Rescue me...

I love animals. I really do! I have a West Highland Terrier, he is kind of like my hyperactive toddler dog. Kind of? No, he is actually my hyperactive toddler dog. It is like having a three year old in the house again. We had planned on getting a pair of Westies and having puppies grace our home occasionally, but about a year after we got Angus, we were shocked to discover he was actually a puppy mill puppy. We bought him from what we thought was a reputable local purveyor of pets, not an actual breeder, but we got papers for him and thought all was on the up and up. Turns out not so much. We thought we had to choose a hypo-allergenic dog for my daughters allergies, so we looked and looked until we found our perfect puppy. Well, I love my dog, but any thoughts of breeding went right out the window. He is all terrier, but we couldn't risk passing along any undesirable or dangerous traits to a batch of pups. So, we settled in to life with one dog. Occasionally, I would check Craigslist or the local paper for dogs, I volunteer for my local shelter as a foster family for kittens and cats, but never really happened upon anyone I felt I had to add to the fam. Until now. Then I found her. I went to meet her and do the paperwork yesterday and she is perfect. I can't wait to bring her home! I wonder what Angus will think.....

The Four Sisters

Ahhh, the pitter patter of little kitty feet! Allow me to introduce the new foster kitties at my house: from left to right we have Pippa, Alice, Bella, and Gemma. They will spend the next few weeks being pampered and played with at la mia bella casa. We have a large hall bath that will serve as the Cat Cave. We did this last summer as well for our local animal shelter. I think there comes a time during the summer months where the cat population explodes and all of the local shelters are full to bursting. Last year we took a mother cat and her 5 kittens from the age of 2 weeks until 8 weeks. Of course, by the time we were done, we were over our kitten phase, but now it is time to do it again! And boy, were we ready! I have been scouting PetFinder and Craigslist for weeks now. Finally, we have our own little fluffballs to spoil. I have a sneaking suspicion that one or more of these girls might be permanent residents, but we will see how it goes. I think they are lovely, and they are certainly sweet. They get thrice daily eye treatments, which is one of the things to consider before fostering. They need four times as much care and attention as adopting one kitten, but they are also 4 times the fun and hilarity! It's always an adventure to have animals around, and fostering is a way to help out your local shelter, local strays, and local prospective adoptive families. It is always nice to adopt a kitten knowing a little about it's personality, background, likes and dislikes, and that it has been socialized into a home environment. Sooooo, if you have the patience, space, and time, consider fostering for a local shelter or rescue organization. You will get more out of it than you put into it, most definitely! OK, here's one more!

Gemma 6 weeks