Ellen Richter recently fostered an adorable kitten named Hadley and their story warmed my heart on so many levels. Let’s rewind the story from the beginning!
Ellen is better known under the handle Foster Kitten Tails on Instagram, where she regularly posts about her foster cats and kittens and their amazing stories.
Just recently she posted a picture of a kitten that came to her in desperate need of help. This little sweetheart was named Hadley and was found alone in a woman’s backyard.
The woman noticed mama cat moving her kittens away from her backyard, but unfortunately, she never came back for Hadley.
The woman waited for the cat to return, hoping little Hadley was not abandoned. Unfortunately, this was the case.
She immediately reached out to Ellen, knowing she was perfectly capable of fostering the little kitten.
Ellen took Hadley in without hesitation, although she knew it was about to be tricky. Hadley was only 5-7 days old, and she needed care around the clock.
Her foster mom would wake up every two hours during the night, just to bottle feed her. Ellen made her a special spot in her home, as she said in her post:
“She’ll be in her own area, quarantined and bottle-fed, to ensure she’s healthy and has no possible contagious skin issues.”
In the first week, Ellen didn’t notice anything concerning about little Hadley. She was nursing like a champ, pooping regularly, and gaining weight like any other healthy kitten.
This is when Ellen got an amazing idea, but she wasn’t quite sure if it was gonna work. At the same time, she was fostering a mama cat named Liberty and her adorable litter.
Ellen wanted to introduce little Hadley to the mama cat, hoping she could nurse together with her kittens.
It was a struggle at first, but Ellen managed to introduce little Hadley! As she shared in an update:
“It’s been a bit of a challenge introducing, but we’re getting there. I’m happy she’s able to spend time with other kittens, as well as getting some of mama’s milk. It’s full of nutrition and will help her be healthy.”
However, Hadley was nursing on mama Liberty just for a couple of days when things started going backward.
The kittens would attack poor Hadley and Ellen had to always bottle feed her afterwards as she was not getting enough milk!
To make matters worse, Hadley lost her appetite and got diarrhea. Ellen was afraid for her well-being, so she spent every spare minute caring for the little one.
It took almost four days for Hadley’s appetite to come back and luckily the diarrhea stopped as well.
She started growing and eating more, and in just a few weeks she grew up to be a healthy and active kitten!
Meanwhile, Ellen rescued another stray mama cat and her litter. Naming her Darcy, Ellen soon realized that she was caring for Hadley as if she were one of her own!
Hadley became best friends with mama Darcy’s kittens and they would jump around, play, and even nap together!
A couple that has been following Hadley’s journey on Instagram reached out to Ellen. They were hoping to adopt her and give her a loving home!
It was hard saying goodbye to her, but Ellen knew she was on her way to a better place! As she shared in a goodbye post:
“I’m so happy to see you thrive and can now start the next adventure, surrounded by love and happiness.”
Thanks to Ellen and her dedication, Hadley went from an abandoned little kitten to a healthy and playful cat!
I’m so grateful for the hard work Ellen does in providing these poor felines with a loving foster home and a second chance at life!
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