The scary fact is, kittens don't do so well in shelters. They're just too tiny and susceptible to kennel cough, fleas, and other nasty respiratory problems from the older and sick cats. Not only that, but new borns need round the clock care and handling to get them to a safe kitten age to be adopted.
Fosters will step in and take these cuddly creatures home and help socialize them, making them perfect pets to be adopted by a new family. I love it, because I get to take home lots of teeny tiny kittens and play with them all the time and then help make sure they get good homes after.
When the shelter called me in July, I really didn't think I would have the time to dedicate to young kittens, but they sounded dire on the phone so I went. It was dreadful. In the Spring and Summer months, the shelters are literally overrun with litters of kittens and puppies.
There was not a single empty cage left in the entire shelter. Kittens were piled 3 or more to a cage, with new boxes of kittens arriving waiting for a cage to open up. They had pretty much just finished putting down all the older cats, all the sick cats, and there wasn't even an ugly kitten in site. They really didn't want to start putting down the cute kittens, but there was just no space at all.
Their guilt trip definitely worked as they took me on a tour of the shelter to show me all the cute kittens stuffed in cages, soon being sent to their untimely deaths. Every meow sounded like a plea for their lives and I just couldn't bare the thought of an entire family of kittens being wiped out.
I said I could take one, but the problem is that they needed to empty an entire cage, so I caved and took a litter of 3 super tiny and adorable black kittens. Veronica, Vince, and Magellan (named by my friend John). I took them home on July 4 and called up Mat asking "how would you feel about having 3 kittens for a while?" I don't think he believed me until he came home and saw them.
Veronica and Vince were adopted quickly, but we knew right away we had to hold onto Magellan. He was unlike any other cat we had ever met. It wasn't only that we were attached to him, I can surprisingly deal with giving up a kitten when I know they're going to a good family, but the difference this time was that he was completely attached to us. I couldn't imagine anyone else able to love him as much back or give him the amount of attention he deserved.
A year later, we are still so crazy for our Magellan. We can't wait to get home to him after a long day out and share lots of cuddles on the couch. He's the most loyal cat and one of the funniest too. His loves include playing in boxes, trying to fit in bags, napping, attacking his stuffed bear, kneading my hair, playing chase, sticking his head under a running tap, having his belly rubbed, and sniffing Mat's chin.
He's a huge part of our life and that's why we wanted to include him on our wedding invites, and why he's played such a big role so far in our wedding motif. Here are a few videos, which somewhat help emphasize why we will miss having Magellan at the wedding with us.
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