By Lisa Phifer
The New Mexican
December 4, 2025

Diana and Vince Hesch’s first foster was a very pregnant KittyKitty. One of the couple’s favorite foster moments was cuddling KittyKitty as she was preparing to give birth, then watching over her as she delivered three beautiful little babies.

“That was quite a first-time-foster experience,” recalled Diana. Sadly, one kitten failed to thrive. Tiny Pinto and Chicory had to be bottle-fed because of an upper respiratory infection they caught from their mom.

Fortunately, these “baby beans” grew up healthy and happy. “The first couple who came to meet the kittens instantly fell in love and adopted them together,” Diana said. “KittyKitty took a little longer to find her people but now lives the best life she could hope for. We still keep in touch with both adopters.”

In the years that followed, Diana and Vince fostered many more kitties.

“We have enjoyed all of the different types of fosters we have had kittens, friendly adults, not so friendly kittens and adults, and the extra shy ones,” said Diana. “The most rewarding part of fostering is seeing what a little love and patience can do for a cat that has had a rough start in life.”

When asked about fostering, many people worry that it would be too hard to give their fosters up. “A friend gave us a mug that says: ‘Saying goodbye to a foster means my heart will break a little so theirs will never have to break again.’ That sums it up pretty well for us,” Diana said.

Having sent nearly two dozen fosters to forever homes, Diana and Vince thought they had perfected the art of saying goodbye. But then along came Jassen and Buster.

Four-year-old Buster was rescued as an FIV-positive feral cat who was pretty intimidating. “But once he realized that volunteers and staff only wanted to love him, he started accepting head scratches and pets,” said Diana. Buster has now learned to play but is still working on being picked up.

Yin to Buster’s Yang, 2-year-old Jassen was born a sweet boy, never saying no to love and affection. But Jassen’s inflammatory bowel is easily triggered by stress. Playing with Buster greatly improved his health. “When Buster and Jassen became friends, it was clear they needed to be in a home together,” said Diana. “We fostered them for two months before we decided we couldn’t risk them getting separated.”

And so, Vince and Diana adopted the unlikely pair, turning foster friends into forever brothers. Nowadays, Jassen and Buster groom and wrestle with each other, keeping visitors entertained. As it turns out, this is the best part of fostering: watching your kids live happily ever after.

To learn about fostering with Felines & Friends, visit www.fandfnm.org/foster-felines-friends-of-nm.

Published here:
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/paws/foster-friends-become-forever-brothers/article_9c650d77-75f3-43cd-9a08-52e8f9f00afe.html

By Sandra Jaramillo
The New Mexican
December 25, 2024

It was a hot night in August when 10-month-old Jeana was trapped near Airport Road. The young stray mother, still a kitten herself, had just given birth to a litter of four. Jeana was ill and in need of assistance.

Once trapped, the family of five arrived at Felines & Friends. Shortly after, the family moved into a foster home. Their foster parents named them after aviators — Orville, Wilbur, Thaden and Patty — as a nod to their place of birth.

Jeana nursed her babies while receiving medical attention. Her kittens explored and played, dashed through tunnels, snuggled in laps and sought treats. Then one day, the time came to be weaned.

All four moved to the foster room at the Turquoise Teapot & Cat Café, while mom Jeana remained in foster care. Cafe owner Carrie Reyes made sure the kittens had food, toys and attention. At 3 months old, the kittens were neutered, vaccinated, tested, microchipped and made available for adoption.

A few days later, Tierney Murphy and Brian Woods and their daughter visited the cafe. They met and fell for Orville and Wilbur, a look-alike pair of brown and white tabbies. The family decided to adopt the two.

“We missed having cats in our family and decided to adopt kittens so we could be home with them for the holidays,” said Murphy. “Our 13-year-old really wanted cats of her own and fell in love with Wilbur and Orville because they are so cute and energetic.”

As the holidays drew near, Orville and Wilbur had a blast, scampering about under the family’s Christmas tree. “The kitties love exploring in and around our Christmas tree,” said Murphy.

The family couldn’t wait to open gifts and watch the cats play in boxes.

What did the holiday bring for siblings Patty and Thaden? Plenty of merriment in the cafe’s cat room, where the kittens enjoyed playing with guests on Christmas Eve and other cats on Christmas Day.

“The ‘aviator’ litter has been wonderful to have at the cat cafe,” said owner Carrie Reyes. “Orville and Wilbur went to the most amazing home, and now it’s Patty and Thaden’s turn. Although they’ve graduated to the big cat room, Thaden and Patty still love to snuggle with each other. We know they’d love to go home together.”

Five months old now, Thaden is a brown tabby who can often be found snuggled in a guest’s lap or curled up with his sister in a kitty hammock. Patty is a petite gray tabby who can hold her own while tussling with even larger kittens.

The pair hope to spend New Year’s Eve in their forever home. [UPDATE: They did!]

Published here:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/paws/stopping-for-coffee-leaving-with-adopted-kittens/article_01cd8810-c30c-11ef-a658-bb9b8f5f05c1.html

By Christine Dugan
For The New Mexican
Oct 9, 2024

Walking like a bowlegged cowboy in a cartoon Western, Spider Monkey is a petite tortoiseshell cat who looks like she was assembled with spare parts from a kitten factory. Found alone in a park, she was taken to Albuquerque Animal Welfare where Erin Clark took a shine to the 10-month-old, who has a congenital birth defect that prevents her back legs from bending below the hip.

Clark immediately reached out to the group’s cat behaviorist, Molly DeVoss, to see if she could arrange transfer of the kitten to Felines & Friends NM where she could receive the care required to improve her quality of life and have time in a foster home while she waits for adoption.

For more than 20 years, Felines & Friends NM has served as a second-chance rescue for cats and kittens in Santa Fe and throughout New Mexico. Known for taking the harder-to-adopt cases, Felines & Friends has placed more than 6,000 cats and kittens into loving homes since 2002 — over 500 in the last year.

Spider Monkey, who her foster mother affectionately calls Spidey or her Wonky Warrior Princess, quickly showed herself to be a survivor with a zest for life. She immediately took to the other kittens in her foster home where she chases and wrestles her friends, purrs for pets and brushing and gets the “zoomies” despite her awkward gait.

To provide her with every chance at a normal life, Spidey began treatments with veterinarian Audrey Shannon, receiving acupuncture, laser, ultrasound, nutritional and herbal therapy.

Spidey is joined in therapy each week by Dilly, a 1-year-old cat who is partially paralyzed because of an injury when she was a kitten. Dilly’s treatments from Shannon have helped her regain better use of her rear legs and she continues to make improvements. Spidey has also undergone the first of two surgeries on her dislocated hips to prevent painful bone spurs.

Spidey and Dilly are just two of many special-needs kitties seeking homes, long-term or permanent foster placement through Felines & Friends. Some of the other kitties include Goldfish, a sugary sweet but mostly blind orange cat; Petra, a 16-year-old calico kitty; Jonesy, a handsome, playful 5-year-old with feline immunodeficiency virus; Twinkie Pie, a buff boy with both feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus; and Gypsy, a 17-year-old diabetic tabby.

As a primarily volunteer-run rescue, Felines & Friends relies heavily on foster homes.

With more than 200 felines in its care, cats like Spidey, Dilly and their special-needs companions need foster parents willing to make long-term commitments.

Currently, 35 cats are in a “permanent foster” home for the rest of their lives with Felines & Friends covering all their medical needs.

Jack D was one such cat who now has a loving home.

Surrendered to Felines & Friends with untreated diabetes, he was placed in a foster home while he got the proper food and care that enabled his condition to go into remission. At 12 years old, Jack D was adopted by a father and his 7-year-old child who specifically requested a special-needs senior kitty to love and care for.

Published here:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/paws/special-needs-cats-require-many-helpers/article_e908d8c0-8684-11ef-9328-03100417de94.html

By Sandra Jaramillo
The New Mexican
Mar 22, 2023

Suja Nazeer found Milo, a tiny orange tabby, outside her south-side home one day. Even when it was windy, raining or snowing, Milo sat by her window, day after day, watching Nazeer.

Nazeer recalls seeing Milo, thinking of how difficult it must be to survive alone outside.

“He looked cold and tired and his whiskers were broken from rubbing them to remove fleas,” she said. It wasn’t long until Nazeer opened her door to Milo.

Milo entered Nazeer’s home cautiously and ate kibble. Nazeer let him stay and allowed Milo to sleep beside her. The whole time, she searched for his owners. Milo did not have a microchip, and no one seemed to be looking for him.

Realizing he was not vaccinated or neutered, Nazeer took Milo to Feline & Friends in hopes the organization would rescue him and put him up for adoption. They did. Once neutered and vaccinated, Milo was taken to Petco to the Felines & Friends adoption center. In February, Milo was adopted by Anna Scharenbrock of Santa Fe.

Scharenbrock said she was looking for an affectionate cat to keep her company. “They immediately pointed to Milo. I fell in love with how sweet and gentle he was. Plus, I have a huge soft spot for orange cats,” she said.

Scharenbrock had lived with cats nearby.

“Growing up, my family always had cats and I always dreamed of having my own one day,” she said. “I work from home, so when I moved to New Mexico, I found myself lonely during the day and decided that I wanted to adopt.”

When she brought Milo home, he was eager to get out of his carrier. While cautious of his new surroundings, Milo was very affectionate and seemed to take comfort in having Scharenbrock nearby. In a few short hours, Milo was begging to explore her apartment. Milo quickly settled in and started to show his personality.

“While very affectionate, I soon learned that Milo also loves to play and watch the birds outside the window,” Scharenbrock said. “He loves being around people and has been friendly to everyone he meets. He spends most of the day following us around the apartment. I am so grateful to have him by my side. He is truly the best cat and I love him so much.”

Milo is one lucky boy. Nazeer did not find Milo; Milo found Nazeer, and he did not give up until he got noticed. Nazeer knew just what Milo needed; a shelter that would take him in and find him a home with someone who would love him. Scharenbrock was that person, Milo just needed help finding her.

Published here:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/paws/playful-bird-watching-cat-finds-home/l

By Sandra Jaramillo
For The New Mexican
Jan 25, 2023

Once a 2-week-old hungry, underweight orphan, Woodsy Pumpkin now weighs 8 pounds and is close friend and playmate to his new family’s 4-year-old daughter, Brooke. Woodsy Pumpkin and his siblings arrived at Española Humane in July. The litter was transferred to Feline
7 Friends and went into foster care.

As the litter struggled with diarrhea, diagnostic tests were negative and no medicine helped. A month went by as the kittens grew weaker.
Finally, the litter was fed a limited-ingredient duck diet. They quickly grew strong and healthy.
Nearly all cat food contains some chicken, and Woodsy Pumpkin and his littermates simply could not metabolize chicken — and this is not rare.

According to experts, food allergies are the third most common feline allergy, with 10% to 15% of
affected cats exhibiting gastrointestinal signs.

Chicken is among the most common foods to trigger an allergic response. After just one month on a limited ingredient diet, an energetic and happy Woodsy Pumpkin topped 3
pounds and was made available for adoption.

On Oct. 16, Woodsy Pumpkin was adopted by Megan Phillips of Santa Fe and her family.
Although his siblings took a bit longer to recover, they were all adopted five weeks later.
“Our family decided to adopt a kitten after being dog owners for 13 years,” Phillips said. “Woodsy
Pumpkin was excitable and cuddly from the moment we brought him home. Lisa and Judy, Woody’s fosters, have been lovely and went above and beyond to help the transition.”

“Our family is still learning how to ‘cat,’ but it’s been a fun and often hilarious experience,” she added.

Published here:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/paws/excitable-cuddly-cat-becomes-childs-playmate/