Friday, March 29, 2024
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Rescue Story, Adoption Story and Daily Sketch: Magic and Raven

brush sketch of black kitten
“Magic”, ink brush pen, 4″ x 9″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski
black cat in cage
Magic works her magic on me, rubbing her face against the bars of her cage and purring loudly.

I’d been inspired by a photo of the kitten Magic the evening I’d taken her to the PetSmart and wanted to do a sketch of some sort from it. Well, Magic was adopted just before Valentine’s Day and her sister Raven was adopted over the weekend, and that’s as good a reason as any to feature her in a sketch!

Congratulations to the girls Magic and Raven on winning the hearts and homes of some lucky humans, thanks to the rescuers in Pittsburgh Feral Cat Movement who facilitated their rescue and FosterCat, Inc. who facilitated their adoption!

. . . . . . .

From Feral to Forever Home in Five Months…

black cat outside broken window
Yesterday’s momcat.

Here is their story, beginning in October 2013.

A message posted in the Pittsburgh Feral Cat Movement group about four kittens born to a feral mother who were five to six weeks old. The mother had been trapped and spayed and was still nursing the kittens but was undoubtedly feral so the kittens needed to be trapped and taken in to foster to be socialized. I live not far from there so I agreed to contact the woman, swing by and see if I could capture the kittens. Apparently two kittens had been stolen away by another cat, but I found the mama cat nursing her two little house panther fuzzballs inside the sunroom. Mama leaped through a loose screen in the door and disappeared and it seemed the kittens had as well. But I blocked off the loose screen and went to look for mama cat.

two black kittens in carrier
How things started out.

On returning I heard scuffling inside the porch, entered, grabbed one kitten easily and deposited her into the carrier, then chased and waited and chased and waited for the other one to be cornered. Both safely ensconced in the carrier I let momcat know what was happening and took them off to their foster home.

You can read more and see a few more photos in “Rescued Kittens”.

(I never did catch the other two, or even see them no matter how or when I stopped back. I know they are there, though.)

Their foster person, Jennifer, is a veterinary technician at The Cat Clinic in Pittsburgh, and has been fostering for a long time. Who better than someone who has specialized in cats for the past six years? She had them out of the carrier, cuddling the friendlier one then handing that kitten to her husband Jeremy who also cuddled the kitten and had the kitten up on his shoulder and walking down his back in no time, while Jennifer wrapped the hissy kitten in the towel that was in the carrier as a restraint and the kitten relaxed a bit.

woman holding two black kittens
Jennifer with the kittens.

In December they needed transport to the clinic be spayed. They were pretty civil and were of age and weight to be spayed, then would return to their foster home until space opens up in an offsite adoption place where kittens are often quickly adopted.

two black kittens
Magic and Raven in their carriers.

The foster home, veterinary care and adoption for these cats and many more were arranged by the Pittsburgh Feral Cat Movement, the group of people who rescue and foster for HCMT and Frankie’s Friends who I write about so often. Part of the goal in reducing the number of homeless cats living outdoors is to remove any kittens young enough to be socialized as well as friendly cats, but only if a rescuer and foster home are willing and able to help them. This network of individuals is assisted by HCMT and Frankie’s Friends with donations of food, money and supplies from donors to the organizations.

They had gone to another PetSmart in January, but weren’t quite ready for prime time yet and had to come back to their foster home.

black cat in cage
So long, girls, good luck!

At the beginning of February I transported them to the PetSmart in Monroeville and placed them in their holding cage, hoping against hope that other people would see how beautiful these two black kittens were and that they would be adopted.

And so they were!

If not for all this effort these two female kittens would be ready to breed right now, beginning their own generations of more feral kittens born to cats living outdoors. Instead, they’ve known love and affection from people, good food and fun toys, and they have a loving forever home. That’s a lot of effort for two “unwanted” kittens—time, expense, expertise, effort on the part of a dozen or more people from the woman whose yard they were born in to me as transport, several people in a foster home, volunteers in Pittsburgh Feral Cat Movement and Frankie’s Friends for veterinary services and making arrangements for placement and FosterCat for sponsoring them at the PetSmart. You can help the rescue of more young kittens and the spay and neuter of their mothers and fathers with a donation to the Homeless Cat Management Team or Frankie’s Friends. Click the logo below and read all about it.

. . . . . . .

And some black cats want to know why I’m sketching some other black cat!
two black cats with sketch
Mr. Sushine and Giuseppe want to know why I’m sketching some other black cat.
black cat with sketch
Mimi is not impressed.

Click here to find out how you can help homeless cats and get a gift certificate!

Treats For Homeless Cats And Caretakers


Click here to see other daily sketches.

For a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit my Etsy shop in the “Cat Art and Prints” section.

Read about the reason for the daily sketches in Two Years of Daily Sketches.

And download your free desktop wallpaper calendar for computer or mobile, usually based on a daily sketch.

"Interior With Cat" desktop calendar for wide and HD monitors.
“Interior With Cat” desktop calendar for wide and HD monitors.

"Feline Style Sampler" book of sketches and portraits.
“Feline Style Sampler” cover.

 

A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

Feline Style Sampler

Daily sketches, illustrations, commissioned portraits all in a small coil-bound gift book.

Click here or on the image to read more

or find this book in my Etsy shop.


Browse some rescued cats and kittens!


Subscribe to The Creative Cat e-newsletter for specials on exclusively feline-themed art and merchandise.

 


All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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