FosterBabyCats

Baby Beanie blep 😛

Sarah () has been dying to meet our mini Muffin, Pearl, so she stopped by on her way to New York! She has been here enough times that my kiddos get excited and fight for her attention 😹 She has always been so good with the shy babies! 🫶

Happy surprise adoption day, Axle! 🥳 Ax was nervous, but Pup was obsessed with his little girl and learned SO much about Barbies! 😹

Brittany lost her most senior cat, Eleanor, recently and decided she wanted to open her home to another BabyCat. She adopted Birdie (now Evelyn) several years ago and was leaning towards another girl, but most concerned about finding the perfect personality match for Evelyn. After listening to stories and seeing how Axle's brothers adore being little brothers, she decided to take a chance on bringing home a boy!

As someone who gets to live with the cats before finding them their perfect homes, I'm always grateful to adopters who listen to my perspective. I am so lucky that I get the opportunity to explain what I've seen from their interactions with me and other cats daily, instead of having them judged by the first few minutes meeting a stranger.

I'm so happy to see little man finally be part of his very own forever family!! 🤎

Imagine being a tiny kitten pulled from a world where you always have to be on high alert, now napping, fully passed out, on a windowsill with a light breeze and not a care in the world 🤍

Available for adoption 🤍 FosterBabyCats.org

Pearl 🦪 Someone suggested the nickname "Pea" and I love it 🤍

A little PSA/reminder: when you deworm a kitten that you suspect has a large amount of intestinal parasites, please monitor closely. I was taught during my time at the humane society that when you kill worms they can release toxins into the bloodstream. The amount of toxins and the size of the kitten can both be factors to consider. Pea has shown mild signs of anemia and dehydration and has been receiving supportive care (fluids, B12 and nutrical) to make sure her body has what it needs to get through this rough patch.

It's bittersweet watching an older baby get adopted.  Daisy's enthusiastic greeting and her talkative chatter have been part of my routine for many months, and as ecstatic as I am for her to have her own mommy & daddy, I sure am going to miss that little sweetie!

Daisy bean is headed all the way down to North Carolina!  She'll be joining a shy sister (Lexi) and a very patient and loving mom & dad!  I was nervous introducing Daisy to her new mom because she's so shy, but Daisy seemed to sense what a fantastic person she is and stayed calm while we got her settled in the carrier ❤️

Thank you so much for adopting and making the drive to bring your little girl home, Catherine! 🫶

Not much has changed in 3 months 😛 Happy adoption day, bubba! 🧡 I've been emailing Tricia almost daily with updates about her baby and I'm so excited that he's finally headed home! I know he's going to have the best life!

I always try to send the adopted babies home with some familiar toys, food and treats to help them adjust in their forever home. Sprocket (now Simba) couldn't believe I had packed all his favorite things 😹

Updated mugshots 😹 apply to adopt at FosterBabyCats.org 🫶

We have quite a few older females looking for their forever homes! 💕

Please fill out an application at FosterBabyCats.org/adopt.  After you have applied, we will reach out to you via email to discuss who you are interested in adopting, what personality traits you're looking for, and what questions and concerns you might have.  The application allows us to understand your home environment and what cat might fit best.  We do our best to make meaningful matches so you and your new baby get along seamlessly ❤️

If you have any questions please reach out to [email protected] ✉️

Adoption Application: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/adopt

Adoption Process: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/adoption-process

Medical Care: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/medicalprotocol

Available BabyCats: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/babycats

Happy adoption day, Spark!  Spark is headed home with his new mom to meet another former BabyCat, Maisie (fka Rosemont)!  Thank you for choosing to adopt another FBC baby, Taylor! 🧡

Sprocket is going home soon, but Axle and Bonnet are still looking for their forever home(s) 🫶

First appointment with Millie ✅

We're going to preemptively treat for toxoplasmosis, just in case, while we wait for a consult with a neurology team. She's been doing really well at FBC: eating, drinking and using the litter box like a champ. Her tipping/falling is not too bad unless she gets excited, and she even started running around outside today. She does have some vision issues, nystagmus, and is also underweight (all things I was aware of). The vet called out that both her canine teeth were chipped, which they thought might be from being tossed out of a car. Her cleft lip is pretty mild, with a majority of her facial features most likely due to her being some mixed breed of Persian.

Overall a good baseline appointment, and I'm feeling really confident about her chances of being adoptable 💚

✨Matilda Jane✨

"Matilda is the Anglicized form of the Germanic feminine title Mahthildis and means “mighty in battle.” A name fit for a warrior, Matilda comes across as sweet and innocent, but its meaning tells a warning tale."

Matilda was the most requested name for this sweet girl, with many of you asking if she could share Merida's middle name, Jane 💓

While Matilda will be her legal name, I'd love for you guys to help me pick her nickname. I'm trying to decide between "Mattie" or "Tillie"... I'm leaning towards one, but I'm curious what you guys think!

This little angel arrived at FBC just moments ago. She has a tentative CH+ (cerebellar hypoplasia plus) diagnosis, as well as a cleft lip to add to her charm ✨ She is precious and I already adore her. The rescue who saved her nicknamed her "wobbles" but I'm thinking maybe we should pick a Merida-esque name to honor our spicy lion?! 🧡 What do you guys think?

Sharing pre-adoptable babies (to get attention because everyone loves baby kittens), but also some older kittens and cats that are still looking for their forever homes!

No one will leave the rescue before being 10 weeks old (8 weeks is the requirement, 10 is my personal preference - please feel free to discuss this with me if you are adopting, I would love to help you understand ❤️), spayed/neutered, microchipped, up-to-date on vaccines, wormer, and flea treatment.

We ask that you fill out an application at FosterBabyCats.org/adopt

After you have applied, we will reach out to you via email to discuss who you are interested in adopting, what personality traits you're looking for, and what questions and concerns you might have. The application allows us to understand your home environment and what cat might fit best. We do our best to make meaningful matches so you and your new baby get along seamlessly ❤️

We are located in Columbus, Ohio 📍

Please share to help these babies find homes!

I don't know if you guys remember, but I used to joke that Merida was the "sheriff" - always putting bullies in their place. Today, Kevin was annoying Emma (he wanted to play and she didn't), and Pup came rushing in to make sure Emma was okay. I snuggled him and let myself be sad that Mer isn't here, but it's so amazing to see how Enie and Pup are trying their best to fill the ginormous hole she left 🫶

Mama (Bonnet) and Axle (brown tabby) are both still looking for their forever homes 🌵

You can apply at FosterBabyCats.org 💚

Pup could not be ✨less✨ excited about his loud upstairs neighbor 😹

If you've been to see kittens recently you probably noticed the lack of cat trees. After so many kittens and so many times being sanitized they start to fall apart. I ordered new ones and I'll be putting them together this week 💕

Sprocket got to meet his new mommy & daddy today 🫶

*He will still be at FBC until after his neuter later this month 😺

Taylor adopted Rosemont (now Maisie) about a year ago and fully intended on pre-adopting Sprocket...until Spark picked her as his mommy 😹

He won't be going home until after his neuter next month, but we always love when previous adopters come back for seconds (and thirds and fourths 🙃) ❤️❤️

Adopting an adult cat is amazing! If you or someone you know is thinking about adopting a cat please have them look at the 7 awesome adult cats we have that are available! Let’s help get these babies into forever homes!!

All cats and kittens are/will be up-to-date on vaccines, wormer, flea treatment, spayed/neutered, and microchipped before going home.

Please share to help these babies find their perfect forever homes!

If you have any questions please reach out to [email protected] ✉️

Adoption Application: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/adopt

Adoption Process: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/adoption-process

Medical Care: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/medicalprotocol

Available BabyCats: https://www.fosterbabycats.org/babycats

The babies had a very special visitor today 🥰

I can't say thank you enough. The outpouring of love after Mer's death is such an incredible reminder of how loved she is by so many around the world.

I wanted to post because I haven't been able to bring myself to read the comments, messages, or texts, let alone respond to them. I want you to know that it isn't because I don't appreciate them, I'm just still coming to terms with the idea that she's really not coming home.

I couldn't have helped Merida without your support and I'm so grateful that same support continues to push me through her loss 💔❤️

Merida Jane Elizabeth Ann 🦁
4/25/21-4/26/24

You changed my whole world, Mer. My life has revolved around you for the last three years and my only regret is that it wasn't for longer. My little best friend. My spicy lion. It's going to suck here without you, my brave girl.

--

I have theories on what happened with Mer, but ultimately what it boils down to is: she was sick and I missed the signs. They were probably masked by her paralysis and her fight with chronic pain, but I missed something and that's on me.

The hardest thing to let go of is that there is a chance it was preventable or treatable and we just didn't figure it out in time.

That thought alone makes me sick to my stomach, but when I look back over my camera roll I know it wasn't because I didn't pay attention to her. I'm completely serious when I say my entire world revolved around her. I have pictures and videos from cuddling or playing with her every single day. It wasn't just changing diapers and meeting her basic needs, she was my little shadow. I took her on trips and I planned my outings around coming home to take care of her. Sometimes those dirty diapers were the only reason I chose to stay on the hard days - because if I didn't take care of her, who would? She was the reason I felt confident enough to take on Enie and then Pup.

I don't know why it happened the way it did, but it wasn't for a lack of love ❤️

Pt. 1

I have written this about 500 times, so I'm just going to present facts again and walk away from it.

Mer went to the vet Wednesday for a sterile urine draw after being on antibiotics for a week for what we thought was a UTI. The in house urinalysis was negative, so we sent it off to be cultured. We decided to continue her Baytril just in case. That night Merida spiked a weird fever, vomited up the antibiotic and we decided to stop the Baytril. She never went above 103° again (a cat's normal body temp is ~102.5).

Thursday I took her in for blood work to check her kidneys and they did an X-ray. On the x-ray they discovered Mer was constipated and that was causing a blockage of her urethra. We tried a laxative but she still didn't p**p. She did eat chicken and I was hopeful that would push everything along.

Friday we got her blood work back - kidney values were elevated. White blood cell count was 32,000. She went back in to the vet to start a different antibiotic to help her little body fight. At that time the vet recommended we go to the emergency clinic to have Mer cleared out.

Friday at 2pm I took Merida to the emergency vet for what I thought was going to be a f***l evacuation - a simple procedure, but anesthesia was needed. I let Mer get some fresh air and lay in the sun at home while I packed her things. She had some chicken broth (from the boiled chicken) and some water before we left. We arrived at the vet around 3pm. They took her back, did some initial blood work and brought her out to snuggle with me around 4pm. Within a few minutes I (literally) ran her back to the staff because I could tell her body temp was low just from her paws - she was 93°.

Around 5pm they let me know that they did an ultrasound and her organs were very inflamed. She was also presenting with a heart murmur. They noticed some fluid in her abdomen and did a culture. Mer's abdomen was septic.

The next step forward was hospitalization and IV drugs. If she survived the night, she would need a surgery to clean out her abdomen and try to figure out what caused the infection. She had 10-20% chance of surviving that surgery.

Pt.2

This is where I get fuzzy because I started to cry and he just kept presenting facts (which was exactly what I needed in the moment). One of the major issues was that even if Mer survived the night and made it through the surgery, there was about a 50% chance that she would have the exact same issues again within a few months. We don't know why it happened or if we could fix it.

That meant she had a 5-10% chance of leaving that hospital and having decent quality of life. I will forever regret not taking that chance, even if it was the right decision to euthanize.

I did want to share two things that really, really helped me while I was holding her as the vet euthanized:

He shared that he had just recently put his own cat to sleep and he said "It's harder when they're yours and she was obviously yours" - without knowing that Mer essentially decided for me (and all of us) that she was mine ❤️

Then, when he was pushing the euthanasia drugs, he whispered "okay, we're going to make you feel better now" to Mer... I've never heard a vet say that while they euthanized and a wave of peace just washed over me. I'm so grateful to that vet for his calm, quiet words.

I am comforted by the fact that she was seen by so many professionals who also didn't realize how sick she was, but ultimately it was me who spent every day with her and the responsibility falls on my shoulders. I know I did the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time, but hindsight is a mind killer.

“Brave” (For Jillian from Merida Jane)
Lauren Camacci

When they found me
Paralyzed
In that field
Everyone said you were brave to take me
Instead of letting me go to sleep
You said, “I’m not brave,”
“She is,”
“I’ll fight for her as long as she can.”
So you named me Merida
And called me brave.

You learned new skills
All to help me.
How to diaper
A very ornery babycat.
How to put it on better
When I escaped my diaper.
The importance of nakey t**h time.
You figured out I looked fabulous in pants
(and that it meant my diaper stayed on
And my breadsticks stayed safe).
“Merida Wears The Pants.”
Finally
Someone acknowledged who really ran FBC.

I wasn’t exactly easy.
“Spicy lion.”
“Sassy pants.”
“Miss Merida Jane.”
I had a ‘tude as long as my breadsticks.
They said you were brave to deal with me.
You said I was brave,
And that you were lucky.

You gave me a life
Filled with
Fire naps
Doorstop fetch
Chasing my siblings
Knee cuddles
Porch adventures
Love
Patience
Love

From the day you said “yes”
To a
Crumpled
Injured
Hopeless
Paralyzed kitten
And every day that you said “yes”
To a
Spicy
Sassy
Bossy lioness,
You were my mom,
And you are brave.

Mer passed away. I'm heartbroken.

I'm going to turn everything off for a minute to try to process.

We are at the ER and Mer is now considered critical. I hate sharing that update, but I wanted you guys to know.

I'll update the fundraiser. I have no idea how this is going to go and I'm terrified.

There is a lot going on with Mer, so I'm just going to try to share the facts:

- I'm continuing supportive care and have been in contact with her vet multiple times a day.
- the only thing that changed on her in house urine culture after being on Baytril for a week was the PH was lower. She is no longer on Enro.
- we are waiting for the more in-depth culture to come back Monday but in the meantime:
- Mer's white blood cell count is so high (32,000) that she's going back in later today to get a different antibiotic started. It won't help with her UTI but her body is fighting so hard that she needs some help.
- she does have elevated kidney values, which could indicate that the infection has spread to her kidneys.
- she is also suffering from megacolon and is constipated, which is blocking her urethra and exacerbating the UTI by not allowing her to fully empty her bladder. She is starting a prescription diet and stool softeners.

I think that's it. We've been living at the vet and we've had a significant amount of testing done, so I'm sure the vet bill is terrible. I'll add a little fundraiser for Mer's medical bills if you want to help ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

*I took this photo yesterday while she was feeling better. It seems to come in waves.