Rescue Tails / Bottle Babies! 

On a hot summer night in Marathon, a wonderful Officer spotted a sad sight. There on the road was a deceased cat whose life had been tragically cut short by a vehicle. This kind man stopped to check on the cat when he heard soft meows in the distance. With a flashlight and determination, he followed the sounds on this quiet dark night until he discovered two tiny, newborn kittens curled up together in the dark crying for their mother. He gently picked up the babies, with their eyes still closed tight, and brought them to our shelter hoping the little ones would be all right.

At only a few days old, the two little tabby girls were examined and fed by our compassionate staff at our Marathon Campus. They were hungry and took a bottle well, grateful for some warm food in their tiny tummies. They slept soundly on a soft blanket kept warm by a heating pad while listening to the comforting heartbeat of a “surrogate” aid for motherless kittens. Every two hours the babies squeaked and moved around, a sign it was time to feed again! Then after stimulation to eliminate snuggled back into their blanket for more rest.

Being a mom to bottle babies requires around the clock care. Kittens are entirely dependent on their mothers, or human caretakers until they begin to wean at 3-4 weeks old. It takes a very dedicated foster parent to commit to so many sleepless nights, but there is no greater reward than raising tiny babies until they grow to be playful kittens!

As a new foster mother Taylor had never had bottle babies before. Although daunting at first, she quickly eased into the routine and eight weeks later her hard work paid off with two perfect, healthy, happy social kittens! When the time came to find them their furrever families, it was their foster mom Taylor who decided to keep these special girls where they belonged, right at home with her!

It’s hard not to get attached to your foster animal, and many fosters choose to adopt. For that reason, and more, we are always in need of foster parents for our campuses. If you have the time and love to commit to an animal in need we hope you’ll consider joining us as a foster parent! For more information on our foster program in Key West contact [email protected] or [email protected] in Marathon. Be it puppies or kittens, older pets or special needs or even in the event of a Hurricane, choosing to join us as a foster is a special and rewarding experience.