Happy Endings

We know yesterday's post was pretty sad. It made mum tear up writing it. Seamus was the first death that we had as fosters (and being a late comer when it came to having animals in her life, mum's first death at all), and it broke her heart.

So today, we want to show you a happy ending, and something that makes mum's heart sing when she thinks about.

Sally Smitten-Kitten came to us as part of a litter of three, who had been surrendered with their Mum at the shelter. All three were full of fleas and had the most disgusting ear mites. They behaved as if they had not been handled by people before, and were very frightened. Sally's sisters, Penny and Polly, both had broken tails.

This photo is of Sally and Polly nearly a week after they arrived at our house. Sally had previously been in hiding, and did not want to be seen or interact with anyone. She even seemed scared of her sisters. It took a lot of time and gentle work, but we finally got Sally to start coming out of her shell. More than anything, mum wanted her to know that people could be a source of love and comfort, and that there was no need to be afraid. She wanted Sally to be able to feel safe relaxing. Sally seemed to decide that not only were people good, they were an awesome source of cuddles. And she was not afraid to ask for those cuddles! Mum fell head over heels for her!

Sally also learned that other kitties were ok. Here she is with her foster brother, Sean Oscar. It took her a bit of time to come around to the Oscars, who had a fairly good start to life and were healthy and full of energy. The four boys and their sister were a little less genteel than what Sally was used to. In the end, we think she just decided that they had to be tolerated, even if they were silly! The Oscars taught the Smitten-Kittens about toys, which they had previously shown little interest in. When Sally went back to the shelter, she was loving, confident and sweet. She found her Forever Home, and we are sure that she and her family will have a very happy life together. She was very brave in opening herself up to people and other kitties, and we are very proud of her. We have a photo of Sally on our fridge now. She makes us smile:)