While I was leisurely scrolling through my Facebook feed, I stumbled upon a wonderful update on kittens Yeti and May finding their fur-ever homes and one line said:
“Fostering is all about heart. We open ours, so that theirs may grow.”
The post simply touched my heart and I couldn’t resist reading what’s behind it. Then I was eager to share this heartwarming story with you!
Danielle has been a foster parent for many years. Life in her Florida home always buzzes with activities as she constantly takes in new furballs in need.
Since she started this beautiful mission, Danielle has cared for an incredible four hundred kitties. Though she never expected to take in preemies, life had other plans for her.
Since these fragile babies require specialized care, she decided to learn all about it, and preemies began pouring into her home.
Soon Danielle’s life became a whirlwind of kitten care, with plenty of incoming fosters, both preemies and older ones, along with her resident cats.
However, despite the chaos in her home, Danielle found joy in every moment spent with her feline friends.
Sadly, at only 29 years old, Danielle suffered a stroke. This turned her life upside down and her once lively home suddenly felt so silent.
She was forced to stop all her fostering efforts and focus on her recovery instead. Learning to walk normally again, Danielle faced a long road ahead.
Recalling those tough days in her life, Danielle shared in a YouTube video:
“It definitely threw my life for a tailspin. I had a full house of fosters at the time as well as all of my residents. All fostering and rescue got put on hold.”
With each passing day, Danielle made progress, one step at a time. It took six months of recovery before she was back on her feet and able to take care of her precious kittens.
Yeti and May became her first post-stroke fosters. When Danielle welcomed these two preemies, things started to change for the better. Her silent home was filled with cuddles and purrs and everything was alive again.
Yeti and May reminded Danielle how strong and loving she still was, as she shared:
“They proved to me that I could still do this. That I hadn’t “lost the touch”, that I could still juggle it all, and most of all, that I could still be everything they needed me to be.”
While Danielle provided care for these two fragile souls, they became the source of her comfort and helped her feel normal again.
Danielle realized that as much as they needed her, she needed them too, sharing:
“Fostering Yeti and May really gave me a sense of normality back again. They definitely were needing me honestly as much as I needed them at that point.”
Together they made remarkable progress on both sides. While Danielle was getting her life in fostering back on track, Yeti and May thrived under her care.
These adorable kittens gave Danielle a renewed sense of purpose, as she put it:
“Fostering really helped to make me feel like I had a purpose still and it was something that I was always learning within. It’s very special to me.”
Even after Yeti and May found their fur-ever homes, Danielle continued to receive regular updates on their life. This helped remind her of the incredible impact she had on their lives, but also of the one they had on hers, sharing:
“These tiny fragile beans have grown into the most amazing cats, but honestly I’m still not quite sure who rescued who this time.”
That’s where the heart of this wonderful story lies, pointing out that sometimes in saving others we may get saved too!
Leave a comment