My family moved back to Colorado Springs about a year ago after my husband, Tim, retired from the Coast Guard.  We have lived in 9 states together and are so excited to retire here and grow some roots!!  I have a daughter who is in college, a son who is in high school and a son who is in middle school.  When your family moves every 2-4 years, it’s hard to get involved in activities knowing you will be leaving soon.  So, when my middle son wanted to get a kitten and his dad wasn’t ready for the 18-year commitment, we decided to check around for volunteer opportunities.  We found Wild Blue Cats and thought fostering kittens would be fun…I mean who wouldn’t love a steady stream of kittens to love??

We went through the application process and got our first kittens in January 2020.  Our timing couldn’t have been better…. little did we know at that time that a pandemic was coming and what better way to spend days upon days in your house, but caring for kittens??  They have been a wonderful distraction and have given us a sense of purpose during this difficult time.  I think most fosters start off thinking that fostering is just feeding and playing with cute, healthy kittens (and so did I).  I quickly learned that most of the kittens that come our way are from difficult situations where they have not been provided with the care and love they need.  Many times, they are scared, hungry and sick.  I love that I have been able to help 30+ mama cats and kittens get healthy and find homes, plus I have learned so much about their care and how to help them.

Other volunteer jobs I do at Wild Blue is to take cats each week to Petco on Prominent Point.  These cats stay for a week in hopes of being adopted from the “condos” at the store.  I also put together the medical charts that each cat/kitten gets at intake.  These charts keep records of all the things the cat receives (vaccines, tests, medicine, etc).  I was also recently asked to be a foster mentor.  Mentors help other fosters by getting them the supplies they need for their kittens, answering questions and helping them with the process of getting their kittens ready for adoption.

I have volunteered at several other animal groups.  I love Wild Blue because it is organized and there is always someone to help you out and answer your questions.  They also go above and beyond to help with cats that come into their care, where other organizations may not be willing to give that cat a chance.   Thanks Wild Blue for saving so many kitties lives!!!