Feline Friday #18 – Blueberry

I took a long break from blogging, but I did not take a break from fostering kittens and cats. This special Feline Friday post is all about my former foster bottle kitten named Blueberry!

I never planned to bottle feed kittens when I started fostering. Bottle feeding unexpectedly fell in my lap when my former foster kitten, Sophie, become ill and could not feed her 6 kittens. I continued to foster for a year and half with out giving much thought to bottle feed ever again much less sign up to do it! However, earlier this year, I started to think about the tiny and vulnerable kittens that needed a chance. I did not want to stop fostering the bigger kittens and cats, but I also felt the determination to help the the smaller kittens that are in need. So, I started doing my research and preparing my home for a safe place for bottle kittens. I was approved to bottled feed, and soon came along Blueberry!

Blueberry was a 3 1/2 week old kitten that was part of a litter of 5 born from a feral cat. Some kind people had been feeding this feral mother cat. They noticed the mother cats moving her kittens to another location, but she never came back for Blueberry . The people stepped in and starting contacting rescues, but in the meantime they bottle fed Blueberry until the rescue I volunteered for agreed to take in Blueberry. I met with Blueberry’s rescuer, and she handed me a sweet long haired kitten she already named Blueberry.

Blueberry was an easy bottle kitten. She ate with vigor and was already starting to learn the litter box. She had an URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) that we started treating right away. I fed Blueberry day and night for 2 1/2 weeks until Blueberry started to show an interest in kitten canned food. So, we began the weaning process. The weaning process can be fun, but it is always a mess. Kittens don’t just stop the bottle and go straight to canned food. Every kitten moves at their own pace, but Blueberry was a fast learner and was ready for straight canned food in just 2 days. My little bottle kitten was growing up faster than I anticipated. I eventually introduced her to the dry food, and she was a happy girl!

Ranger was mesmerized by Blueberry, and Blueberry was fascinated with Ranger. Marmalade was fine just watching from afar. Although I can do my best to care for Blueberry, I am not a cat that can teach her what only another cat will show her. Ranger stepped in a did just that. I was in awe of how Ranger took on this role with a bottle kitten. He was gentle and showed Blueberry the ropes.

With every bottle kitten, they graduate from my home to the next home within the rescue. Now that Blueberry was weaned and ready to play, she needed to be with kittens closer to her size. I was so proud of Blueberry and how fast she adapted to each change. I drove my little Blueberry to the rescue with happy tears where she immediately blended in with kittens within her age range. Ranger on the other hand was not pleased that I took his buddy Blueberry away! He missed his friend, but I promised him that there would be more to save.

While Blueberry was making friends at her new foster home, I got a text from the people that rescued Blueberry. They located the 4 remaining siblings of Blueberry. They scooped the kittens up and I met them again to pick up Blueberry’s siblings that were now 6 weeks old. Blueberry was reunited with her four siblings again. The rescuers also had their mother cat spayed and released back where they continue to feed her daily without having to worry about more kittens born outside.

To make this happy rescue story even better, Blueberry was adopted! She was not adopted to just anyone, but Blueberry was adopted by her original rescuers! That’s right! The people that saved her came back for her again! Blueberry now has a loving forever family with 2 cats that can show her the ropes now!

Blueberry’s four siblings, Strawberry, Raspberry, Kiwi & Blackberry, were also adopted to loving forever families! This is a true success! Not only does fostering save lives, but rescuing saves lives!