Stepping up to save orphaned kittens

Jenna Sume hadn’t even been fostering kittens for a week when one of the rarest types of cats showed up at her door. But more on that in a bit — because just days earlier, Jenna found herself with a litter of orphaned kittens who needed help.

Her boss had found the litter of sick, malnourished kittens in his barn without a mother in sight, and he brought them to Jenna knowing how much she loved cats. Jenna knew they needed more care than she could provide on her own, so she reached out to Best Friends for help. At Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, veterinarians got them started on treatment, and Jenna agreed to foster them, now armed with all the supplies and support she needed.

Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters nationwide to reach no-kill, and people like Jenna who step up to foster pets, either with Best Friends or any animal shelter or rescue organization, play a vital part in reaching that goal.

The kittens thrived under Jenna’s care and soon began to gain weight and feel better.

“The Best Friends team was super helpful the whole time,” Jenna says. “They were always there to answer any questions, and everyone is just so nice. And now I feel like I have multiple friends with the team too.”

Then, just a few days later, a calico kitten showed up on Jenna’s doorstep. She waited, hoping a mama cat would retrieve the little one.

[Pro athlete and fiancée score big for kittens]

“We left my phone out there with FaceTime running, so we could watch the kitten and wait for the mom to come,” says Jenna.

Hours passed while the kitten sat quietly on the porch. When it became clear that the kitten was alone, Jenna scooped up the little bundle for a closer look. The kitten was dirty and underweight, with some visible sores and an upper respiratory infection (a kitty cold). So off the kitten went to the Sanctuary to visit the veterinary team — and give everyone a huge surprise.

Calico cats sport a patchwork of orange, white, and black fur — and 99.99% of the time, a cat with a calico coat is female. So Jenna and the Best Friends veterinary team were shocked when they discovered that the kitten — with a classic calico coat — was male.  

“I have never in my life, in all my time with animals, seen a male calico,” says Rebecca Robinson, a Best Friends veterinary technician whose career in animal welfare spans more than 30 years.

The extra-special boy received medication, and the veterinary team sent him back home with Jenna to recover alongside the other kittens. She named him Bug.  

Soon, all the kittens were healthy, and all but two of them returned to the Sanctuary where they were adopted almost immediately. But there were two who were already home for good with Jenna: Bug and a little orange female tabby she named Iris.

[Learn more about adoptable cats at Best Friends]

“Iris is very good at being a cat, and Bug is just kind of good at being himself,” Jenna says with a laugh. “He loves to cuddle and demands that we cuddle with him multiple times a day. He loves making biscuits on my neck and face.”

He also boasts a growing collection of nicknames — Bed Bug, Cuddle Bug, and Stink Bug.

Bug may keep Jenna laughing with his antics, but he and Iris share a special bond too. They quickly became inseparable and do everything together. “They’re best friends,” says Jenna. “They get along super well and love cuddling with each other.”

Jenna's working on getting a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) program started in her neighborhood, so the cats she cares for can stay healthy and comfortable in their outdoor homes without producing any more kittens.

Instead of these cats ending up in shelters, where they might be killed if they aren’t good candidates for adoption, TNVR programs involve trapping them, spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them against diseases, and returning them to their territory.

Jenna’s commitment to her own cats, her foster kittens, and her neighborhood cats shows how lifesaving comes in many forms. Whether it’s a rare calico boy, a special ginger girl, or the many cats she’s helping through TNVR, each one benefits from a safe start and a chance to thrive.

“Fostering is such an incredible experience,” Jenna says. “It’s so rewarding to be there for them and take care of them, even if you’re not keeping them.”

From the furry neighbors on her porch to Bug and Iris curled up inside, Jenna’s care touches them all.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.