06/14/2026
*I had someone say tonight that maybe the reason the Humane Society cut its vouchers to us is because I've let kittens die. After you read this post I hope you see why so many rescuers quit. It's not just a cruel world for the cats.*
So when you're scrolling on facebook you'll see all kinds of different cat rescues posting about them trapping for TNR, and a head wound here and an amputation there... You don't usually hear about how someone has been keeping a kitten alive by syringe feeding them every hour. You won't be told that they have Fading Kitten Syndrome or that their organs are shutting down. You won't know their syringe feedings run right through their little failing digestive systems and that they are pooping slimy blood. Rescuers won't tell you that they are probably the only reason a little critter is staying alive and that if they accidentally fall asleep on the couch from exhaustion it might be their fault the baby dies.
This one is still hanging on. I'll try and make it through another night. Just made myself a cup of tea and my Slim Fast powder didn't make it into my cup. Set it all back up in my Keurig and walked away. Wondered why it was so quiet in the kitchen. I never closed the top. That's sleep deprivation. At least I didn't drink the kitten milk powder.
The truth is, unless a rescue posts about a sick or injured cat and donations come in, and the public asks for updates, you probably will never know that they are witnessing deaths on a regular basis. Sometimes weekly or daily if they take in a sick litter. People thank me for what I do. They like to tell me that it takes a special kind of person to do this. It does. Sometimes though, after too many loses, I don't like being this kind of special.
Valorie.
***Peanut didn't make it through the night. Now I focus on the next one in the litter that has suddenly taken a turn downhill.
