Kitties!

Shame on me! I forgot to update on the domestic rescue side of things! The mom and kittens that Laurie is fostering for the MSPCA are doing great! Sadly, one little kitty did not make it, but the fact that the other 4 are thriving is a miracle in and of itself, considering none were expected to do well as a result of the meds Mom had to be on.

Mom is a wonderful doting mother....as is Dougie, their step-dog! ;)

I'm an Auntie!

Being a wildlife rehabber does not, of course, limit us to rescuing only wildlife. (Thus my 5 cats and 3 rescue dogs!) If an animal is in need of rescue, we're there! It's a calling for us and there is no discrimination between species. Laurie & JoAnn often foster animals for the MSPCA and Pawsafe as well.

Laurie has had a lovely pregnant female cat for almost a month now. One of many with an upper respiratory infection that cannot be put in the population at the shelter, so they have to be fostered while getting treatment. We have been anxiously awaiting a birth, while also dreading it a little at the same time. The meds mom had to be on can be detrimental to the babies, and often they do not survive.

Well last week mom finally had her babies, so I feel a little safer giving an update!

Laurie, knowing the time was imminent, spent the night in the bedroom with her to watch over her. Of course mom decided to wait until Laurie had to start getting ready to go work to start popping them out! (and in the litter box no less...can you say messy!) No worries......she had her doting Auntie Lisa and Auntie Dee to head over throughout the day to check on the new family!! Here is the gang, just hours old!

 Momma had 5 beautiful kitties....one  grey and the rest jet black like mom. Grey kitty is a moose! A couple of  the black ones were little, but all were nursing well and seemed healthy. I'm happy to report that Laurie says all are still quite healthy and vigorous a week later and eating like little piggies....with round little bellies to match!

Laurie says it's the best....having little babies around again, and the mom to do all the work! All she has to do is sit back and ENJOY for a change! Awesome.

The good that came out of this tragedy.

I am happy to announce that Belle is now the proud mom of 2 newly adopted babies. Raccoons are such good mothers, and Belle has proved to be the epitome of that!

I have her in due to her injuries. I brought Baby Bella out to the pen to see how she would react. All Belle had to do was hear a baby cry and she immediately tried getting to her. Having never attempted (or even had the opportunity) to try adopting out orphans to another raccoon mom, I was very hesitant to try for fear of her harming the strange baby. So after much contemplation and a lot of discussion and advice from some fellow rehabbers (thank you so much Dee & Matzo for your guidance!!!!!!!), and after seeing Belle's positive reaction to the sound of Bella crying, I decide to try it.

I anxiously brought Bella out in a pile of fleece blankets. I was going to leave her on the floor and wait and see how Belle reacted. Best case scenario she would either take the baby or just ignore her. Well I no sooner put that precious package on the floor of the pen and Belle was out of the den box, right to Bella. She gently picked her up, carried her to the den box and began showering her with motherly love! I cannot begin to describe what a beautiful sight it was, and it was topped only by her doing the exact same thing with a second single orphan my friend Laurie was fostering. She did so well with Bella that I went and picked up baby Macy who is about the same age as Bella (both are between 2-3.5 weeks old) and we went through the same routine. Our new family is happily encamped in their new home....safe from predators and worry.

So although I will miss spending time with my little Bella, I am so happy that Belle's grief could be replaced with new babies to love and care for. I won't be there to see Bella's eyes open, or record her growth each day with weights and get cute pictures as she grows....but she's with the BEST mother she could possibly have and I'll still be able to keep track of her. It just won't be as up close and personal as before.

So now I'll hope all goes well with our new family. They will be staying here until the time comes when the babies are old enough for mom to start looking for a new den. At that time the release door will be opened to allow Belle to come and go and move her family as she see's fit.