April 2, 2012
Marianne says: This beautiful mom, who would become known as Lily, was huddled along with her newborn little girl in a cage at a high-kill Los Angeles area shelter. She was just another stray who had either come to the shelter pregnant or was found and brought in, but with no one claiming her and no one wanting to adopt a nursing mom and kitten her time was up at the shelter and she and her days-old baby were to be killed.

Through social networking, Helen Sanders CatPAWS learned of these two in time and contacted the shelter and arranged their release. They were transported directly from the shelter to a veterinary clinic so that a health evaluation could be done. As is often the case, these two had been exposed to illness at the shelter and had to be quarantined before being placed into foster care and started on antibiotics. The mom, Lily, was stuffy and miserable but would be alright. In a baby as tiny as kitten Paddy was, such a virus can prove fatal. She needed intensive, round-the-clock care which also included bottle-feeding, since sick as mom was her milk had dried up.

Mom Lily rebounded well and was adopted by a charming couple who love her and gave her the home she deserved. For a couple months Paddy remained precarious and was in and out of the clinic, requiring IV fluids and syringe feeding by her devoted foster mom to pull her through the worst of it. It was a frustrating ordeal as her little body continued to battle the persistent virus; the only hope was that she could grow bigger and stronger before illness overwhelmed her. But she is a little fighter, our Paddy, and she did grow bigger and stronger, and would come to be a caregiver and source of comfort in her own right to new kittens as they were rescued and placed into foster care.

There is a term among animal rescuers and foster care providers for those helpless souls in need of healing in body and spirit called "failed foster." What that means is that the foster-care provider, who may have nurtured hundreds of animals, loving them, mending them and sending them on their way, cannot say goodbye to this special one. Such was the outcome for our little Paddy who captured the heart of her foster mom.

On their way to becoming another sad statistic at an overcrowded shelter, Lily and Paddy have instead brought love and joy to those who know them -- and many more who followed their story -- and the world is brighter for them being in it.

All Photos Courtesy of and ©: Marianne
The Helen Sanders Cat Protection and Welfare Society -- Helen Sanders CatPAWS -- in Seal Beach, California, seeks to erase the staggering problem of pet overpopulation and give another chance to helpless cats whose only crime is to be unwanted

Comments and LOLs:
SharonK1973 -
SharonK1973
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THANK YOU.... SO VERY MUCH.
cat2dog1 -
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Thank you for saving these 2 beautiful and loving felines!!!!!! It warms my heart!!!
MomcatSooma -
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MomcatSooma
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Awwww! We see lots of little babies like this at our low cost animal hospital and emergency care center. What a sweet little patient!
MomcatSooma -
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Gabby -
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Gabby
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Beautiful Baby and story - Thank You!!!!!
Darcy -
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Darcy
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Darcy -
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Darcy
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Darcy -
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Girl Cats Mom -
Girl was just diagnosed with Intestinal lymphoma. This story touched my heart. We are running for a cure in this house.
Girl sez: I am way cuter than Paddy. Okay Girl - I agree (but Paddy is pretty cute).
MissyofMissylandia -
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MissyofMissylandia
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What a heartwarming story. I can see the protective desperation in the eyes of this mom here. I am sooo happy that both of them are OK and get the loving care they deserve.
MissyofMissylandia -
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MissyofMissylandia
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What a caring soul
mystera -
mystera
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thank you for that inspiring story and the help you give these little fourpawed angels.
such a protecting mothercat and a cute little baby :) I'm glad they made it and have found loving homes :)
amycats -
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amycats
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Growing to be a beautiful little one!
docsquid -
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docsquid
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Oh, she is gorgeous, as is her momma cat. How wonderful to see her growing into such a beautiful cat, and what a heart-warming story too.
CareAboutCats -
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CareAboutCats
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Great story. Thank you for sharing it and Paddy & Lily.
jojosmom417 -
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jojosmom417
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MissyofMissylandia said it so well-"protective desperation" in Lily's eyes. I'm so happy for the caring folks who rescued these precious babies and gave them a chance at a good life. Thank you all.

And to Girl Cats Mom--my prayers are with you and Girl. May God give the vets the knowledge to help Girl, and give you the strength to endure through this ordeal you're facing. May God bless you all.
Natthecat -
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Natthecat
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A failed foster, indeed. When you have bonded with this sweet girl through so many trials, it's no wonder you cannot bear to give her up. The pictures of Lily and Paddy are unforgettable. Such a rough start they both had. And hurrah for the foster mom.
giovannaciurli -
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giovannaciurli
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THIS KITTEN IN THIS PHOTO,I WILL CAUSE AN INFINITE LOVE TO MY HEART.
I LOVE HIM,SWEET CARESSES!!!!
BEAUTIFUL!!!!
mma -
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mma
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Paddy is precious and her mom too; a happy ending to a precarious beginning.
giovannaciurli -
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giovannaciurli
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BEAUTIFUL AND CUTE KITTENS WITH BIG EYES FULL OF LOVE.
ARE ALL VERY SWEET AND GREAT!!!!
giovannaciurli -
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giovannaciurli
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COULT NOT BE MORE'CUTE THAN THIS'!!
BY KISSE!!!!
skyeltd -
skyeltd
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Thank you for saving these beautiful kitties!
Shirley -
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Shirley
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Wonderful Story!!! Thank you for taking care of these two sweet angels. God bless the foster mom who took care of and adopted this precious little angel. They both deserve the love and care of a loving family.
pdaniels -
that is what when people are purely careless throw out an animal and don't care for it - making it become feral. spay/neutering would take care of this kind of problem. Thank God for prople like you! I know Paddy's grateful!! Good people!
jhooty58 -
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jhooty58
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Thank you for your hard work and dedication in saving these two angels. You and your team have hearts of gold!
megatha427 -
megatha427
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I don't usually like to start my Monday morning in tears, but I couldn't help it with the story behind these two! Paddy is so adorable and inquisitive, and my heart aches at the way (scared) Momma Lily loves and protects her baby <3
Seedbleyah -
Seedbleyah
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What a beautiful ending to a sad, sad story. Thank you for all your hard work in making sure these creatures have a fair chance at life.
Snowysmom -
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Snowysmom
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Paddy is adorable, and mom Lily is beautiful! I'm so glad they have both come through their ordeals and ended up in loving homes!
amalbici -
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amalbici
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What a beautiful ending story - they are so adorable and vulnerable that I am so happy there has been someone to look after and save them - thanks for sharing the pics and story with us.
lbreyen -
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lbreyen
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Every photo brought me sighs of joy - thank you to all the wonderful people who gave these 2 beautiful creatures a Second Chance! What a happy happy story!! And Paddy is just precious!! thanks for sharing...
SueBee -
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SueBee
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Marianne, your words are so wonderfully expressed! Bless you and your network of helpers for all that you do for the helpless kitties of Los Angeles. Heaven knows they need all the help they can get in this big city! Paddy and her mom are sweeties and I'm so glad they got their 2nd chance at life! Bless you forever!
michael -
michael
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It's always a bit thrilling to meet an orange female kitteh
GingersMom -
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GingersMom
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Love, pure and simple
Lgoaliefan -
Lgoaliefan
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Blessings to you and the foster parent(s) for saving these two. What a happy ending!
lisaboese -
lisaboese
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Oh my, what fortunate kitties to be saved by someone who could give them such loving care!!! They are both adorable; so, so, so glad that they could be saved!!!!

Good luck, Girl Cat and Girl Cat's Mom!!!!
Buzzy -
Buzzy
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OMG I couldn't imagine anyone putting these 2 down! They are such sweet beauties! I am so glad they are healthy and doing well!!!
Lynda -
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Lynda
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God Bless all the Mommys in the World !
kibblegirl -
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kibblegirl
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Such a moving story, but it has such a wonderful ending. Little Paddy was a fighter for sure, but I am sure that the encouragement given to him by his foster Mom helped him to pull through. Paddy looked so ill in a lot of the photos, but in this one he sure is a cute little cattie. Thanks for sharing a lovely story. That must be his hospital identification badge, right?
eyeluvkitties -
eyeluvkitties
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What an amazing story! It brought tears to my eyes! Lets just hope that other cats and kittens in this position will find homes.
bengalwinky -
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bengalwinky
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Great rescue story!! I rescue myself and had one that went through months of treatment too. even the vet finally said perhaps it was better to let him go, but I persisted and today, he's 2 years old and a real love. such a happy story for Paddy and Lily!!
BirmanMama -
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BirmanMama
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Wow ... this story brought tears to my eyes ... such a horrible ordeal for Lily and Paddy to have to endure. Thank god for people like you Marianne. And to hear Paddy found her life's work helping other fosters just makes her story so much more poignant. Many happy purrs.
wokkawokka -
wokkawokka
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This is the sweetest thing ever! I could NEVER leave these two behind in a kill shelter, the thought of it makes me queasy.
Marianne -
marianne
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Thank you all for your beautiful words of encouragement! Lily and Paddy would be just another statistic if it hadn't been for the financial committment from Helen Sanders CatPAWS in seeing them both through their illnesses. I also would like to say a big THANK YOU to Good Morning Kitten for allowing rescues like ours to share these beautiful stories!
judymack812 -
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judymack812
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This is such a beautiful picture of a momma protecting her young one. Thank you for the wonderful story. It made me cry mostly with joy at the outcome! Keep up the good work!
JayPea -
JayPea
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I liked people a lot better before I started following this website. Now, it makes me so sad how people can be so indifferent to suffering that they throw away a perfectly good cat and her perfectly adorable baby.
Ash1Rose -
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Ash1Rose
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Oh my God they're beautiful. Thank you for being the one caring person they so desperately needed.
marianne -
marianne
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61 points
The picture of Lily protecting her baby was taken while they were in their cage at the kill shelter. So she really WAS being protective. Paddy was too young to feel danger, but Mommy sure knew what was going on!
Kephara -
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Kephara
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THis is such a sad story with a perfect ending! I absolutely can't stand the idea of kill-shelters
BooksandCats -
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BooksandCats
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So happy Lily and Paddy made it and have forever homes!
joezuc -
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joezuc
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Darcy -
Darcy
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JayPea, I see this glass as half full. Our local Humane Society cannot afford to take every stray. On GMK, I read about humans who are willing to help.
Darcy -
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Darcy
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giovannaciurli -
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giovannaciurli
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giovannaciurli -
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giovannaciurli
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Mzkabibble -
Mzkabibble
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JayPea, I'm with you. I'm still crying and it's hard to type, but please know that you had divine help. These kitties were put and kept here for a better purpose. Besides unconditional love. We can't ask for a better kind of love. And you, Marianne, are a most wonderful person, thank you...



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