My experience as a "Foster mommy". The little male kitten opened his eyes for the first time and peered up at me. he wasn't drinking the bottle I was trying to give him; but chewing on it. He ALWAYS chewed on it until he decided to drink. Out of the five kitten siblings, he always took the longest to feed! What a moment! My heart leapt with joy. For after all, he was the smallest of his siblings and I had worried about him since the day I brought him home. So, this is the reward for fostering a litter of kittens from my local animal shelter. I caught a glimpse of them as I walked by their cage at eye level. I had come to look for a kitty cat to call my own. They were so small! I stopped to look at them and I read their paper. The woman said the fur pile of the five of them, all scrunched up together, were only 2 weeks old! They had been found in a banana box in a dumpster behind a nearby grocery store. I asked what would become of them and the lady said they needed a "foster family". And that was that. I filled out the application and within half an hour, had a pet carrier full of old towels with kittens wrapped up inside under one arm and some cans of food under the other arm.

I am in my fourth week as a foster mommy. All five of them; three girls and two boys; are very much alive and healthy and sooo happy. They have brought a ton of mess to my otherwise mess-free home, but have also brought an amazing amount of light and fun and childishness to my otherwise "workaholic" existence.

In about two weeks, I will have to release them from the nest and carry them back to the shelter for the final time. They will be spayed and neutered and put up for adoption and I know I will cry. But I also know that I have raised healthy, happy kittens for people looking to adopt pets. I am preparing myself for the moment that I will let my five "kits" go, but know (and am preparing) that I will, no doubt, walk out yet again, with another set of kittens who need me in these important first weeks of their lives. I thought I was giving back to the community by doing this. But, it has truly changed my life. An inner peace and a sense of being needed, that I; as a single and childless woman; hadn't felt in a very long time. I will continue this forever and highly recommend other people contact your local shelters for this awesome opportunity as well. It is the most rewarding experience I have ever had!

Learn more about this author, Lee Sage.
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