Ernie

They always told me that you will end up adopting your first foster pet, but I didn't believe them. Of course, that was until Ernie came into my life. Initially, I was somewhat hesitant about fostering for HHS because I wasn't sure that I would be able to give the animal up and like any good pet mom, I also worried how my own kitties would handle it. Angie worked her magic though and reeled me in as a new foster. My first foster kitties were 2 male littermates - Robbie and Ernie. They were trapped on a farm in Lincoln County and were very young when they came to live with me. Immediately, I knew that Robbie, the cute gray tabby with the pink nose would be the outgoing, playful one that would attract all of the attention. His brother on the other hand was a pretty pathetic looking scrawny black kitten that needed some good food and a lot of TLC to bring him out of his shell. Since I only wanted to foster 1-2 kitties at a time, we figured that it would be best if I worked with the more shy and timid cats that needed a bit more one-on-one time. After a couple of months of being at my house and becoming a lot more socialized towards humans, the boys were finally ready to go to Petsmart. Of course everyone ooh'd and ahh'd over Robbie because he was so friendly and cute, but poor Ernie cowered in the back of the cage, afraid of the chaotic action around him. That kind of behavior doesn't bode well for a black cat since they tend to be overlooked because of their color. Unfortunately, people don't always get to see a cat/dog's true personality at Petsmart because it can be quite intimidating and overwhelming for the animal (understandably). Within a few weeks, Robbie found his forever home and left poor Ernie alone and without his best buddy. After several months of lugging poor Ernie to Petsmart, a place that he least wanted to be, my husband finally asked me why I kept taking him up there? I asked him what he meant and he simply replied, "You know that you love that cat and can't stand the idea of giving him up, so why don't we keep him?". Needless to say, I was shocked because my husband told me from the very beginning that fostering did NOT mean keeping them, but I could tell that he was just as smitten with the big guy (and boy did he grow big during those months) as I was. So now, a year and a half later,, Ernie (aka - Ernest, Ernesto, Fuzzy Monkey, and Chubbles) continues to be a constant source of entertainment and unconditional love for us, and as you can see by his picture, he has become quite a handsome (and photogenic) boy! We cannot imagine life without him, or the other felines that own us, and are so happy that we found him. In addition, I cannot say enough about Heartland Humane Society and the highly dedicated, incredibly caring volunteers that make the mission of saving animals truly possible. Thank you for letting me become a part of your wonderful organization and for bringing Ernie into our lives!!!
Sincerely, Julie Bauman