Rare and expensive species seem to dazzle everyone. They are preferred over the local breeds or what we dismissively refer to as mutts. It doesn’t matter if you are a cat or dog lover, your affinity for a type of animal can be an expensive. Some breeds can go in the thousands of dollars. Some would argue it is less about a favourite breed and more about a status symbol. True animal lovers, however, should not forget stray animals. They also need help and love. Every year, millions of animals end up in shelters waiting for their forever families.With absent mothers, the tiny felines are bottle-fed every couple of hours, a task requiring time and patience by the already over worked staff in shelters. According to a report by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 7.6 million “companion animals” are picked up by shelters across the country, annually. Of those numbers, 3.9 million are dogs, and 3.4 million are cats.
Furthermore, cats are more likely to be euthanized than dogs.
The team boasts that in 2016 alone the shelter took in 4,790 animals in need. 2,851 of those found new homes, 1,149 lost creatures were returned to their homes, 476 animals were given a second chance with shelter partners, and 6,586 were spayed or neutered. Additionally, 422 kittens were saved from being euthanized.
The staff reacted immediately, they started sending out emails, and calling foster homes. Since the little kittens came in without their mother, they needed to be bottle-feed every couple of hours. Hence, fostering them by the end of the day itself was imperative.
Peter, a rather cheerful guy who started fostering out of sheer love for animals, was more than willing to take them in. When he took the kittens in, they were barely two weeks old. Peter named the felines after famous artists like Frieda Kahlo and Monet.
People like Peter are part of the New Hope Foster program. They play a key role ensuring kittens like these ones have a chance at life.
