In late March, Thecla, the kitten, and her sisters dubbed the “Sweet Tea Girls” arrived in foster care with Lauren from Our Fostering Tails in Northern Virginia. For over three years, she has specialized in neonates, the tiniest newborn kittens, such as Nico, a kitten who has beaten the odds, surviving with a heart defect.
When Thecla arrived, Lauren was excited because she had taken a break from fostering kittens while caring for adult cats. With the kittens’ arrival, she said she was “in heaven” with her “first guests of honor” following the reopening.
“…I have to admit; I’ve never been more excited not to have a full night’s sleep 😂 . I’m already in love with these beauties, and I cannot wait to watch them grow,” she said.
The Sweet Tea Girls. Images via Instagram/our_fostering_tails
Describing the kittens, she introduced Toni, the “panther baby,” Thecla, a “grey and white spitfire,” and a “very happy little colorpoint,” named Talia.
Thecla and Her Mohawk
When Thecla arrived, she was brimming with purrsonality and a mohawk of tufted grey and white hair. From the start, she and her sisters had huge appetites and “wonderfully plump bellies.”
“Introducing… Thecla!! I can already tell this grey and white girlie is going to be a personality. She has things to say and all the places to see! I am just in love with that beautiful blaze, her perfectly rosy nose, and that magnificent mohawk she’s currently sporting up there,” she posted.
In a post when Thecla was almost eight weeks old, Lauren explained what inspired her unique name.
“Thecla: An acrostic poem
T- Trailblazer
H- Hilarious and happy
E- Endlessly entertaining
C- Curious and Curiouser
L- Lovely little lady
A- Always affectionate”
When Lauren bottle-feeds the Sweet Tea Girls, Nico, who recently enjoyed his first birthday, likes to watch them.
“He’s been a lot more interested in this batch than he usually is. He loves to sit and watch me bottle feed them 😍,” she said.
“Watching out for the little ones ♡”
Below, you can see Thecla’s kitten funny antics as she tries to look big and scary.
“Respect the scawy!” Lauren captioned the video.
In a viral post, Lauren shared a video of the Sweet Tea Girls with funny singing voices. (see below)
“Sing it, sisters! This made me smile today…I hope it does that for you too ♥️”
🎵 Thecla Just Wants to Have Fun 🎵
It’s bittersweet, but Thecla and the Sweet Tea Gals have come of age and will soon leave the foster nest for their forever homes. Wherever they may go, Lauren knows these kitties will provide endless fun, laughs, and love for their companions.
Three-week-old Thecla below:
“Thecla just wants to have fun – and she does! 🤣 This girl is a riot and I know she is going to make her forever family laugh every single day with her joyful antics. And how special a gift is that, to have a reason to laugh every single day? ♥️”
🍋🧋Thecla and the Sweet Tea Girls Grow Up Fast 🧋🍋
Before you knew it, Thecla and her sisters were over eight weeks old and rambunctiously exploring everything. Very soon, they will be ready to go to new homes, a bittersweet milestone for foster parents.
“Okay but when did my babies turn into such grown up ladies? 🥺😭”
Thecla, Talia, Toni
Fostering Kittens and Saying Goodbye
As Lauren explains in an earlier post, saying goodbye to foster babies is hard because you fall in love with each furbaby. Yet the rewards for fostering are immense. Each time, she describes having a “goodbye ritual,” to help find closure so that she can do it all again and save more lives.
“We DO fall in love, each and every time. It’s literally impossible not to when you give that much time, effort, (sleep!), and care to what are arguably the cutest creatures on the planet,” Lauren says. “But that’s exactly why we say goodbye – because we truly want what’s best for them, even when it’s hard. And we want to be able to keep saying yes to other animals in need,” she explains.
Lauren from Our Fostering Tails holds baby Talia
Although saying goodbye to kittens like Thecla is hard to do, it’s also worth the sacrifice, Lauren explains:
“If the (very natural) worry of saying goodbye is the only thing holding you back from fostering this kitten season, I encourage you to take the plunge and give it a try. Because, it’s worth the sacrifice. Because they may pass through our homes, but they will forever be in our hearts. And because after every goodbye, there’s another hello.”
For more on Thecla and the Sweet Tea Sisters and to help Lauren care for kitties, you can follow along on Instagram.
