Rosebud’s Petal: Dakin’s Kitten Street Team
Throughout her first year volunteering with Dakin's Kitten Street Team (KST) Ali has learned that nothing about the work is predictable. "I knew this kind of work would present unique challenges," she joked, "but man was I baptized by fire!" Just before marking her first year as a KST volunteer, one final call came in that highlighted the persistence and patience at the heart of this lifesaving work.
Just before Thanksgiving, Pam, a neighborhood caretaker, reached out to Ali about a new brown and white tabby appearing at feeding time. The cat was staying in the winter shelters and seemed to be eating well. Most of the cats in this particular group have already been spayed and neutered, so a newcomer always raises some questions.
The Monday after the holiday, Ali set a trap, and by early afternoon, the new cat wandered in. Ali brought her home for the evening, where she could curl up in a soft bed, named her Rosebud, and in the morning brought her to Dakin. While she didn't appear pregnant, there were some signs that she might be nursing. That possibility brought Ali back to where she discovered Rosebud, checking the neighborhood, listening for kittens, and posting flyers. The first snow of the season was settling in, but there were no noticeable signs of kittens.
A few days later, after a call with Dakin, Ali learned that it was likely Rosebud indeed had hidden kittens somewhere. Ali's determination to find them intensified. The odds were stacked against her, but she felt strongly that her only option was to try.
Ali bundled up and walked the neighborhood again, playing cat cries and listening intently for kitten sounds. She walked for hours in the cold and distributed over thirty flyers.
At the very last house on the block, behind Pam's house, Ali was ready to turn home, but something in her gut was nagging at her. Ali recalled, "I figured there might be a second entry in the back. I almost turned around to go home, but something made me walk up the driveway to check." And, there it was, tucked out of sight--a second entrance into the multi-family home she hadn't searched yet. As she approached the hidden stoop, she heard an unmistakable sound. A single kitten was crying.
Rosebud, it turned out, had broken into the home's basement to keep her baby warm. "It took a good amount of convincing to get the tenants to let me into the basement," Ali shared. "But, the second I hit the landing on the stairs, a single kitten came crawling out from under the furnace and straight to me." Before leaving, Ali checked for others, but there was just the one.
The small kitten was cold and dehydrated, but alive. On her way home, Ali's husband prepared for their arrival by warming towels. And, with some guidance from veteran Kitten Street Team member Anna, and overnight support, the kitten stabilized. In the morning, she was named Petal.
The next day, Petal was reunited with Rosebud, and the pair is now in a foster home together. Rosebud quickly resumed caring for her kitten, who, thanks to Ali's persistence and her foster's care, is growing stronger every day.
As always, we are so grateful for the incredible dedication of our Kitten Street Team members who pour so much love and care into their lifesaving efforts. And, we are equally grateful for our team of foster caregivers who are ready with open hearts to provide steady, behind-the-scenes comfort and care for animals to recover.