Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynn Shenk.
Hi Lynn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I graduated college in 2015, I adopted my first kitten, Trina. One week later, the shelter I had adopted her from contacted me, saying one of her littermates had retested positive for Feline Leukemia. They requested I bring Trina in to be retested, and her test came back positive as well. She was given a life expectancy of 2 years. The shelter offered to let me exchange her for a “healthy” kitten, but I had already fallen in love with the playful, energetic, bouncy, cuddly kitten before me. I made a promise that day to Trina that I would give her the best life, no matter the length. She lived to be 2 years and 5 days old.
A month after Trina passed, I begged my boyfriend (now fiance), Chad, to visit some animal shelters with me just to look. My heart wasn’t ready to adopt, but I missed the presence of animals in my life. At the third shelter, Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue in Ellicott City, I spoke with the owner, Moira, explaining I only wanted to pet some cats and wasn’t ready to adopt. She inquired if I’d consider fostering since it wouldn’t come with the commitment of adopting. She said she had a mom and 4 kittens coming in that evening in need of a foster home. I didn’t even have to run the idea by Chad, he knew there was no stopping me. We went directly home to prep our apartment and 2 hours later, we brought home my first foster litter.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Every litter has brought new challenges and obstacles. I have spent many sleepless nights laying on the floor of my kitten room, keeping an eye on and providing aid to struggling kittens.
Since I primarily take in pregnant cats that arrive at the shelter as strays, we don’t have any information on their background. This can be very difficult because we don’t know what conditions they’ve been subjected to and what nutrition they’ve been getting. One mama delivered an entire litter of underdeveloped stillborn kittens. One pregnant cat arrived with a terrible bite wound on her hind leg, but thankfully no kittens were harmed and she had a successful delivery.
Diseases, fleas, and worms are not uncommon when fostering. My second litter had ringworm so badly, I ended up being covered from head to toe and it took months to fully recover. Much to the delight of my housemates, we had to convert our basement into the “ringworm zone” where the litter stayed isolated and received regular lime sulphur baths along with topical and oral medications. I still have scars from where one kitten, Bruce, bit my arm when I went to dunk him in the lime sulphur solution.
I have had 2 litters of kittens with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, CH, a neurological condition in which the cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates movement, does not fully or properly form. Also known as wobbly cat syndrome, the condition results in uncoordinated movement and loss of balance. Since kittens with CH tumble frequently, I needed to prioritize providing them with a safe space to learn and grow in, with textured surfaces for better traction, limited obstacles, and silicone bowls to prevent facial bruising or fractured teeth. Through my own social media pages and CH groups online, we were able to place the kittens into homes where they’d be given the extra care they required.
One of my most difficult litters emotionally was the one and only litter I’ve had that developed Feline Panleukopenia Virus, FPV. FPV is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease. For newborn kittens, FPV is often considered a death sentence. Watching the kittens succumb to the disease one by one was the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever experienced. One kitten did manage to survive and was adopted out with her mom. Her name was Cider and I called her Survivor Cider.
Some kittens simply fail to thrive, a condition known as Fading Kitten Syndrome, and all the tips and tricks in the world aren’t enough to save them. Mama cats provide for every need their newborn kittens have, but will often reject sick kittens because they have an instinctual behavior to protect the rest of the litter by focusing her energy on healthier kittens with a higher chance of survival. In these cases, she may even remove a sick kitten from her nest, or relocate everyone except the sick kitten to a new location, so the sick kitten is unable to nurse or receive warmth. When this has happened, I have needed to provide everything from warmth to round-the-clock feedings to medical care.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a volunteer for Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue in Ellicott City, living in Baltimore City. I specialize in fostering pregnant cats up until the age that their kittens can be spayed or neutered and adopted out through the shelter. I share each litter’s unique story with the world through my Instagram page, @myfosterfamily_. I love being able to show each kitten’s journey, from the intake of their pregnant mom, to birth, growth, and eventual adoption. I socialize the cats and kittens while they’re in my care with adults, children, and my personal cats and dogs, so they will be prepared for whatever family they are adopted into. I don’t think I am any more or less important than anyone else who fosters animals because fostering is an incredibly important and necessary opportunity to not only provide a safe and nurturing environment for vulnerable lives, but it also frees up valuable space at shelters for more animals to be saved.
I feel the greatest sense of pride when I receive even the smallest sign that a struggling kitten is improving in health. Nothing compares to the indescribable feeling of watching a kitten take their first bite of food on their own after days of being syringe fed. Or observing their weight go up by even a single ounce after watching it steadily decline. Or seeing the runt of the litter pounce on their much larger sibling after watching them previously struggle to even lift their head. These moments remind me that every bit of effort is worth it when I see a kitten transform from fragile to thriving.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I am extremely thankful and appreciative of the staff and volunteers at Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue. I have a huge admiration of the owner, Moira, and her dedication to animals, and have learned so much from watching and listening to her. Liz, Shari, and Nancy in particular have been my go-tos over the years and they have readily provided guidance and assistance whenever I needed it. I especially am thankful to Liz for all the times she answered my calls, at all hours, when I was crying or stressing over a sick kitten. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And of course I have to thank my partner, Chad, for never saying no when I brought a new animal (it’s only considered one when the babies are still inside mama, right?!) into our home and for always being willing to lend a hand when I didn’t get a chance to scoop litter or plate some wet food for the kittens. Thanks for always having my back.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/myfosterfamily_
- Other: Email: myfosterfamily.adopt@gmail.com
