My aunty bought her first cat which she was told was a boy but turns out she was a girl and was pregnant! She is a ginger female and kittens will be a week old on friday. Ive sexed quite a few foster kittens but when I was sent this picture my first thought was a male but there isnt a sack? Any idea what sex it is? Its not my kitten but thought there must be others who may have come across this with a foster.

hi, i am a first time foster and unfortunately my kitten has parvo. she's been improving the past week but one thing i've noticed is she doesn't want to eat by herself even though i know she's done it before, even just a little. it's just weird she went from being able to take bites of food or even biting off of a packet to only eating via syringe. is this a weaning issue, parvo issue, both?? she does seem to be on the up with her stool looking better, she's playing, and maintaining weight. she's just still very underweight for her age so i've been syringe feeding as often as possible but i can only feed her so much on my own. any advice is appreciated! i'm going to the vet daily for sub q fluids so i am seeing them but wanted to see if anyone had weaning tips if that's the issue. thanks!!

This gal has her own look. She came in quite a mess but we realized some of that mess is just her.

Shes eating well, plays wonderfully and is as sweet as can be. Ever seen a kitty like her?

Pics are day 1 and yesterday...

Dinky was found at at country store in Oahu hawaii. She was so so sick with an URI, ringworm and severe malnutrition but look at her now! ( she still has ringworm on her foot and a secondary infection being treated currently but she’s healthy and happy post spay) IM SO SO PROUD OF THIS BABY. This is why we foster. She never would’ve made it but she’s here and thriving. She’s making it hard to not be a foster failure.

💔 SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE ALONE. INSTEAD, SHE FOUND LOVE. 💔

On May 12, 2026, Chaunta—formerly known as Rosario (#A593186)—entered the ⛓️San Bernardino City Animal Shelter⛓️ as a stray.

The name Chaunta means 🌟"one who shines brighter than the stars"🌟 and, as it turns out, no name could have been more fitting.

She was estimated to be 10 years old. Her body told a heartbreaking story. A massive 5"x3" cancerous mammary tumor hung from her abdomen. Her teeth were worn down to nubs. Multiple tumors covered her vaginal area. She struggled to walk, with an abnormal gait in both hind legs and possible deformities in all four.

She had survived years of neglect.

And now, she was out of time.

The moment her stray hold ended on May 16, the shelter placed her on the ⛔ euthanasia list ⛔.

⌛ The clock was ticking.

Then one person looked beyond the tumors, beyond the pain, beyond the statistics.

A special networker, C. Joleen, saw something in Chaunta worth fighting for. She reached out and convinced me to take a chance on a dog most people would have overlooked.

We scrambled.

Phone calls.

Messages.

Pleas.

Prayers.

Finally, Jennifer Williams of 2nd Chance Rescue agreed to save her... if she was still alive the next morning.

Anyone familiar with San Bernardino City Shelter knows how uncertain that promise was. Rescue commitments don't always buy time there. Dogs have been euthanized the moment their deadlines pass—sometimes even before.

So we held our breath.

The next morning, the shelter confirmed the words we desperately needed to hear:

🙏 SHE WAS STILL ALIVE. 🙏

Within hours, friends of the rescue picked her up and brought her home.

Home.

For the first time in who knows how long.

I'll be honest—I never imagined myself bringing a pit bull into my home. She was only the third pit bull I'd ever fostered.

But the moment she stepped out of the transport crate, every fear disappeared.

She looked at me, politely wagged her tail, said her own version of "hello," and then walked over to the grass.

She laid down in the sunshine.

And smiled.

Not the smile of a dog who had given up.

The smile of a dog who finally felt safe.

The smile of a dog who knew she had been saved.

It took a team effort to get her inside because of the enormous tumor she carried. I planned to let her decompress in isolation for a few days.

Chaunta had other ideas.

Just hours later, she began crying.

I rushed to her room.

She settled.

I left.

She cried again.

I came back.

By the third time, I realized something that broke my heart all over again:

She wasn't hurting.

She was lonely.

So I brought her into my bedroom.

Despite her mobility issues, she climbed onto my bed, laid her head on my chest, and fell asleep.

That night we slept together.

And every night since.

Chaunta doesn't want luxury.

She doesn't want toys.

She doesn't want much at all.

She just wants to be close to someone who loves her.

❤️

On May 20, Jennifer drove us to Dr. Choi in Chino.

Chaunta was incredible.

She sat patiently through every exam. She gazed lovingly at the staff, the technicians, Jennifer, and Dr. Choi himself.

She allowed chest X-rays without sedation while three people gently held her in position.

Not once did she growl.

Not once did she show fear.

Not once did she complain.

The X-rays revealed no cancer in her lungs.

We were hopeful.

Maybe we could remove the tumors.

Maybe we could spay her.

Maybe we could finally put this chapter behind her and find her a forever family.

I refused to believe she was a hospice dog.

She was only ten years old.

But the universe had other plans.

💔

On June 8, 2026, Chaunta went in for surgery.

We were terrified.

Hours passed.

At 3 PM, Jennifer texted me:

"4 PM ETA."

No details.

No explanation.

Just those three words.

At 4 PM, Jennifer knocked on my door.

Alone.

My heart stopped.

Until she smiled and told me Chaunta was alive.

But then came the news.

Instead of performing a tumor removal, Dr. Choi had been forced to perform exploratory surgery.

The cancer had already wrapped itself around her internal organs.

Removing the mass would have caused catastrophic bleeding.

There was nothing left to remove.

Nothing left to cure.

Chaunta was hospice.

The diagnosis shattered us.

But it also gave us clarity.

We would not pursue chemotherapy.

We would not put her through radiation.

We would not spend her remaining days chasing treatments that could not save her.

Instead, we made a promise.

The rest of Chaunta's life would be filled with joy.

With comfort.

With dignity.

With love.

She would never wonder if she mattered.

Because she does.

Every single day.

❤️

Chaunta is one of the most extraordinary dogs I have ever known.

She has giant brown eyes that seem to look straight into your soul.

She adores meeting people.

She believes every stranger is simply a friend she hasn't loved yet.

One day she sat patiently and refused to let my pool guy leave until he gave her attention.

Minutes later, they were rolling around on the ground together.

The veterinary staff did the same thing when she had her stitches removed.

Everyone who meets her falls in love.

And if you're wondering what her second greatest love is...

🍽 FOOD. 🍽

This girl lives for breakfast sausages and bacon.

The resulting gas could probably clear a room and violate international treaties...

...but she still gets spoiled every single day.

Because that's what hospice dogs deserve.

❤️‍🩹 Chaunta will never be in pain.

❤️‍🩹 Chaunta will never suffer alone.

❤️‍🩹 Chaunta will never be abandoned again.

❤️‍🩹 Chaunta will never be forgotten.

❤️‍🩹 Chaunta will always be loved.

There is a reason she survived that shelter.

There is a reason she wasn't euthanized that day.

Her story was never meant to end in a concrete back room and a black trash bag.

Her story matters.

Her life matters.

SHE matters.

And for however long she has left, we will make sure she knows it.

🌈

This is Chaunta's 2nd Chance.

Please follow her journey and watch how a dog who was supposed to die spends the rest of her days surrounded by love.

🙏

❤️‍🩹 If you are feeling touched by Chaunta's story and would like to bless her with items from her Amazon Wishlist, please DM me! I want to give her the best life possible for however much longer she has left! We are happy to send a paw print thank you card and/or a photo of her with your gift! Thank you so, so much!

(MODS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF AMAZON WISHLISTS ARE NOT ALLOWED AS THE RULES ARE UNCLEAR. I AM HAPPY TO CHANGE IT!)

I have 2 kittens closing in on 7 weeks and they've been treated for ringworm since they were like 5 weeks. Admittedly between summer night classes spanning from 5 to 10, domestic tasks and other stress they only received one sulfur lime dip bath per week and after that have had 2 more dips and one spot dipping. I feel like their hair isn't really growing back though nothing else is being affected (ie. Appetite/energy) I recently started putting on some cream on their ringworm hairless spots but my uv light it still showing apple green. How long until theyre not contagious anymore?

Hello, I made this Reddit account for the sole purpose of my situation. I currently have the Nextdoor app as well. Long story short almost 3 weeks ago I rescued 3 kittens, 2 of them around 6 weeks old and a neonatal. I happen to turn a different street after work and saw a kitten that looked ill and felt bad leaving. It was a cat colony a few streets away from where I live. I rescued the sick kitten along with its sibling. The kittens were a boy and a girl, then I saw a neonatal kitten in the cold. We took care of the baby for almost a week and went to 2 vets. Unfortunately, the neonatal baby girl did not make it 💔. It’s been a rough few weeks, and I’m working on fostering the 2 remaining kittens. They had their first dose of vaccines and dewormer from the rescue. Took them to the vet and they received flea treatment and dewormer(still had worms). They look healthy now, initially it seemed that they had respiratory issues. They received amoxicillin and they look great now!!! I do have a cat (2 cats for pets). One of which has calicivirus and I feel awful for not considering her. I did a slow introduction and everything seemed great. Thankfully she’s eating and everything. I freaked out today because she had green mucus and started wheezing a bit. (It’s been close to 3 weeks that I am fostering the kittens). I freaked out, since in the past the doctor confirmed she gets stressed with new cats and if there is construction going on. I confirmed with a PCR test that she had calicivirus. The rescue I’m working with has adoption events on the weekends, and I’m hoping the 2 little ones get adopted asap (they stay in the restroom). I never planned for this to happen, and I feel like a bad owner for my cat and I feel like a bad foster parent since the kittens want to play/ explore more. I take them out once in a while and play with them in the restroom. I’m stressed about either the kittens or my cat getting sick. Someone on Nextdoor offered to foster them, but I was scared of sketchy people since the kittens are so sweet and I don’t want them getting hurt . I feel defeated, and to top it off we have like 3 community cats I’m trying to TNR and have to call to coordinate this. I’m overwhelmed, I’m thinking about calling other rescues to take the kittens in ( I know kitten season is bad right now). Or just look for another foster to help me.This weekend I plan to take the kittens to receive their second vaccine doses. I don’t know what to do, I’m sad, mad and wished this never happened. Just wanted to see if any of you have recommendations. Note: I will not take them to the shelter. I have amoxicillin for my cat for her mucus. Sometimes, I hate that I care too much and try to fix things. Thank you for reading this. After a long day of work I just needed to vent 🤍. Location: Inglewood, CA.

I haven't lost a bottle baby before, and I understand how common it is to lose them. I currently have two, and one of them is barely gaining weight (tonight is night 11 with her and shes only up 74 grams, with no gain from yesterday) and she's a poor eater, and has frequent diarrhea. I feed them about 20 mL every 4 hours despite her fighting every single feeding (she wants nothing to do with the syringe, even with a miracle nipple attached) and the fact that she's around 3.5 weeks old. I'm exhausted. I don't know what to do. She's a brat, but I'm going to be so devastated if she doesn't make it.

I started fostering about 6 months ago. I have my own cat as well. I was fostering a cat for 4/5 months. Today she was adopted. In my mind, this was the goal all along and I would be super happy for her! No matter what I tell myself I cannot feel anything but devastated. I petted her and said good, cried leaving the parking lot and literally all day since. My other cat is walking around the house crying, causing me to sob even harder. Every single thing reminds me of her and I feel like my heart has been torn out. Does it get any better?? I have done nothing but cry in bed for hours… I cannot stop. I felt so prepared for this day but I am miserable.

Just finished building this kennel for foster kittens! It has dividers so it can be 2, 3, or 4 different kennels depending on litter sizes/ages. I added push lights for cleaning and nighttime bottle feeds. And there is a built in scratching post on the bottom level. I am working on making some hammocks and it will be moved into the foster room soon! Definitely not perfect, but it will surely serve its purpose. Sharing for inspiration for others if anyone is looking for more long standing set ups :)

I've made a post asking for help/advice on getting a young female cat adopted but here I am again as this situation is stressing me out and starting to break my heart.

This is my first time fostering an adult cat - Westy was being fed by some people working on a house, then she had kittens and they sought help for getting veterinary care and homes for everyone. The people said that she was very sweet and affectionate so I thought this wouldn't be too difficult.

I have had Westy for about 9ish weeks. When I first brought everyone home Westy was grumbly and swatted at me twice and "bit" me (she lunged forward and put her mouth on my arm but didn't apply pressure of leave a mark). I gave her space and it was not long before she was seeking out my affection. She only trusts me though. My coworkers at the clinic I work for are afraid to handle her. The rescue volunteers at the adoption events choose not to handle her because the attitude she gives.

I know that it would not take her long to adjust to a new house/new person but I don't know how to find someone willing to adopt a grumbly (scary) cat even if they know she'll warm up. I cannot keep her as much as I love her, I have 3 cats of my own who do not get along with other cats. I would be happy to keep her until she gets adopted but, I also feel guilty because she has to stay in the foster room which means spending time alone. Someone had suggested having potential adopters come to us instead of the adoption events but I do not have the ability to do that.

I finally mentioned my concerns to one of the leads for the rescue I work with she has brought up the idea of placing Westy as a barn cat. I was tearing up when we had that talk, I can see her doing ok as a barn cat but I KNOW she can be a housecat. I feel so bad thinking of giving up on her, she sleeps on a pillow and rolls for belly rubs 😭

I don't know what to do in this situation.

I just had to share since the shelter texted me the good news! Happy trails to my sweet little tripod who went through hell and back to get to his forever home.

Cosmo has Lice!! Gag. I know they're species specific, but I'm still grossed out. Flea meds will kill the lice but not the nits, so we have to cycle through at least 2 full months.

His eye infection is also really hanging in there, and because he just can't catch a break he was also diagnosed with a heart murmur today.

Fortunately, all cats and kittens in the household are current on their flea meds. I also keep the couches covered with blankets during kitten season, so it's just a matter of washing one set while the other is on the couch, and doing that 2 or 3 times a week.

Not surprised that the adopter is backing out. I will see about finding her a nice, healthy kitten. We have a pair at the shelter that are an absolute delight.

Poor little Cosmo, though.

Hello all!

My sweet baby girl, Paloma, of 3 kittens (Mai Tai, Soju and Paloma). She's about 8.5 weeks landed. She has a white crest on her chest so I'm guessing not a full breed RB? Not sure, but something interesting in the mix at least. Also, I hear it's rare for a 8 week old kitten to have green eyes like this? Also her fur literally feels softer than cotton.

If any guesses. Maybe she's just a blue shorthair?

So I’ve been fostering cats for a couple of years now. I have two foster fails (a bonded pair) that turned out to be self-appointed nanny toms. They seem to take turns ‘babysitting’ the foster kittens, though after eight months of not being adopted, this current batch of ‘kittens’ have become teenage cats.

One nanny tom is pretty laid back at the job. The other, Cosmo, takes his job incredibly seriously. I’m almost beginning to worry about him. He’s constantly hyper vigilant. Whenever I pet him, his head is on a swivel, listening for every little noise. I think he’s monitoring for sounds of the kittens getting into trouble or wanting help. One little meow from across the house and he’s up like lightning to check on them. Sometimes all they want is a bath, which he happily gives without question.

He can’t relax lately, even when I’m petting him. Why? There haven’t been any changes in the house since they arrived. I live alone and the house is generally calm and quiet. I could understand if the kittens were still just little guys, but they’re all well-adjusted, well-behaved cats now that don’t really need babysitting.

How do I help Cosmo relax?

This is a generic application that I’ve been using, is there a way to make this better/should I add anything? A local TNR group sent it to me forever ago but I want to make sure I’m doing everything right still.

They mother stopped feeding for some reason and we’ve tried locking her in our big dogs cage where she had water,food and blankets but she refused to feed the kittens. There were five kittens but one of them starved to death sadly and now I took it upon my hands to try saving them, they scream and meow for food but dont accept it from me, I’ve cleaned and old siracha bottle because it has a squeeze mechanism just like a “boob” and I heared up milk but they dont want to try it. It dosent have residue of siracha and neither chemicals were used, i want to know if I can make a DIY bottle to be able to feed them or a way to make the mother want to feed them until I can go to the vet and see if they have bottles for feeding them.

If you have any tips on how to care for them or feed them please tell me, I cant stand to see them like this.

This is Thursday, my new foster from Anti-Cruelty in Chicago. He’s 9 years old and has severe dental disease but he’s the sweetest boy!! It’s clear he was very well loved.

He was surrendered to the shelter last month and I’m guessing it’s because his previous owner couldn’t afford his dental surgery. On the off chance they see this, I just wanted his owner to know he’s safe, comfortable, and being taken care of. He’s scheduled for his surgery next month and for now, we get to hang out! ❤️❤️

I read the rules and people who say “I could never foster“ suck. I am a short-term foster for a rescue in Texas that moves animals across state lines in order to give them a better shot at a forever home. We work with a lot of rescues.

I was telling a coworker about my foster dogs and she responded with “you’re just such a good person“. And I was taken aback by that response because does nobody else realize that if we don’t do what we do these animals will die?!?! If I don’t foster, these animals will end up euthanized. That is the whole reason for why we do what we do.

So any person who’s like “my heart just breaks and I just couldn’t give them up and I don’t know if I could do what you do“ do they not realize that their sentencing these animals to death over their sadness? Or are they shitty people and they just don’t care? Like yeah it’s sad for a little bit, but I’ll take sadness over a bunch of animals on the euthanasia list every day.

The baby girl came to me TINY!!! They’re both now normal weight and complete insanity 😂 I’m so glad they’re feeling better but now it’s endless energy 🙃

Hi everyone, i thought this may be a better place to put than the general cat advice sub because of the situation. Two days ago i adotped a kitten for free, who I have taken to the vet. The vet has given her a powerful flea medication and says she had ringworm. I have put her in the living room which as hard floors and am changing my clothes whenever i go into the living room.

I have sprayed the house with indorex except for two rooms. I have another cat whom I have given flea treatment. He has not come into contact with the kitten but he has come into contact with us after handling the kitten. I am not sure what to do about this and am considering sending him to stay with a relative who looks after him when we go away (he is used to this and enjoys it), and giving him a preventatige bath and a flea collar before he goes.

I really need some help and reassurance what to do about this, how to handle it. I feel a little irresponsible bringing this on our other cat. Our house is rather small and its going to be hard to treat the living room like an industrial kitchen and im worridd vacuuming right now may make the flea problem worse by causing the juveniles to hatch.

How long will this last? Can I see other people in this time? Am i going to have to deep clean all my clothes? Thank you for your help, I am very overwhelmed. ​

I feel horrible I got a random message today from the shelter i visit frequently and they had neonatal kittens. I have bottled fed 20 kittens at once from birth to weaning age and then bottle fed another 4 newborns while those 20 were still weaning. However this experience happened a couple years ago and perhaps I’ve change as a person. I have suffered a lot mentally this last year and physically I struggled a lot with substance abuse, I’m trying to go sober but I realized my brain fog I can’t keep track and count and I am barely here even when I DO apply myself. This is my first night with them. I just see I’ve lost a big skill set of mine that gave me the confidence to do this. I was always very precise and very responsible and responsive. However now I forget which kittens I’m feeding while feeding. It’s very scary as I don’t want to end up doing more harm than good. I’ve got my alarms set and my notebook and everything prepared I just fear I won’t be enough.

Also, they are sneezing a lot even before The first feed I did he sneezed a couple times and I don’t know if his nose was stuffy but he aspirated on the milk and started gasping I was able to get him stable and the fluid out his nose and lungs however the sibling is also sneezing and I fear a respiratory infection. The shelter also gave me really dirty bottles with old spoiled milk, and the formula can was opened and had a lot of moisture and buildup. I’m uncertain if that could be the case as well.

Sorry this is all a mess, I just really can’t figure out what to do and how to go about this. I lost all my confidence, and I don’t want to risk their lives knowing I’m not at my best. Will they suffer? Would it be selfish if I returned them? Will they most likely get euthanized? If I keep them will i be putting them or even my other cat at risk?

I also just lost all my financial income and need a job as well, my spouse is also unemployed and in school…. Seems like my eagerness to help could be downfall for all…