The Kitten Lodge

Last year (November 2013), I had the honor of fostering the sweetest kitten on this side of Heaven! She wasn't a cuddle-bug or exceptionally vocal kitten, but she was absolutely perfect: playful, smart, and affectionate. Even though she wasn't the type of kitten who enjoyed snuggling or being held, she certainly didn't mind hopping into my lap and rubbing against or. Being that she originally started out as a timid and feral little creature, things were really rough in the beginning -- as in she managed to completely hide out of sight for 19 hours, wedge herself into a corner of my room (between my dresser and my wall) that I could not get her out of, and dig her way into my box spring once she got to my house (don't worry, my mom helped me get her out IMMEDIATELY) in order to resume her hideout -- but she came a long way during her short week in my care.

* I promise you, she literally sat like that for a good... I don't even know. She was definitely like that for more than an hour though. I went to go eat dinner and when I came back she was under my bed.

* I was exceptionally protective of her (and afraid of her swallowing things she had no business ingesting), so I only gave her things to play with that were bigger than her. She took a liking to my childhood basketball.

* I was pretty much obsessed with her little black nose.

Upon returning Star to the humane society, I realized that I wanted to make fostering a permanent part of my life. Even though I was absolutely devastated when I had to give her back (I truly wasn't expecting to grow as attached to her as I did), I was happy that I went outside of my comfort zone and opened the doors of my home to a tiny little fur-ball who was in need of some TLC. The day that I returned Star was the day that I decided to make fostering kittens a permanent part in my life! However, I needed to get my allergies under control first! 

Now, almost a year later, I've decided to give fostering another go. Only this time I plan to foster for a shelter where kittens are put down before they are honestly even given a fair chance at life. See, everyone is under the impression that elderly cats are the first ones to go, but this honestly is not the case. The majority of cats put down in shelters are kittens; kittens who are under the age of two months -- most who cannot even open their eyes yet.

This chart below comes from the ACPS' site (live link here):


Due what to previous experience with the ACPS and contacting the Adoption/Foster Coordinator, I learned that:
1. Female cats are spayed regardless of circumstances (She could be due in a few days and they'll still spay her; hence when the number of cats born in the shelter is 0).
2. TNR stands for "Trap, Neuter, Return," which means that once the cat is fixed, they are returned to their hazardous life on the streets instead of being placed into a shelter. (They actually returned a Queen to my neighborhood [while she was still bleeding] after aborting her kittens and clipping her ears. To say the least, my neighbor who would leave food for her was beyond pissed.)
3. If someone does not step up to foster them before closing time, bottle fed kittens are put down the same day they are brought into the shelter. I found this out for myself after I told the coordinator that I would be there to pick up the bottle fed babies the FOLLOWING morning (because we only have one vehicle), which was less than 17 hours later.

Now, I know you're probably wondering, "Why on Earth would you like to help a place like this?" Well, I don't, really. I want to help those kittens get the heck out of there! See, the the local humane society is a no-kill shelter and they often take in cats and kittens from ACPS. Also, in my city, many of the cats available for adoption at various PetSmart stores come from the ACPS as well. In small words: a lot of cats and dogs don't stay at the ACPS center very long and I want to be one of the individuals who helps get them out of there. I am specifically focusing on nursing/bottle-fed kittens because they are the most vulnerable and most likely to be put down. 

My story isn't much different than a lot of the individuals who are looking for a helping hand on this site, but it does differ to a degree: I'm a college student who took a break from taking classes in order to find a job to help her mom make-ends-meet. Unfortunately, my job-hunt has been in vain and two (almost three) years later I'm still unemployed. I plan to start my own little business, but it'll probably be a while until I get into the full swing of things, which is why I have created this fundraiser.

I am turning to Go Fund Me because I need help. I would like to take in 2 to 3 kittens at a time. (Unless of course there are four in a litter because what would I look like taking all of the kittens but one? Cheap, that's what!) In order to do this, I plan on turning my room into a safe haven for little fur-balls who are coming of age and I need all of the help I can get. The price is set at $1050 ($1000 after 5% is deducted -- I think) because I need supplies for the little loves and I would like to have money saved up strictly for the kittens I foster. The money saved would allow me to replace supplies as needed. These funds would also make taking the kittens to the vet (let's hope that doesn't happen) less stressful because if my idea of an emergency (I'd rather be safe than sorry) isn't a "true emergency," there's a good chance that I will have to pay for the services out of pocket, which I definitely would not be able to do without having money to fall back on.

If the idea of donating money doesn't sit well with you (I totally understand) then maybe donating an item would? I have an Amazon Wish List set up here  and it basically features some of the items I plan to buy with the money I raise. I tried to organize the list from most important to least important and I plan to have descriptions as to why each item is necessary/desired. 

If you are unable or simply don't wish to donate, can you please help spread the word around? I am not expecting anything from anyone, but any help we can get would be greatly appreciated it!

Thank you!

- April H.