Lemon is a very healthy fruit that offers a myriad of health benefits. In fact, lemon is also known as one of the healthiest fruits on the planet, due to its powerful antibacterial and antiviral properties. In addition, the lemon fragrance has also been tested as a treatment for depression.
Here is the nutrition of 1 peeled lemon:
24 calories
7.8 grams carbohydrates
0.9 gram protein
2.4 grams of dietary fiber
0.3 gram fat
44.5 milligrams vitamin C (74 percent DV)
116 milligrams potassium (3 percent DV)
0.1 milligram vitamin B6 (3 percent DV)
0.5 milligram iron (3 percent DV)
Lemon also contains essential minerals such as magnesium, copper, calcium, thiamin, folate, and pantothenic acid. Moreover, lemon juice promotes digestion and is a potent natural remedy in the treatment of arthritis, and rheumatism.
Citrus fruit extracts are often included in skincare products, as they are beneficial in treating scalp and skin issues like pimples, spots, acne, and pimples. In order to soften the rough skin on the knees, elbows, and calluses, just rub half lemon on the affected areas.
Lemon juice is also known for reducing smelly breath, due to strong antibacterial properties that help neutralize odors. Plus, lemons whiten the teeth and eliminate kidney stones.
Here’s why you should cut lemons and put them near the bed:
Chopping several lemons and keeping them in the bedroom at night when you sleep, will cleanse the air from toxins and improve your sleep quality. Additionally, this will prevent allergies, colds, and asthma.
Xingyi Danielle’s dad was walking down the street in China one day looking for a place to grab a bite when he saw a group of people selling live dogs trapped in bags for meat consumption. The man didn’t have the heart to simply walk by…
So, he paid $90 for one of the doggies and saved his life. “His environment isn’t dog-friendly so he couldn’t buy more,” Danielle told The Dodo. “But [he] at least got to save one.”
As soon as he got home, the man snapped a photo of the dog in the bag to show the world they’re sold like some cheap commodity rather than a living thing.
Dad gave the dog a name, marking a new, happier chapter in the canine’s life: “It’s basically Doggo pronounced in Cantonese, actually.”
As the place the man lives at doesn’t allow dogs, the pooch is currently staying at his office for now, but he’s still trying his best to provide a good environment for him,” said Danielle.
Most importantly, Doggo didn’t end up on someone’s burger plate. The dog couldn’t be happier to be given a second chance at life.
“I was quite proud, to be honest,” said Danielle about her dad’s spontaneous act of kindness. You go dad!
Feeling depressed, being unusually blue, experiencing mood swings, or fatigue are all common symptoms that indicate bad thyroid health. In addition, these symptoms require instant medical help and shouldn’t be ignored at all costs.
If your thyroid is not producing enough hormones, it affects your health in negative ways and leaves your body sluggish. Nowadays, there are about 27 million people suffering from thyroid problems which prevent the body from functioning properly.
In addition, the thyroid may lead to the following side-effects:
Fatigue
Depression
Hair dryness
Decreased metabolism performance
Skin dryness
Sudden weight loss, weight gain
Foggy rationalizing
*These issues are more common in females than males.
Here are 11 foods that will help you treat your thyroid naturally:
1. Apples
Apples help you detoxify your body and keep your thyroid working properly. The best way to consume them is fresh and organic, as this way acquires the maximum amount of pectin.
2. Brazil Nuts
As research states, brazil nuts, and other hazelnuts are high in selenium that helps the thyroid working properly. Moreover, other foods rich in selenium include meats like beef, chicken, turkey, tuna, and sardines.
3. Chickpeas
Fiber-rich foods are best at treating constipation. that’s a common symptom of hypothyroidism. Besides fiber, chickpeas are also abundant in zinc, which is an important nutrient for supporting the thyroid.
4. Pumpkin Seeds
Roasted pumpkin seeds are good at absorbing vitamins and minerals that promote the synthesis which balances the thyroid hormones in the body.
5. Seaweed
Seaweed has a high concentration of iodine, thus makes a great component in keeping the thyroid at its best. The best source of iodine is iodized salt. In addition, you can also find plenty of it in fish, dairy, eggs, and seaweed.
6. Yogurt
Dairy products like yogurt, ice cream, and milk are full of iodine as well as Vitamin D. To make up for lost content, consume more yolks, salmon, eggs, and pork.
7. Sardines
Just like fish, sardines are great for keeping the thyroid healthy. Packed with omega-3 fatty acids and high selenium content sardines support the thyroid function.
8. Guggul
A very popular herb in alternative medicine will keep the thyroid gland in great shape. Some of its other names include guggulsterone, guggulipid, or Commiphora Mukul.
9. Vitamin A
Vitamin A has been shown to regulate a working metabolism. In addition, inhibit thyroid-stimulating hormone which is a clear sign of hypothyroidism. There are 2 ways you can get vitamin A performed and in the form of provitamin A carotenoids.
10. Vitamin D
To obtain your body’s immune system, you need to consume more vitamin D. Since a lack of vitamin D can lead to various autoimmune diseases. The same goes for people suffering from thyroid problems, therefore you will need to take vitamin D supplements. In addition, you should get out in the sun more.
11. Zinc
Zinc deficiency can result in hypothyroidism. The recommended amount is 30 mg of zinc per day, in order to enhance thyroid function.
Postpartum depression is a fairly common and socially accepted issue when it comes to human mothers, but few know that this can also attack animals. A clear case of this is the episode that Misty went through, a kitten who lost her entire kitten after she could not recover from the pain of abandonment and the stress of giving birth.
But now, this kitten has become the surrogate mother of a kitten that she adopted as her own. Life has given her the opportunity to be a mom again.
Kathy Stankiewicz, a volunteer with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Nevada, rescued Misty, a 3-year-old kitty, from the streets.
The kid was pregnant and had terrible injuries to her legs when he found her; but, with proper treatment, the infection was managed, and Misty became a new mother in a matter of days.
Everyone in the refuge is overjoyed.
The delivery was somewhat complicated, but this girl was able to give life to all her kittens. Unfortunately, Misty fell ill within days of giving birth due to stress and her notorious weakness and her pups could not bear the distance from their mother.
All the kittens died, while their mommy was fighting for her life. This situation was very sad and distressing for the kitten.
Misty regained her health, but has had to bear the pain of loss.
Kathy discovered a baby kitten on the street a few weeks ago and wanted to save him. Misty, who had been sad, felt a sense of motherhood when the kitty arrived at the house.
She took it in as if it were her own. “He stepped up and began caressing him,” Kathy explained.
Misty took the kitten under her wing and Kathy decided to name it Sunny. The feline was a bit reluctant at first, but little by little he has gotten used to the warmth and protection of that stranger who has become his new mommy.
Now Sunny doesn’t want to get away from her.
Misty has begun nursing him because he has recently lost weight and is still producing milk.
“Sunny now regards her as her biological mother. It wasn’t love at first sight, but there was acceptance, and it’s as if Misty was the one who brought it into the world. “I was overjoyed to have a kitten to care for once more,” Kathy remarked.
Thanks to the care of mom Misty this kitten is already thriving and is adding kilos and energy. In addition, his fur looks more beautiful every day and he looks happy next to his new mommy.
Misty had lost her children, but fate had provided her with a fresh kitten in whom she could pour out all of her maternal love. It’s a genuine miracle for Kathy, because Sunny is also assisting the cat in overcoming her stress issues, and the two are hoping to triumph together.
Fate brought them together to form a fantastic team, and Kathy is a part of it. She tells the narrative, and thanks to all the rescues for allowing us to see these happy endings.
Gout is a form of acute arthritis and is most common among middle-aged men. It’s known to cause severe pain and inflammation of the area where the uric acid gets accumulated. However, it can also affect other parts of the limbs, such as the wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles.
The high level of uric acid in the body creates when the body breaks down waste products from certain foods and when the kidneys can’t effectively remove them through urine. So, if there is something wrong with your kidneys there is an overload of uric acid in the body, which builds up and crystallizes in the joints.
In order to stop gout and joint pains, you should avoid foods rich in purine. Thus, including flour, sugar products, meat products especially organ meats, peanuts, peas, seafood, and lentils. In addition, you should avoid cigarettes, caffeine, and alcohol.
Here are the 3 best juices to stop gout pain:
The following juice recipes provide great help in relieving gut pain. Plus they support the kidneys and prevent the formation and oxidation of uric acid crystallines.
For all 3 recipes, you should just mix all the ingredients in a juicer or a blender, and you will get delicious, healthy beverages:
1. Bitter Gourd Fights Gout Inflammation
Ingredients:
1 small or ½ a large cucumber
¼ lemon with peel
1 green apple
¼ small bitter gourd
6 ribs celery
Thumb-sized ginger root
Bitter gourd juice cleanses the liver, soothes pain, boosts blood circulation, and detoxifies the blood.
2. Juice To Reduce Uric Acid Crystallization
Ingredients:
8-10 ribs of celery
1 cucumber
1-inch fresh ginger root
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 green apple
The presence of gingerol and the powerful antioxidant properties of ginger reduce swelling, soothe pain, and relieve various inflammatory disorders like gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Pain-Reducing Pineapple Juice
Ingredients:
½ inch ginger
½ small pineapple
1 lime
1 small cucumber
Bromelain in the pineapple juice relieves pain in a natural way.
Even with animal charities and shelters doing their best, there are still too many cats living on the streets. Some are adopted and live a nice life, others are unfortunately left to fend for themselves. In Barney’s case, the story had a happy ending.
Barney was a 6-year-old street cat that resided in Montreal, Canada. The kitten had a permanent look on his face and had had a difficult life. He had barely made it through the winters on his own and was in desperate need of assistance. Last winter, he was rescued from the street and taken to a veterinarian by kind Samaritans.
His vet checkup revealed numerous problems that needed to be resolved sooner rather than later. One of Barney’s ears was frozen and folded. He was also missing a few teeth, and had several battle scars, probably from fighting with other cats over food. The vets put him on a treatment and hoped that he can make a full recovery.
Fortunately, Barney was in much better shape after a few weeks. Instead of the freezing streets of Montreal in the winter, the kitten was delighted to be in a warm shelter. The employees adored the cat, and he reciprocated with lots of hugs.
You can check out before and after photos of Barney on the Chatons Orphelins Montreal Facebook page. Barney is a bundle of joy whose frown was erased. We hope that animal charity organizations wipe the frowns of other cats’ faces too.
Sometimes being overweight has nothing to do with calories intake or exercise. Surprisingly, misfiring hormones, those tiny little things within your body can play a huge part in your weight balance. In addition, hormones can affect your height, the amount of hair you have, your skin type, the size of your chest, and even your mood.
Therefore, hormones have a huge impact on your overall health and well-being. In fact, your metabolism, appetite, growth and development, mood, stress, and body temperatures are all affected by hormones. If your body goes through major hormonal changes, you could end up being irritable, tired, and feeling like you are developing depression.
Fortunately, there is a natural way that can reset your hormones and put your body and mind back on the right path maintaining overall well-being.
Here’s how to reset your hormone levels and lose your extra pounds:
Sleep in cool temperatures
Sleeping in a colder room can improve your sleep quality. On other hand, if you sleep in a warm room will be more inclined to turn, wake up and throw the covers off of yourself. Therefore, try setting your thermostat a little lower before you go to bed as sleeping in cooler conditions will provide you with a night of more restful sleep.
Don’t crash diet
Though the allure of a crash may be tempting, you should definitely avoid it. A sudden reduction in your calorie intake can cause your metabolism to become sluggish and bring on weight gain. Fortunately, you can still lose weight, just eat a well-balanced diet all the time.
Skip the caffeine
Stay away from caffeine as it can increase the production of cortisol, the stress-producing hormone. This means the more caffeine you consume, the more stressed and irritable you will be.
Avoid those PMS cravings
It’s normal to crave things like sweet foods during this period however, try to avoid them. On the other hand, satisfy your craving for sweets with a sweet fruit, which will bring your magnesium levels back up.
Pump up the workout
Build some regular exercise into your routine to help correct those feel-good hormones and boost your mood. In addition, you can start listening to music to motivate your body to push harder.
Following these tips will reset your hormones and change the way your body reacts to certain daily situations.
A cute kitten loved her owner so much she couldn’t bear to leave her side. A year has passed since this cat’s owner passed away, but the kitty hasn’t left her old lady’s grave. Passer-by Keli Keningau Prayitno, 28 years old, tried to adopt the cat but that didn’t work – the next day the feline returned her owner’s grave as usual – nuzzling the small blue headstone.
Remarkably, the cat walks every day to her former home where the old lady’s children feed her – then returns to the grave. Despite being given food and water by passers-by, but the cat refuses to leave the grave to roll in the earth and sleep at the grave every night.
“She sleeps there and meows, it shows just how close animals are to their owners.” Keli said. And who said cats don’t have feelings for their owners? Please share this heartbroken story with friends to let them know that cats are loyal companions as well. A cute kitten loved her owner so much she couldn’t bear to leave her side.
Keli Keningau Prayitno, 28, a passer-by, attempted to adopt the cat, but it returned to its original location, nuzzling the little blue gravestone.
The cat has spent a year at the tomb.
The cat, astonishingly, walks to her previous house every day, where she is fed by the elderly lady’s children, and then returns to the grave.
Despite being fed and watered by passers-by, the cat refuses to leave the cemetery, preferring to roll in the dirt and sleep in the same spot every night.
The powerful combination of apples and cinnamon has some pretty impressive health benefits. Plus, it speeds up metabolism and contributes to healthy weight loss, through the elimination of excess fluid build-up in the body. Moreover, cinnamon and apples together have one of the best flavor combinations.
In fact, cinnamon contains large amounts of polyphenol antioxidants which mean this spice is excellent for regulating high blood sugar levels and eliminating sugar cravings without stimulating insulin production. In addition, cinnamon lowers the levels of triglycerides and helps people in cases of indigestion.
Numerous studies have confirmed that cinnamon has the ability to manage the secretion of insulin which leads to safe and efficient weight loss. Just by consuming 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon a day, you will be able to decrease the level of bad cholesterol levels.
On the other hand, apple has been shown to significantly reduce your risk of mouth, throat, breast, ovarian, and colon cancer. Yet, in combination with cinnamon, it provides some incredible effects on the metabolism and contributes to your weight loss efforts by getting rid of extra fluids from the system.
Here’s how to prepare the zero-calorie drink recipe:
Ingredients:
1 Apple
1 cinnamon stick (optionally you can use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder)
6 – 8 cups (1.5 – 2 liters) of filtered water
Preparation:
At first, you should grab the apple and slice it into regular pieces. Next, take an empty pitcher and add the apple slices in there. Afterward, add the cinnamon stick (or powder) over the apples.
Now start boiling the tap water and wait once it’s cooled down so you can pour it into the pitcher over the ingredients. Stir the mixture and leave it for about one or two hours.
Take a few glasses of this juice during different periods of the day and speed up your metabolism.
When an emergency strikes, we are thankfully to know there are men and women who are there to help. First responders from every field pull together in the hopes of saving the lives of complete strangers. For those strangers, the worst day of their lives may not turn out as devastating as it could have been. But the moment everything changes. And even as a small bit of relief washes over everyone, it’s rarely caught on camera. Terrifying raging fires are extinguished, but an occasionally relieved smile can be seen if you’re lucky.
The incident occurred in Jacksonville, Florida after a blaze extinguished. Firefighters were informed that there was still a cat in the home! So Eng Shawn Fallon of the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department entered the charred debris. Acting quickly, he was in search of the 4 legged family member, a sweet black feline.
Surprisingly, he actually found a wet and terrified house panther hiding under a couch!
Fallon abducted the frightened cat with ease. He carefully rushed him outside to give him air and drinks, as well as to assess his illnesses.
And they knew the cat was okay when Fallon looked at firefighters, family and spectators gathered with a radiant smile on their face.
When the future of a loved one is secure, a smile means more than anything.
That smile is life.
Although it may not be the most intense of the raging fires the crew respond to. It may be the most heartwarming.
Thank you so much to all the first responders across the globe that help initiate smiles such as these!
The Dr. Oz Fat Flush Drink is great for promoting weight loss and cleansing your body. In fact, this liquid is extremely beneficial for proper body function, as it boosts your energy and the results are virtually instant.
The main ingredient of this miraculous recipe is water, since staying hydrated is crucial for various reasons. For instance, drinking water improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood. Plus, you can prepare this delicious drink in no time.
Here’s how to prepare the recipe that flushes fat away by Dr. Oz:
Ingredients:
8 cups water
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
2 fresh orange
1 lemon, also cut into slices
12 mint leaves
1 fresh cucumber, peeled and cut into slices
Preparation:
At first, you should peel the cucumber and cut it into thin slices. Now, grate the ginger root and cut the lemon into thin slices as well.
Mix all the ingredients together and put the resulting mixture in a large glass, pitcher, or jar. Leave it overnight for the ingredients to release the aroma.
Use:
It’s best to consume this drink, first thing in the morning. For optimal results, you should drink it regularly on daily basis. In fact, drink at least one 8-ounce glass before every meal, a minimum of 3 times per day.
Prepare the recipe as soon as possible as it’s extremely effective in melting the fats accumulated in your body. In fact, you will be amazed by how fast the results are visible.
When a cat goes missing, you hold out hope your dear one will be home soon. But as days become weeks and eventually months, hope wanes while the heart wonders what has become of your lost cat. After years have passed, though it aches, you accept your cat now resides in your memory with their disappearance left a mystery unsolved.
When Kendra Armstrong’s pet Moose went missing five years ago, she experienced such anguish. She had no expectation of seeing her kid again. Imagine her surprise when she came upon a familiar face while browsing the Midcoast Humane Society of Maine’s adoptable kitties on the internet.
There was Moose, listed under the name Oldest.
Five years after he’d gone missing, Moose was alive and looking to find his way home thanks to Midcoast.
“It felt like a dream at first, I was so happy,” Kendra told WGME. “I was so excited, not only to know that he was alive, but to get him back, it’s like the craziest thing ever and I never would have expected it.”
Gone missing from his home with Kendra, Moose spent some time out on his own before finding himself at a rescue. There, he was known as Piglet, but when Nick Schroeder adopted the seal-point cat, the name didn’t seem right. And Moose/Piglet became Oldest.
Nick and Oldest had been together for four years when they had to separate due to living conditions. “I’m extremely thankful to Midcoast Humane for taking care of him, and I regretted having to relinquish him,” Nick said on Facebook.
“I was going to readopt him now that my living circumstances had changed,” Nick decided when Oldest’s photo reappeared on Midcoast’s website a year later. “But I’m glad he’s found someone who knows him.” He’s a fantastic individual!”
And Kendra, his mother, was the person who knew him!
Now, Moose has made it back to his forever home, and he’s sticking close to Kendra’s side.
As she told Midcoast, “Moose (Oldest) knows he’s finally home and he does NOT want me to leave his sight (I don’t blame him at all because I feel the same way). I am so grateful to have him home with me.”
On his five-year adventure away from home, Moose found caring hearts and dedicated rescue workers to help him along his way. And with destiny guiding him along, Moose found his way home again and now knows the joy of a happy ending.
Everyone experience tight muscles throughout their life, your body feels sore and difficult to move, particularly after resting. Fortunately, there is a natural way to recover from inflammation of muscles, without the consumption of any over-the-counter medication.
There are a number of reasons you may have tight muscles. However, you can always do one of the following methods, and you can also combine them in order to recover your muscles from damage.
Here are 6 ways you can relieve sore muscles without any medication:
Stretching
Stretching is often recommended by physical therapists and bodyworkers for its healing benefits. Immediately stretch after a hard workout, as it will help to eject lactic acid.
Rest
Sometimes the best sore muscle treatment is to not do anything at all. In fact, if inflammation comes from intense exercise, your body must rest for 24 to 48 hours.
Cooling
Right after training, put ice wrapped in cloth on the sore spot, as ice packs are recommended for muscle sprains.
Massage
There are various massage therapy techniques you can choose in order to benefit your tight muscles. If you’ve been exercising for a longer period without any rest, your muscle fibers have suffered micro-injuries that cause inflammation. Therefore, the best solution is a massage since you can easily alleviate the inflammation in the body.
Warming up
After 24 hours from your intense workout, you could use some heat. A warm shower or bath is a natural muscle relaxer, a blanket will also help to relax your muscles and reduce inflammation.
Nutrition
Make sure to eat lots of hydrating vegetables and fruits as well, such as cucumber, celery, apples, peppers, berries, and citrus. The recipe for sore muscles is clear and consists of a diet that is abundant in protein, healthy fats, and water in large quantities.
Katie Duda was grieving the loss of her cat Lucky when she came across a photo of two kittens at Wrenn Rescues looking for a home. Duda could tell there was something unique about River when she brought him and his brother up from their foster family.
“I thought I noticed a big heart on his chest when I picked them up from the foster home, but I wasn’t sure,” Duda told The Dodo. “I really didn’t even play with them or look closely. I put my faith in Wrenn Rescues.”
River was bashful and wanted to hide at home, so Duda created a nice room for him with all the space he needed. Duda began to notice more heart-shaped patches on River’s coat as he got more at ease with his new family.
“I confirmed [one on] his chest, noticed his nose was more heart-shaped than most cats, then under his paws, chin and more,” Duda said. “To date, we’ve found seven complete hearts and two spots that look heartish at times.”
The cat is not just covered with hearts; he is also full of love.
“The river has an old spirit,” Duda said. “He is calm, attentive and loving. With River and Remi by their side, my children have been in grief since my cat died.”
“I expected the kittens to bring us joy, but truly they’ve brought us peace,” she added. “River, covered in hearts, is mending broken hearts.”
River enjoys spending time with his human siblings, but he is always on the lookout for his kitten brother.
“River is almost twice the size of Remi and acts as his guardian,” Duda said. “Yesterday, Remi wanted to sit in a large potted plant in our dining room. I had put foil in the pot to discourage the kittens from playing with the dirt and Remi was displeased. I watched River kindly remove the foil for Remi so he could lay in the dirt.”
The hearts on River’s fur have always been there, but for Duda, they’re also a sign that she made the right choice.
“My first thought was that River’s hearts are Lucky’s way of making sure we know how much he loves us,” Duda said. “River’s hearts may not be a literal message to my family, but the love they bring is very real.”
Getting fit often recommends full-body strengthening exercises and high-intensity interval training. Fortunately, there is one easy way you can tighten up your body just by doing 2 minutes set of exercises.
For example, this fitness expert Holly Rilinger explains that you don’t need much time to get your body back in shape. In fact, all you need is a certain type of exercise routine, and to stay positive and have fun. Since a good mental attitude is also crucial when you are trying to get fit.
Here’s how to tighten up your body by doing 2 minutes set of exercises:
Punch To The Left, Punch To The Right
Start with a standing position with your feet wider than your shoulder width. Then, turn your toes 45 degrees outwards and bend your knees, maintaining your hips are parallel to the floor.
Keep your fists on the height of your chin and close to your body. Move your weight on the heels in order to activate the muscles on the backside. Keep this position and punch with the right hand over your body to the left side, while moving both your torso and head at the same time. Repeat the same on your other side. Punch in each direction for 30 seconds without any pauses, move as fast as you can.
Fast Strokes
At first, lay down on your stomach and lift the body, put your hands below the shoulders. Keep balance with your toes and make sure to keep your hands straight. Jump to the front with the right leg, and instantly lower it beside your right hand. Take a pause for a second, and jump and put your right feet back. Now, take a little break and repeat the same with the left leg. Jump for 30 seconds, as quickly as possible.
Straight Hops
Lie down on your stomach and lift yourself using your elbows and toes. Use your full-strength jumping with both legs a few centimeters to the left then to the right. Jump for 30 seconds and move as fast as you can, while keeping your backside lower while you jump.
Winner Jumps
Stand up and place your feet a little wider than your shoulder width. Bend the knees until your hips are parallel to the floor. Extend your arms behind you in a 45 degrees position.
Now jump to the front as further as you can. At the same time, pull out the arms to the front, then lift them right above your head. Come back to the original position and jump again. Perform the exercise for 30 seconds.
Chris Poole, a.k.a. “Cat Man Chris,” walked into his wife Jessica Josephs’ workplace on Wednesday afternoon with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Would you want to foster two kittens until Sunday, when they will be placed with an experienced foster mom?” We’ll have to bottle feed them because they were found at an RV park and had just opened their eyes.”
Shaking his head “yes” through the entire proposition, Jessica laughingly agreed. Earlier that week, 4 tiny kittens, only a little over a week old, were guests in the house. Staying a short 24 hours with the crazy cat couple, the miniature foursome had opened the door, and their hearts, to bottle-babies needing fostering.
Knowing that many of these kittens are killed because they require round-the-clock care and there aren’t enough foster homes to provide it, it’s difficult to say “no” when you have the resources and time to help them.
Chris rushed to pick up the rescued kittens from St. Francis Society Animal Rescue, while Jessica readied the master bathroom, transforming it into the kitten nursery. Nearby, Cole and Marmalade cautiously eye’d the movements taking place in their favorite bathroom. The famous brothers would be kept separate from the fosters. With unknown medical statuses of the young kittens and Marmalade’s FIV, the first priority was to avoid exposing Cole and Marm to anything.
Cole and Marm were eager to flee when Chris returned home with a pair of crying children, and flickers of inquiring regret could be seen in the humans’ eyes. But perseverance and commitment won out, and the defenseless kittens’ lives became just as essential.
Jessica removed two dirty kittens from the carrier, their eyes half crusted shut and their bodies covered with fleas. The fur-kids didn’t hold back in letting everyone hear their piercing howls.
Applying a warm cloth on their eyes and gently wiping the dirt from their fragile bodies, the frightened duo began to settle down. With newly opened eyes and ears still slightly folded, the neonates were estimated to be about 11 days old, still requiring bottle feedings every 3 hours. They were safely given a ¼ dose of a flea pill crushed and administered with a syringe. *Please note this was ONLY done with medical approval and should not be done freely as it can be dangerous for neonates and young kittens.
There were long days ahead for Chris and Jess, taking shifts to ensure the kittens received the required feedings throughout the night hours. Chris, the early bird would rise at 6:00 am for mealtime and Jess, the night owl would stay awake until 2:00 am for the most sleep deprived schedule adjustment.
Another sibling had been found at the RV park hiding in a nearby abandoned vehicle. The third kitten was dropped off, this one tinier and with both eyes crusted shut.
Hundreds of dead fleas had fallen off the previous two kittens at this point, and with the new arrival, it was time for some much-needed bathing. Jess washed their fur and carefully held them under warm water. After a short dry, they were left with three lovely fur-babies who smelled MUCH better! There was one gray Tabby, one Tortie, and one Torbie, a combination of Tabby and Tortie, with their gorgeous fur well trimmed.
It was clear that they were three brothers and two sisters. So it was time to give them a proper name.
They were called Pointer Sisters because of their strong vocal expressions and razor blades.
Tabby, Anita, is the first. She is known as “Niti” as she is more “in need” and will not hesitate to tell you when she is hungry or needs to be taken.
Next, June the Tortie. Originally she would barrel into her sister and we were calling her “Jugg” for juggernaut. Fortunately June became June-bug became “Jugg”, so the nickname could remain!
Finally, comes Ruth the Torbie. One of singers in the group actually joined later which was perfect since Ruth, or “Ru-Ru” was found the next day.
Sadly, on Sunday morning their new foster mom came to pick them up. Chris and Jess had worked for 4 days showing the tiny kittens a life worth living. They said their good-byes and were promised lots of pictures and updates as the girls grew up.
