Four feral kittens--Camden, Beck, Casey and Blue--hit the jackpot in their young lives, giving renewed meaning to Thanksgiving. They were adopted into fantastic forever loving homes that were willing to take the bonded pairs and make the investment that was going to be needed.
Most people want a turn-key, perfect kitten.
Most people, when adopting, want a turn-key kitten. A kitten that is highly social, trusting, fun, cuddly and fully vetted. The off-spring of a feral cat mom don't typically fit all those preferences.
Camden, Beck, Casey and Blue were almost three months old when finally trapped and brought into the care of CATpassionate Village. They had a very smart feral mom that was constantly moving them away from the watchful eye of the humans that wanted to help them. But once she was trapped to be spayed and vaccinated, they were trapped within hours.
Dedication readied the kittens for adoption.
It took almost six weeks of dedicated work to socialize the kittens. Their care started in a small bathroom. They were held several times a day despite their wiggly protests. They learned to lick Delectables off my finger and even competed for their turn for the treat. They were moved throughout the house and lanai in a crate to get them used to the sounds of a household with other cats and a dog. They were later moved to a larger space and allowed to run the house daily for periods of time, often resulting in time spent putting the areas where they played back together. Finally, they were fully vetted, receiving vaccines and being spayed and neutered.
Ready for their forever home, it was going to take special people to adopt them. People who would understand that for more than half their lives they had been raised by a feral cat mom, and had no human interaction until trapped. They would not be particularly interested in seeking human attention. They wouldn't be immediately cuddly or trusting.
The miracle of perfect homes.
Honestly, given some of the strikes against them, it felt like a miracle when two perfect homes stepped forward and all four went to their forever loving homes the week before Thanksgiving Day.
Tears of joy surfaced when Casey and Blue were picked up by the Henning family. Happy hearts swelled with love when Camden and Beck were delivered to the Anderson family.
Since their adoptions, both families have sent many pictures and videos (see the 38 second video of Casey and Blue being treated to The Lion King) of their progress that have fully validated their perfect adoptions. It is obvious that each family invests daily in their trusting, cuddly cat development. Their love is unconditional. The bonds that will develop as a result will be so worth the efforts.
This the fourth in a series of posts about the Tori kittens.
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