Hi! This is Ella. My Air Force family moved to Colorado last summer. Just before we moved here, our sweet Border Collie/Golden Retriever mix, Teddy, passed away at a ripe old age. After that, my mom, Janelle, and I felt something missing. Animals. I had always had Teddy, and since my mom’s dad is a veterinarian, my mom grew up around animals too. We wanted to adopt a cat. But my dad worried that I and my three little siblings would leave all the cleaning-up-after-the-cat to him. He told us that we could get a cat once we stopped moving. I needed some way to prove that I could responsibly care for a cat.

It started with cat-sitting, but I could tell right off that cat-sitting just wouldn’t cut it. Working at a cat shelter seemed the obvious work-around. I searched the internet for shelters near Colorado Springs. There were many of them, but none of them felt just right. Then I stumbled across Wild Blue Cats. (It helped that the name is partially taken from the Air Force Anthem. “Off we go, into the wild blue yonder.”) After filling out the Volunteer Application, my mom drove me to the volunteer orientation. Once there, I realized I had a couple choices. I could work with the sanctuary kitties, the feral cats in Maya’s Village, adoption fairs, or foster kittens. My mom felt sure I would choose the sanctuary kitties. But I realized that working at the sanctuary was very similar to cat sitting. It would not persuade my dad to let me get a cat any sooner. What might? Caring for adorable kittens in our very home. Now I am about a year into fostering, and loving it! In addition to cuddling tiny balls of fluff, I have learned all sorts of new skills. These include but are not limited to: giving kittens medicine orally, giving fluids (which involves a needle *shudder*), and feeding newborn kitties. I can’t wait to see what new experiences Wild Blue and their awesome team of volunteers throws at me next!

P.S. My dad wants a cat now.