It was a seemingly normal day at the park.  A couple of concerned citizens, Liz Haigler (who also happens to be one of our pet foster) and Blair Sullivan, were out for a leisurely walk with the dogs when they witnessed a man releasing something from two carriers out into the park. They initially thought he was releasing squirrels.

However, when the Schnauzers kept pulling them toward the area, they discovered that the man had actually dumped a momma and her 6 kittens!

The dogs had sent a few of the kittens and mom up a tree.  Sullivan jumped into action and retrieved them before anyone got hurt. They scooped all the kittens up, put them in a box and called MHC.

While we cannot do this for ALL cats and kittens, we told them to bring up the kittens so we can assess the situation and figure out how we can help. 

Thankfully, we found some space for them. We set up Momma Cat and babies (6-7 weeks old) in sets of three into clean kennels and got everyone settled in and fed.

They seemed healthy but a little shell shocked from the “dump”. But all was looking well for the bunch!  

We’ve named the kittens after poets. The two smaller females are Emily (Dickinson) and Elizabeth (Browning). The boys are Shakespeare, Hemingway, Whitman, and Kipling.

Momma Cat is Maya (Angelou).

We immediately took Lewis to see the vet and had him tested and vaccinated with his first set of shots. 

Afterward, we sent him home went with our wonderful, tried and tested fosters, Maddy Perrault and Brian,  a couple that has fostered kittens for MHC the last few seasons. 

Maddy gave him the name Lewis. They kept Lewis safe in their home and made sure he grew up to be a happy and healthy young cat. Being in their home, Lewis was exposed to other cats, which helped to get him properly socialized and ready for adoption. 

When his neuter appointment came, his wonderful foster parents took him to the vet and right back home so that he can rest and heal from the surgery. 

Lewis was a guest in their home for about a month. After the foster period, he was 100% ready for adoption. He was promptly transferred to a kennel in the Adoption Center inside PetSmart in Midland  so that he could find his forever home. 

Lucky for him, Lewis was only up for adoption for ONE HOUR. With his striking looks, and talkative personality - he didn't have to stay in a kennel for very long. A family walked in looking to add another cat to their family. They already had a cat named Bruce, also from MHC, so we knew that Lewis was going home to another household that is filled with love for cats. 

As for Lewis' former fosters, they have already taken two more foster kittens into their home because they were anxious to help again. 

Fostering saves lives. Pet Fosters like Maddy & Brian, allow us to save more young pets like Lewis. Thank you so much for your lifesaving work!  

Sign up to become a Cat Foster -- we especially need more fosters during Kitten Season. Learn more about what it takes to be a foster: www.midlandhumane.org/Foster

An understated benefit of fostering is that you get to spend time with the pet in your care and get to know them very well!  It's truly a win-win situation!

The gorgeous photos of Lewis below were from his foster, Maddy. ​They also sent in their notes about Lewis during his stay: 

• He’s the most playful kitty. Very self sufficient and needy at the same time. Knows his name and when you say no. 
• He hasn’t learned to jump on counters but wants to sit by your feet or talk to you.
• He’s good with other pets. Learned how to hiss from our cats and he really stood up for himself/patient with them coming around.
• He can be quiet sometimes and wants to sneak out of the house. We had to watch the front and back door religiously.
• Best cuddle buddy with us and our cats. He’s going to make a family really happy!

Torres sprung into action and collected the puppies to bring them to a safe environment as soon as possible — her own home. 

The puppies needed to go into a foster home first because they were too young and weak to be placed in the Adoption Center inside PetSmart. More importantly, they were completely unvetted. 

MHC put out a call for fosters right away, but with very young puppies, it usually takes time to find the right foster match. With some rescue cases — time really is of the essence and is the difference between life and death. 

With no foster home available yet, Torres stepped up and provided all three puppies with an impromptu “foster home”, which became the first stop in their journey to forever homes. This was something she knew she probably had to do when she first took the puppies in.

As their foster parent, Torres was able to assess their health and condition, allow them to decompress from any trauma, as well as keep them quarantined from the other adoptable pets until they were fully vetted. All this was done with support from MHC. 

“They were not acting at all like puppies. They made no noises and barely moved,”observed Torres of the puppies when she first got them settled in.

Isolation is a key stage to keeping all rescued pets safe, so diseases and parasites are not spread among the population. With rescues picked up straight from the streets, you never can tell the conditions they are in at first glance so it is imperative that they go into a quarantine period. 

Upon further observation, Torres discovered the puppies were infested by ticks and fleas. 

“I immediately got a bath ready for them because I noticed some fleas on them, but I quickly realized the fleas were even worse than I thought. My boyfriend and I were up until 2 a.m. picking fleas off of them,” recalls Torres who, as MHC Staff, was well acquainted with the process of dealing with various pet afflictions. 

With care and treatment, they soon got the flea and tick situation under control. 

Once the puppies settled into their foster home and got the necessary attention they so desperately needed, they started opening up and becoming very lively. 
​
“Kelly is the biggest of the sister, extremely outgoing, talkative, and loves attention. Jill is the smallest of the three even though she is small she makes up for it with her attitude and voice, she believes she is the top dog and is not afraid to take on the others and she loves food. Sabrina is the middle sister; she is very calm and laid back but loves cuddling,” shares Torres, who enjoyed getting to know the foster puppies while they were in her care. 
​

THE BITTERSWEET INCIDENT OF A  FOSTER FAIL
(Foster to Adopt)

Because fosters helped out and opened up their homes, these puppies have survived the worst are now healthier and happier. 

It took a while, but eventually, another foster home opened up for Kelly and Jill. After the routine “Meet & Greet”, the new foster quickly declared their intentions to adopt the two puppies. She would foster them throughout the vetting (vaccinations and spay surgeries) and then she would adopt them officially right after. 

Sabrina, on the other hand, had unknowingly been in her forever home all along. Torres had grown very fond of this particular puppy and thought she belonged with her family. 

"I have 2 male dogs that are high energy and can be rambunctious but Sabrina calms them down and she fits right into our little pack,” says Torres. 

“FOSTER FAIL", a lighthearted, affectionate term used to describe when a foster pet parent permanently adopts the dog or cat, is one of the reasons we are constantly looking for new foster homes. Oftentimes, when foster homes take rescues in temporarily, they end up falling in love with them.

It is a bittersweet incident when we say goodbye to a foster home... as they welcome a pet into their forever home. 

And so begins our hunt for new foster homes again and again. 

Do you want to help save lives of countless pets? Become a pet foster! MHC will provide everything - vaccinations, surgeries, vet care, food and supplies - you need to take care of a pet. 
All you need is to open up your home to a pet in need - perhaps temporarily or perhaps for as long as you’d like. 
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Learn more about MHC’s Pet Foster Program:  www.midlandhumane.org/foster