Hannah Conway
Dog and cat lovers everywhere, we need to agree that it’s time to set your differences aside – am I right?
As you are about to witness a caring dog who took a pair of sky kittens into her care
Kona’s owner fostered two kittens – Chester and Blair – who were about 10-12 weeks old and found in a New York City backyard in December.
Kona was currently living in a kitten-free home, and it was only a matter of time before the three bonded – as Kona knew exactly the needs of both the kittens.
“Kona is such a wonderful, selfless dog that we couldn’t help but be curious about what pushed Kona to become a mama for other animals as well,” Asa, foster parent to the three.
Asa has fostered over 164 animals and found them their ‘forever homes’, and she told us as to why she started to foster:
“Fostering is my way of giving back to the animals. I’ve always loved dogs since I grew up with 3 of them (4 at one point). I had kind of a broken family and my dogs were the one constant in life, and as an only child, I leaned on them a lot for consolation. They brought me so much joy throughout my childhood and I knew I wanted to give back somehow, and fostering is my way of giving back.”
Given her answer, it was not a surprise that she took in Chester and Blair too!
Asa described how Kona is such a wonderful, selfless dog, and she was so happy to have him as a companion.
“It happened naturally! And it actually blossomed more the longer I fostered. With the first foster kitten she met, she was very excited, but she bonded with her more like a friend rather than as a foster mom. Then, as I fostered more babies (both puppies and kittens), she started to develop more of a babysitter role, and eventually a mama!”
What Asa did not expect was that Chester and Blair would be so shy and afraid of people. Even the local animal rescuer had trouble catching them and bringing them to safety.
“I think maybe she sensed that these two were a lot more reserved and under socialised than the other kittens we’ve fostered recently. She really has the magic touch,” Asa stated.
“I’ve had them for 6 weeks now and they still run away from me (socializing has been quite a slow process for them) but with Kona, they gravitated towards her the moment they saw her on their first days here.
“Blair used to try to nurse on Kona the first couple of weeks, I’m not sure if it was Blair’s way of finding comfort in this new environment, but Kona just patiently laid and let her nibble on her.”
Fostering and looking after so many animals daily cannot be easy, so Asa shared some of the challenges of fostering.
“Fostering can be draining emotionally, physically, financially. For me, I think the emotional aspect is the hardest. I’ve cried letting go of the majority of these fosters and they all feel like a bad breakup. Some fosters I grow a closer bond with than others and those ones are HARD to get over; I’ve cried for 2 weeks straight before!”
The first kitten to arrive was Blair – a cute but timid torbie cat.
“Watching these animals blossom! Whether it be seeing an under socialised kitten or timid dog open up and learn to trust people, watching a kitten or puppy grow up, or being there to experience and witness a dog’s ‘first’ (first time on leash, first bath, first treat, first snow, etc.), each and everyone has their own story and their own way of blossoming and it is just such a rewarding experience being there to witness all this happening.”
Fostering can be challenging – but it’s important to remember that you have to embrace things as they are.
Only one day after Blair’s arrival, Chester the ginger kitten was introduced to Kona and Blair.
Both kittens needed socialisation, as you could tell that they had little to no human contact in their lives.
Since Kona was experienced in being a parent to fostered cats, this was no problem. She loved taking care of them and showing them love until they found a forever home.
After a few baths and some cuddles, the kittens were reassured of their safety and were clearly smitten with all the love from Kona.
Slowly but surely, the shy kittens came out of there shell and even interacted with Kona’s owner, Asa.
Asa wrote on Instagram:
A few baths and cuddles later, the kittens were reassured of their safety and overwhelmed by all the love Kona had to give. Slowly, the shy kittens became more confident and recently, they even interacted with Kona’s owner Asa too. Asa wrote on her Instagram, “These two nuggets opened up to mama Kona immediately, but it’s been a much slower process with me. With that said, in the past week, they’ve started to: eat food out of my hand, purr when petted, fall asleep near me and even play right in front of me.
I’m sure we wouldn’t have even made this much progress in the first week if it weren’t for Kona, though, so thanks, mama Kona!”
With Kona’s unconditional love and support, the three of them have been a cuddle-puddle ever since.
