give us a call or text to arrange a time. Getting your kitten used to your touch and your voice will help them bond with you and will make the transition much easier for you and for them. And after you have adopted, please stay in touch. Hundreds of people are following the journeys of these kittens and cats on Facebook, Instagram, and this web page. They appreciate updates to the happily ever after stories.
Connect, Seek Advice, Share Knowledge