March 17, 2014
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:
Andemare -
Andemare
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56 points
They are both so precious!
MomcatSooma -
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MomcatSooma
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930 points
Thank you to everyone who helped Lily and Paddy! I just adore the smiles in this picture. xoxo
CarolB57 -
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CarolB57
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542 points
What a sweet photo of the devoted momcat & little Paddu! It's wonderful she got a loving home also. :)
Sandi -
Such a precious baby, and both so beautiful. Glad the have a happy ending.I too have 2 Foster Failures,, no regrets
elly -
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elly
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866 points
So glad they were both saved and have loving homes now. Bless you all rescuers !
elly -
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elly
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866 points
Soldiering on, iv drip in place...! This is the very pic of TLC , thank you.
Aurélie from Paris -
What a beautiful story which makes me cry this morning. I wish a life full of joy and love for this two marvelous kitty. What a great kitty mummy ! I hope so they will see again each other...
KC -
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KC
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760 points
Makes me cry too :-( I wish there more People like the fosterers and rescuers.
CareAboutCats -
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CareAboutCats
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326 points
She has her mama's eyes. Wonderful story!
jtsagen -
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jtsagen
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59 points
Precious mom and baby - thank you to all those who care for the ones who have no place to go :-)
kittiesmama -
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kittiesmama
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314 points
lily and paddy look so comfortable and healthy here. they know they are safe now. thanks for taking care of them.
Natthecat -
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Natthecat
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Heartwarming story of these two beautiful kitties. The caregivers had their work cut out for them but gave these loves the grand try and succeeded. Paddy and Lily are worth it. So inspiring.
crashnandicoot -
crashnandicoot
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116 points
Impossible to choose a favorite photo. This story is a saver. Precious, perfect, comforting. Thank you.
Golfergirl55 -
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Golfergirl55
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568 points
It took my a few minutes to wait for the tears to clear before writing this!!! OMG what two precious,lucky sweethearts! Bless everyone involved in giving them lives they deserve!!
mma -
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mma
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1405 points
what a heartwarming story of these beautiful little kitties.
michelleski -
michelleski
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187 points
great work by everyone involved!
LindaG -
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What a gorgeous, sweet face Lily has. And what a loving mommy to little Paddy, who is a beautiful ginger kitty. I wouldn't have been able to part with either one! Thank you, thank you, thank you for caring for them.
BirmanMama -
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BirmanMama
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951 points
Wow how do you pick a best photo? Those adorable closeups of Paddy kitten, the beautiful healthy Paddy cat or the photos of Lily protecting her precious baby? This one tells such an important story of a mother's love. I'm so happy that they both found the love they deserve.
kibblegirl -
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kibblegirl
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1057 points
Wonderful story about Lily and Paddy, and it had such a special happy ending. Beautiful photo of these two brave catties.
paulajeanne -
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paulajeanne
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629 points
judymack812 -
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judymack812
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You can tell Paddy does not feel good in this picture by the color of his lips! Poor little lucky kitten! Had a rough start but his foster mom gave it her all and now he is her furever kitty! God bless her. I have 3 "failed fosters" right now.
Darcy -
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Darcy
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1234 points
Amazing how a fluffy nutterbutter like this one turns out short-haired or maybe medium-haired. AND she is a female orange tabby, like about 1 in 4 marmalades. Thank you for giving her the chance to grow up.
mj -
Now that the tears have stopped I can say thank you for saving these 2. What a compassionate person you are. Hope you have many happy years with Paddy.
JayPea -
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JayPea
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234 points
The expression on her face just says, "What are you going to do to my baby?"
IvyGirl -
IvyGirl
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76 points
I wouldn't have been able to give up this sweet baby either!!!



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