Foster Mother of Cats
Some crazy cat ladies are made, others are born. My mom found her black cat D.C. standing over my infant self. There's an old wive's tale that cats will suck a babies breath and that's exactly what seemed to be happening, but I know that D.C. was simply the first of my many familiars (only half joking).
Some of my earliest and happiest memories involve cats and books.
Really, what else do you need?
I've had the often heartbreaking privilege of "rescuing" kitties all over the world. A heavily pregnant kitten adopted me on Isla Mujeres off the coast of Mexico. I had her sterilized but sadly couldn't take her with me as I was between countries -- moving from New York to Japan.
In NYC one freezing cold night I discovered a sad little fellow in the doorway of a building. He let me carry him tucked in my jacket for oh so many blocks. We managed to find him a good home before we left.
One of my favourite experiences was watching a completely feral cat in Afghanistan decide that humans deserved another chance. I was babysitting Chucha for a French aid worker who had to go to Kabul for a bit...I think it tells you a lot about me that I remember the cat's name, but for the life of me can't remember her name. I do remember that she was quite a character who lived in Massoud's house with a bunch of Afghan men.
I was sitting in our kitchen editing a documentary film I made about remarkable Afghan women and Chucha was purring on my lap. I saw movement through the window and there popped up briefly the head of the wild cat that frequented our compound. Not a day later I was in our garden smelling those magnificent Afghan roses when a little pink nose touched mine through the blooms. I assumed it was Chucha's but actually it was Ms Wild...or Mama Cass as I came to name her.
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. She was SO wild.
It was soon obvious that she was pregnant, so possibly it's those love hormones that are to thank for her sudden change of heart, but I had seen a light come on in her eyes when she glimpsed Chucha living the high life with food, shelter and affection on tap. Mama Cass became my constant companion. She would call out to me at the screen door to our offices and I would dutifully open it for her, then she'd follow me to my desk and sit beside me as I worked. The Afghan office staff were flabbergasted.
When it was time for her to deliver her babies she did so right in front of me and pushed them to me with her nose insisting that I hold them.
Afghanistan has no pet culture, if anything the notion is frowned upon. But when the local staff witnessed this bond and Mama Cass's gorgeous offspring, everyone decided to adopt a cat.
I quite love the fact that other than helping to bring infrastructure, clean water and health education, I also brought feline love to a corner of Afghanistan.
This here Blog was also born in Afghanistan because it was tough and lonely living there and I needed to talk to someone. In those days of early blogging you actually got a whole community vibe out of it and some backwards & forwarding between bloggers, so it helped fill the void a bit.
Plus, writers gotta write!
Click here if you're interested in seeing more of my Adventures in Afghanistan.
At the beginning of this year I became a Foster Mom for Sharon's Foster Furries.
Sharon is a retired angel who dedicates every moment of her life to rescuing and caring for the abandoned kitties of our Valley. The costs are astronomical.
Just this week Jinx who was rescued without eyelids has had surgery to remove one eye and save the other.
Sharon is currently bottle feeding little Joseph every 2 hours. His two siblings didn't make it. My hubby and I rescued two kittens from the rubbish bin when we were living in Japan. Let me tell you that their desperate cries and eventual demise haunt us still. To have this kind of compassion but also unstinting courage in the face of so much heartbreak is truly remarkable.
Pearl went for much needed dental surgery which Sharon paid out of her meager pension.
That’s all happening right now!
The foster moms are all so dedicated and the work is often heartbreaking . Thank you Cecilia Rosas Fuentes, Nicolene Kingswell, Shanaaz Eggington, Katie Law, Krystyna Guizot Vlok, Liz Moran, Rose Wilson, Sabrina Bunn & Yvonne Zwiegelaar for going above and beyond!
I’m busy doing the painstaking work of taming two very semi-feral kittens with rough beginnings. I've documented the slow but deeply rewarding process of giving these two sweeties a chance at a happily ever after on Instagram @sharonsfosterfurries
Some of my earliest and happiest memories involve cats and books.
Really, what else do you need?
 |
| This was my first baby - Itska (named after my grandpa) - an 8th bday pressie |
In NYC one freezing cold night I discovered a sad little fellow in the doorway of a building. He let me carry him tucked in my jacket for oh so many blocks. We managed to find him a good home before we left.
One of my favourite experiences was watching a completely feral cat in Afghanistan decide that humans deserved another chance. I was babysitting Chucha for a French aid worker who had to go to Kabul for a bit...I think it tells you a lot about me that I remember the cat's name, but for the life of me can't remember her name. I do remember that she was quite a character who lived in Massoud's house with a bunch of Afghan men.
I was sitting in our kitchen editing a documentary film I made about remarkable Afghan women and Chucha was purring on my lap. I saw movement through the window and there popped up briefly the head of the wild cat that frequented our compound. Not a day later I was in our garden smelling those magnificent Afghan roses when a little pink nose touched mine through the blooms. I assumed it was Chucha's but actually it was Ms Wild...or Mama Cass as I came to name her.
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. She was SO wild.
It was soon obvious that she was pregnant, so possibly it's those love hormones that are to thank for her sudden change of heart, but I had seen a light come on in her eyes when she glimpsed Chucha living the high life with food, shelter and affection on tap. Mama Cass became my constant companion. She would call out to me at the screen door to our offices and I would dutifully open it for her, then she'd follow me to my desk and sit beside me as I worked. The Afghan office staff were flabbergasted.
When it was time for her to deliver her babies she did so right in front of me and pushed them to me with her nose insisting that I hold them.
 |
| Mama Cass's babies |
I quite love the fact that other than helping to bring infrastructure, clean water and health education, I also brought feline love to a corner of Afghanistan.
This here Blog was also born in Afghanistan because it was tough and lonely living there and I needed to talk to someone. In those days of early blogging you actually got a whole community vibe out of it and some backwards & forwarding between bloggers, so it helped fill the void a bit.
Plus, writers gotta write!
Click here if you're interested in seeing more of my Adventures in Afghanistan.
At the beginning of this year I became a Foster Mom for Sharon's Foster Furries.
Sharon is a retired angel who dedicates every moment of her life to rescuing and caring for the abandoned kitties of our Valley. The costs are astronomical.
 |
| https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156537781647333&set=gm.400306757268364&type=3&theater |
Just this week Jinx who was rescued without eyelids has had surgery to remove one eye and save the other.
Sharon is currently bottle feeding little Joseph every 2 hours. His two siblings didn't make it. My hubby and I rescued two kittens from the rubbish bin when we were living in Japan. Let me tell you that their desperate cries and eventual demise haunt us still. To have this kind of compassion but also unstinting courage in the face of so much heartbreak is truly remarkable.
Pearl went for much needed dental surgery which Sharon paid out of her meager pension.
That’s all happening right now!
The foster moms are all so dedicated and the work is often heartbreaking . Thank you Cecilia Rosas Fuentes, Nicolene Kingswell, Shanaaz Eggington, Katie Law, Krystyna Guizot Vlok, Liz Moran, Rose Wilson, Sabrina Bunn & Yvonne Zwiegelaar for going above and beyond!
I’m busy doing the painstaking work of taming two very semi-feral kittens with rough beginnings. I've documented the slow but deeply rewarding process of giving these two sweeties a chance at a happily ever after on Instagram @sharonsfosterfurries
Heartfelt thanks to my friends who have adopted my darling foster kittens thus far, each one has a special forever place in my heart - Tracey Nevill, Suzanne Leigh Thomson, Helen Hale, Jessica Moss, Leandre Warren, Amy Jones 💕
They've
all taught me something very specific about myself as a mother and a
person. I had a long chat with dear skittish Riley who spent 10 days terrified
out of her wits and hiding in a corner even though the room was quiet
and as safe as can be. When she finally decided to surrender and give me
loves last night -- purring, kneading and eye kisses deluxe -- I
whispered to her about how our fear, likely born from trauma, can
prevent us from experiencing comfort and love. We really do get in our
own way. I felt such compassion for her suffering and all of us who suffer because we're just frightened. Remember to treat yourself kindly and allow yourself to feel the love that is freely available. Just because you've been hurt doesn't mean that everyone wants to hurt you.
We're calling on anyone who can afford a small donation to support this good work.
The average litter of cats is between 1 and 8 babies and a Queen can have 2 or 3 litters annually. So one cat could have 100 kittens in her lifetime. However, her entire generation could stretch to 420,00 kittens in seven years.
This is obviously an ecological Disaster!
By donating you help improve quality of life while keeping this situation in check.
Vet bills 💸Bank: NEDBANK
Account name : S A Petersen
Account number: 1165935589
Branch code: 198765
Branch Name: Noordhoek
Ref: Your name plus SFF
Or via Paypal
sharonandcats.sp@gmail.com
With gratitude from those magical beasties who embody such effortless beauty and grace while giving so much comfort and joy.
Subscribe to Foot Sore & Fancy Free by Email
And please verify your email address (check your junkmail!)
Thanks :)
 |
| https://www.facebook.com/groups/193696667929375/permalink/383010465664660/ |
We're calling on anyone who can afford a small donation to support this good work.
The average litter of cats is between 1 and 8 babies and a Queen can have 2 or 3 litters annually. So one cat could have 100 kittens in her lifetime. However, her entire generation could stretch to 420,00 kittens in seven years.
This is obviously an ecological Disaster!
By donating you help improve quality of life while keeping this situation in check.
Vet bills 💸Bank: NEDBANK
Account name : S A Petersen
Account number: 1165935589
Branch code: 198765
Branch Name: Noordhoek
Ref: Your name plus SFF
Or via Paypal
sharonandcats.sp@gmail.com
With gratitude from those magical beasties who embody such effortless beauty and grace while giving so much comfort and joy.
Subscribe to Foot Sore & Fancy Free by Email
And please verify your email address (check your junkmail!)
Thanks :)
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