It was a normal sunny afternoon. I was volunteering at PAWS in the Foster Care area and things were running smoothly. It was roughly under an hour before closing when two tiny kittens were brought in. They were the smallest that I had ever seen, approximately 6 to 7 days old. There was no time to find a foster home so I took them home with me. The two small kittens, eyes still shut and ears closed, were just the cutest things on earth. They made it through the night, which was a good sign. Several days had past and the smaller of the two had opened her eyes. It was an amazing moment to watch for the first time. Her eyes sparkled up at me and I named her Twinkles, her sister was named Starr.

At first glimpse, Twinkles made you smile. Her semi-long fur stood straight up on her head and her eyes were bright round circles. She was loud and always demanded to have her bottle first. Several weeks had passed when Twinkles started having terrible diarrhea mixed with blood, so I contacted the foster care program for instructions. Sadly, as time went on her stool worsened and more blood was visible until pretty much all that she was passing was blood and water. She was evaluated at PAWS and put on a treatment for roundworms, yet the symptoms still remained (roundworms are the typically one of the first things animals are treated for when there is consistent diarrhea). Then a foster parent's worst fear, Twinkles just collapsed. Since it was 11 p.m. and PAWS was closed, I followed the foster care emergency protocol and rushed her to the pet emergency center. Tears rolled down my face as I drove singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to the limp kitten. In the exam room, Twinkles was still limp and I was still crying as I pet her black fur. She was given fluids under her skin, as she was severely dehydrated. That night I slept on the bathroom floor with tiny Twinkles; it was a long night for both of us.

The next day I took Twinkles to see the PAWS veterinarian; again she was given fluids for dehydration. Determined to find out what was wrong with her, the staff at PAWS ran a fecal test that resulted in a positive reading for Coccidia, an intestinal parasite. Twinkles and her sister Starr were put on a 3-week treatment program, thus prolonging their stay in foster care. Finally after 3 weeks, the parasites were gone and Twinkles and Starr could now be spayed and put up for adoption.

Following their surgeries, Twinkles and Starr were brought to Cat City where they could romp and play with other kittens available for adoption. My husband and I drove to Cat City that morning to visit the kittens and provide information on Twinkles' and Starr's personalities. We even brought in "baby photos" for the "new parents" to take home. As I walked into the kitten room at Cat City, Twinkles and Starr immediately recognized me and ran over to me. Starr was adopted quickly that morning. On the other hand, Twinkles was happy just to be cuddling on my lap. When I left the room, people were calling me over to the viewing window, Twinkles was meowing at the door for me to come back! Then Twinkles noticed me at the viewing window and ran underneath it meowing for me. I glanced at my husband, and then looked back at Twinkles and we agreed to take her back home with us to live where she had been all her life.

To this day, Twinkles has proven to be the "purrfect" kitten. While her little "step-brother" Shermann gets into all kinds of mischief, Twinkles just sits aside and purrs endlessly. Though Twinkles had a rough start to her life, she is grateful for everything she has received. Initially we had not intended to adopt Twinkles but now my husband and I both agree that this was the best decision we ever made. We love you Twinkles.