For Mel, a foster animal mom at Pumpkin Patch Rescue, some foster animals require less work than others. Tabitha the kitten was one of these that was a natural at the foster home, a breath of fresh air for her foster mom.
Tabitha was first brought to the foster home in late 2021. She was a tiny kitten with a mouth deformity where her teeth were piercing parts of her mouth and causing sores.
Since Mel specializes in fostering cats with special needs, Tabitha was in the right place. Mel would work on providing the medical care that Tabitha needed.
Sweetheart Tabitha
Meanwhile, Tabitha didn’t let her problems bother her. She was very sweet, and, according to Mel:
“She has an incredibly loud purr that starts going as soon as you walk in the room.”
Tabitha healed from her initial surgeries quickly and immediately got comfortable in her foster home. She made friends with the other foster cats, sharing toys and confidently wrestling cats more than twice her size.
Even though Tabitha’s face would sometimes naturally look grumpy or upset, it was just hiding how much of a sweetheart she was. Mel said:
“She is just the cutest thing and has every cat in the house wrapped around her little finger.”
Adoption difficulties
By the end of the year, Tabitha was just about ready to be adopted. But a few months into 2022, some new concerns arose about her dental health.
One doctor thought that she might have stomatitis, which is painful swelling in the mouth. Another specialist didn’t think so. But Mel did know that Tabitha would need a full checkup to see if there were any problems and make sure she was okay.
Mel had planned that Tabitha would be adopted together with Quincy, another foster cat. Quincy was more shy than Tabitha, but he was better with her by his side. Their adoption process was delayed by Tabitha’s dental work and an injury that Quincy was recovering from, but Mel still hoped they would be adopted together one day.
Emotional support friend
At last, Tabitha and Quincy got through their last few struggles, and they were ready to be adopted. They were placed in a foster-to-adopt home, where they would have plenty of time to warm up to the new environment and see if it was a good fit for them.
Tabitha got used to it right away because she was such a confident, easygoing cat. Quincy took a bit longer, but with her at his side, he got used to it. They had found their new forever home.
Mel is so grateful to Tabitha for being such a good friend to Quincy. She said:
“We all agree that pairing Tabitha with Quincy was the way to go. She has always been the most confident kitten and has definitely acted as an emotional support friend to him.”
Not only was Tabitha a breeze to foster, but she ended up helping her foster mom, too. Tabitha’s confidence had made the whole foster home a better place, and now she would share a new home with one of her friends.