Guest Blogger: Foster Home

I decided to become a foster family for animals recently. I looked at the People for Animals website and applied. Within a short time a momma cat and a kitten had been rescued from an abandoned house and needed foster care. I picked them up from the vet's where the vet gave me a lecture on how wild they were and to be careful.

I got them home and set them up in a room in the basement. I left them in the carrier for a bit then opened the door. I laid on the floor beside them and talked with them for an hour. They just sat and stared with wide eyes. I then left the room. When I returned the momma cat was out of the carrier. Within a few hours both cats decided to come out and check out their new home. My girls and I named the momma cat Izzy and the kitten Sam. Within a week momma cat Izzy would come to greet us and purr and with a little coaxing we could pick up Sam too. 2 weeks with us we decided to let them roam the basement and meet our 4 cats. A lot of hissing and growling but no fighting. I was happy.

Then came the day that little Sam began to purr. I was so excited. This scared little kitten began to trust us and play and purr. Sarah from PFA informed me of Izzy's other 3 kittens, rescued a day prior to Izzy and Sam who were in another foster home. The 3 little kittens were not doing so well and stopped eating. The decision was made to bring them to my house to be with their mom and hopefully they would come around like Sam had. The 3 little kittens came over and were identical to their mom and brother. Same wide eyed look that Izzy and Sam had when they first arrived. I was optimistic that they too would come around.

The next morning when I went to check on them, I found one of the new kittens laying limp on the floor barely breathing. I was so worried. I rushed the little guy to the vet where they determined it was most likely to be Distemper. The little kitten then died shortly afterwards. The 2 other kittens were then taken to the vet where the heart breaking decision was made to put them down. Sad and worried, I came home to tell my 2 girls, ages 9 and 3, that the new kittens were sick and had passed on.

Then came the task of cleaning the room. The only thing to kill the virus of Distemper is Bleach. The whole room had to be cleaned from top to bottom with bleach, then aired out then Izzy and Sam returned to their room. At this time Izzy and Sam showed no signs of the virus. A few days later I decided to let them upstairs in our home. Izzy made herself at home, perching on top of the couch and watching everyone. Sam played around, feeling at home. I still kept them in their room at night.

On that Friday I went to check on the cats, armed with soft food for their breakfast. I opened the door to find little Sam laying limp on the floor barely breathing. I scooped him up and rushed him to the vet. I received the same bad news. Distemper. While the vet was on the phone with PFA I laid my head in my arms, gently petting Sam on the examination table. I spoke quietly and loving to Sam as he struggled to breath. He was in rough shape. I told him that if he was in so much pain it was ok to pass on and I promised to take good care of his momma. Sam took his last breath. I cried and pet his limp little body.

I returned home, saddened to tell Izzy little Sam was gone. Then I had to begin the task of cleaning the entire house with Bleach. During the morning of Sam's death I received many comforting phone calls from the People for Animals. When asked what I needed, I asked for help bleaching out the house. Help came. I was so relieved. I also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from People for Animals board with comforting words.

A week has passed and momma cat Izzy has still showed no signs of this horrible virus. She is still confined to the basement room. She is eating fine and purrs whenever I come in to visit. It's so sad to see her trying to get out of the room to look for Sam. Breaks my heart. Hopefully Izzy is strong and healthy enough to not have any signs of distemper. We carefully watch her everyday and hopefully soon she can come back out of the room and join our family upstairs and be a normal cat.

Rest in Peace Sammy, We miss and love you! Loving remembered byMichelle, Tianna and Meadow Bieber and momma cat Izzy.

*Editor's note: Distemper is a horrible virus that is common on the streets of Regina. It is almost always fatal to kittens. Please vaccinate your animals.*