Summer 2012 - Steampunk Kittens
In the Summer of 2012 I was contacted by a friend of mine who I knew from my time volunteering at A.D.O.P.T. She also volunteered with a local TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) group called Feral Fixers. They would go into an area with a bunch of live animal traps and trap all the free roaming cats in the area, spay/neuter them, get them caught up on shots and if they were friendly to put them into foster care in preparation for adoption or, if feral, to release them back where they were caught. As it was the start of Kitten Season, Feral Fixers was in great need of fosters for all the young kittens they were finding. So my friend asked if I'd help out and foster a litter of kittens for them. I was originally told that it would be for just a few weeks until after they had gotten over their surgery and had their shots then they would be transferred to PAWS Chicago.
So, I took in a total of 6 kittens, 5 were from the same litter and the sixth was a couple of weeks older than the others. He already had been given the name Lonnie. The other 5 were up to me to find names for. As I was attending a Steampunk party at the home of a friend of mine around that time, I had a Name that Kitten "contest". I placed sheets of paper with each kitten's photo and brief description with room below for suggested names. In the end, the kittens were named Dash (nickname of Thomas Alva Edison), Mina (Edison's wife), Nikola and Tess (after Nikola Tesla), and Betony (which was one of the names suggested at the party).
After a couple of weeks, the kittens had their surgery and shots but there were no plans to move them to PAWS. The shelter, like most in the area, was full with their own kittens and couldn't take on any more. I took photos of them and they were posted to the Petfinder page for Feral Fixers. One by one, I would be contacted about people interested in adopting the kittens. The first was Mina, a solid gray kitten. They had listed her as a Russian Blue on the Petfinder site (a designation I knew to be wrong and which I disagreed with). Then it was Nikola who was adopted. Tess got adopted during a special adoption event at a local organic pet food store. Lonnie was adopted by a couple from Wisconsin who drove several hours to meet me at a toll road oasis to do the hand off. Dash was adopted by one of the assistants at my Chiropractor's office and finally, in December, PAWS had room to take in Betony. At least there she is on public display and in a room full of other young cats so she should have a better chance at getting adopted quickly.
So, I took in a total of 6 kittens, 5 were from the same litter and the sixth was a couple of weeks older than the others. He already had been given the name Lonnie. The other 5 were up to me to find names for. As I was attending a Steampunk party at the home of a friend of mine around that time, I had a Name that Kitten "contest". I placed sheets of paper with each kitten's photo and brief description with room below for suggested names. In the end, the kittens were named Dash (nickname of Thomas Alva Edison), Mina (Edison's wife), Nikola and Tess (after Nikola Tesla), and Betony (which was one of the names suggested at the party).
After a couple of weeks, the kittens had their surgery and shots but there were no plans to move them to PAWS. The shelter, like most in the area, was full with their own kittens and couldn't take on any more. I took photos of them and they were posted to the Petfinder page for Feral Fixers. One by one, I would be contacted about people interested in adopting the kittens. The first was Mina, a solid gray kitten. They had listed her as a Russian Blue on the Petfinder site (a designation I knew to be wrong and which I disagreed with). Then it was Nikola who was adopted. Tess got adopted during a special adoption event at a local organic pet food store. Lonnie was adopted by a couple from Wisconsin who drove several hours to meet me at a toll road oasis to do the hand off. Dash was adopted by one of the assistants at my Chiropractor's office and finally, in December, PAWS had room to take in Betony. At least there she is on public display and in a room full of other young cats so she should have a better chance at getting adopted quickly.