Irish Fosters: Keegan [redux]

Jaime says: Keegan and his siblings came to me as a foster litter from my local animal shelter where I volunteer. According to the shelter staff, these kittens were dropped off at the shelter prior to their office hours and were left outside to be found. The part that everyone at the shelter thought strange was that they were all very clean and very healthy....and they were left in an Easter basket! This led everyone to believe that these kittens were born to an individual's pet cat and they were too afraid to raise them on their own. They were just ten days old when I picked them up to bring them home for foster care, and they barely even had their eyes opened yet! They were just tiny little orange furballs! Because of their Easter basket drop-off, the shelter named them Easter-related names that I just couldn't bring myself to keep (ex: Egg, Dye, Bunny, etc). So, I renamed them. I figured they were probably born just a day or two after St. Patrick's Day, so I thought it was fitting to name them in honor of the holiday, and Ireland itself.

Which brings me to Keegan. Keegan is a very popular Irish boy's name and is derived from a name that means "fire." Perfect for a little orange kitten! From the very start, this little guy captured me. He was so calm and so quiet. This was only temporary however! Kittens will be kittens, and as the weeks went on Keegan began to get more and more feisty! A typical male! And boy, was he an adventure to bottle-feed. Like I said, feisty! By the time Keegan reached approximately eight weeks, he began to calm back down and he turned into a major cuddle bug. The second I sat down to play with them all, he was up on my shoulders just purring away. That's something I'll always miss about him. Keegan went back to the shelter in late May, and likely because of his adorably cute face, his super-fluffy orange fur, and his strangely large size for a kitten his age, Keegan was adopted within 24 hours! He was definitely a very memorable foster kitten, and I know I will never forget him.