Foster mom Heather from Louisiana took in a gray foster kitten/frog, Hal, whose name was short for Halloween.
Someone brought Hal to the shelter on October 31, 2022 and he was a little bit different. He was missing half his tail, walked “a little like a bulldog,” and hopped like a frog. As is often the case with rescued kittens, he also had tummy troubles. Who knew what he had been eating on the streets as a “stray.”
Once back home, Hal needed to be in quarantine from Heather’s resident kitties, such as Steve-O, whose story we shared previously.
“So far he is a sweet, hungry, bouncy, normal poopin’ little dude,” Heather said. “Love you already, Hal 😘🐸.”
Images and media via Instagram/fostermotherofkittens
You can see the day that Heather went to bring Hal home below:
Hal is Half Frog
The playful Hal rapidly adjusted to life in quarantine, playfully hopping around after his toys.
“I’m convinced Hal is half cat, half frog 🐸😹”
Why Single Kittens Can Be a Hoppin’ Handful
In another video, Heather demonstrates why fostering a single kitten is generally a handful. It’s actually easier to foster a duo or group of kittens together, as they will play and work out all the wild energy together. A single kitten requires LOTS of attention.
“Fostering a healthy, bouncy, single kitten is cute, but boy is it a handful. Fostering a single kitten is a huge deal, and of course ANY help is better than no help,” she explained. “When you opt to only foster a single kitten, you may end up having your hands more full than if you had volunteered to foster the group of three 😆.”
Here’s an idea of what Hal tended to get up to during the day as a solo kitten.
“Hal is doing great! He spends his days yelling at his neighbor 🍋, napping, yelling at me to pick him up, biting me, yelling at me to pick him back up, yelling at me for food, yelling at me for stealing his poop…I think you get the idea here 😅.”
As an experienced fosterer, she knows how valuable the skills learned from other kittens and cats can be.
“When kittens are taken from their siblings too young, not only do they become lonely, but they also miss out on learning vital skills that they would have learned by playing and eating together. Single kittens are NEEDY because you are all they have. When you foster two or more they essentially keep each other occupied while you sit back and watch the cuteness unfold.”
Lemon and Hal
Then one day, Heather spotted a single lonely ginger kitten named Lemon at the local shelter. She suspected the little boy would be a perfect companion for Hal after quarantine. For a time, they stayed in separate pens but could see each other, a good way to slowly introduce them too.
Lemon was having tummy troubles too, but after receiving veterinary care, the foster mom couldn’t wait to introduce the kittens.
“I can’t wait to see him start thriving so he can wrestle with Hal instead of them both shredding my hands up 🙃🍋🐸😍”
Lemon the kitten in a Louisiana shelter.
Fortunately, Lemon’s health improved, and the kittens were ready to meet. However, it happened a little faster than expected, when Hal frog-hopped his way through the barrier and introduced himself!
The two kittens instantly began wrestling matches like two, bouncing happy frogs in a pond. Best of all? Later, they hopped their way into a forever home together!
You can follow and support Heather on Instagram and Facebook to see more cuteness. A US Navy veteran, she worked as a veterinary assistant and has fostered kittens since 2018.
