Ron says he's the only thing standing between me and my becoming a "crazy cat lady". It's true I'm afraid. I'd have a dozen if I could. But since our dear French cat of 10 years, Domino, died last year, I've been catless. So I decided to be a temporay keeper of kittens, of the unwanted, abandoned kind. I've fostered 15 or so in the last few months, 2 or 3 at a time. Some need socialization if they are feral, and some just need a temporary home until they are adopted.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few French country folks who think that a) sterilizing cats is against nature or b) cats should be left to run wild (and uncared for) so they can kill mice in the barn, etc. So feral cats in the countryside run rampant, unless someone in each village is supervigilant and sterilizes the strays.
Keeping kittens is fun, but taming the feral babies is sad. They are timid, wild animals, terrified of humans, of touch, of noises, of everything, as they've been unprotected and unloved. Taming them means restraining them in a large comfy cage, and gradually gaining their trust until they're calm and playful enough to be let loose in a closed room for a while, then to be adopted. After all, almost no one has the patience to adopt a scared kitten who hisses and scratches.
After we've socialized them, it's so rewarding to see them adopted out to loving homes. I recommend fostering cats or dogs, whether socializing or just housing them, to any animal lover with time and love to give.
In this year's batch, there was one kitten early on that was different from the rest. Sociable and fearless, and absolutely manic: when he played he somersaulted, careened, tumbled, and lept joyously and with abandon, right into our hearts. He didn't get adopted right away, and then somehow before we realized it he was cuddled in our laps, nestled between us when we went to sleep, and had his own personal food bowl and toys. Christened 'Vino the Bambino', we now seem to have a permanent cat. Umm, I forgot to tell you the main drawback of fostering--there always seems to be one that sticks around!
Now get ready for some kitten porn! Here are some of my "fosterees":
Nougat (the white one) was tame, but Tino was not. Both went to wonderful homes.
Black cats are hard to adopt out--some folks are superstitious. The buff beauties below went quickly. But in the end we found homes for all.
3 Charmers (had a hard time parting with these babies!):
Mimi got lucky: monsieur who adopted her, a châtelain, had a large dog who needed a companion. She is now the queen of the château and, of course, the boss of the dog.
3 peas in a pod
Goldie was so feral and aggressive (and a bit older, so harder to tame), we thought we'd have to put her down. But we hung in there with her, and she surprised us. She's very loving and on the road to becoming a great cat for someone. And isn't she a pretty girl?
This one started out as an adorable foster kitten (first photo) and grew up to be our cat, Vino the Bambino. He's 6 months old now.
In the COMMENTS: Jan and Jane have been to Guernsey, thanks for your review. Tom, good luck in your move to France, we look forward to hearing more about your adventures. Nathalia, what a story about Jersey—hope you find that book. Dick, have a good cruise and we will see you soon at Moise Island. Libby has visited the Isle of Wight, here’s one of her posts on that trip, at her blog An Eye for Detail.
