Many animals that come into the care of the BC SPCA are sick, injured or are in need of rehabilitation. We are thankful to have foster volunteers throughout British Columbia, who offer their time and open up their home to help care for animals that need a little extra attention before they are ready for adoption.

Bethany is one of these exceptional fosters. Now she has a permanent kitty to call her own and she has shared their story:

In the summer of 2017, we received two very young foster kittens only two days old. Tigerlily and Spock were very weak. Unfortunately, they passed away within a matter of days.

Soon after, we received another call from the BC SPCA East Kootenay Branch saying a sibling of Tigerlily and Spock needed fostering. Our hearts were still sad from loss, but our hope rose for this new kitten. We went to pick her up.

The little black and white kitten was just over a week old. She had already received surgery to remove an abscess on her shoulder. Even though she was so small, she was a fighter.

We were amazed at her continual will to live. She refused to give up. We gave her the name Stella for her feisty behaviour, after the book “Stellaluna” by Janell Cannon. Steadily, Stella grew into a pretty normal cat—or so we thought.

When Stella was 12 weeks old, we sent her back to the BC SPCA to be adopted. Her adoption didn’t last long. Within 24 hours, we got a phone call from her new owners (we knew them personally) asking us to pick her up and take her back.

Apparently, our little feisty Stella had terrorized their home. When they had taken her to the vet that afternoon, Stella behaved so feral that the vet thought she would never adjust to living inside a home.

Of course, Stella had been perfectly normal (although a little wild) with us over the past 12 weeks. So, we picked up our lively little one and she has lived with us ever since.

Stella thrives on a life of napping inside and hunting and playing outside. She can be rather moody, but we adore her. She climbs trees for fun, and if she gets stuck, one of us will go out to get her. Depending on the situation, Stella will either jump onto one of our backs from the tree or into our arms. Despite us saving her time and time again, she shows no appreciation for our assistance whatsoever!

This year, Stella is working on welcoming a new member into the family, a foster-to-adopt kitten. She is being surprisingly patient (sometimes).

Thank you, Bethany, for adopting Stella and giving her the permanent, loving home she deserves. It sounds like Stella is the purrfect fit for your family. We are grateful for each of our foster volunteers. Thank you for making our work for the animals possible.

Have you adopted an animal from the BC SPCA and want to share your joy with others? Submit your adoption story!