Topaz & Opal were defining fosters for me. It was very much a sink or swim situation after responding to an emergency request for help.
These girls were the two survivors that were barely a day old. They were cold, wet, and barely responsive. I had to do 2 hourly round the clock feeds, sub cuts fluids, and constant monitoring. They had many ups and downs then at 3 weeks we lost Opal to pneumonia- and I got a crash course in tube feeding to keep Topaz with us. Topaz fought, she didn’t let tube feeding, cerebellar Hypoplasia, or generally being a tiny imp stop her from growing into a stunning little lady. Topaz is now thriving in her forever home!
These girls cemented my passion for working with neonatal kittens, taught me valuable skills (like tube feeding) – which have already saved the lives of more neonates, and showed me that I was capable of providing the help they need to survive.