Rainbow Bridge

Date departed: 2025-10-12

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our beloved Smooch, who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join her baby, Squirt, just over 10 days after his passing. Below are some heartfelt words from Smooch’s wonderful foster, Erika Ray:

“As we gather and give thanks, my heart feels heavy thinking of Smooch. 💔🕊️

I’m truly thankful Smooch was able to experience true love and kindness with FTCR. Though she’s no longer with us, her spirit and the memories we shared will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Rest peacefully, little one. We’re so grateful for every moment you gave us. 🧡🍂🐾“

Date departed: 2025-10-01

Written by Squirt’s wonderful foster, Erika Ray

“We said goodbye to Squirt last night. He was 11 weeks old. He didn’t like me all that much but I loved him anyway. He will be buried in Muriel’s mother’s rose garden next to other well loved babies. Squirt reminded me of Mars the pygmy hippo (@tanganyikawildlifepark) and mars the baby cat meme (@mars.babycat), so for the nearly 6 weeks he was with me, I liked to call him mars.

Mars was a curious and shy little kitten. He LOVED to play but preferred to do so with his foster brother scoop. They would spend hours wrestling and chasing each other, sharing tube treats, and antagonizing mama. His favourite toy was a ball tower that he liked to watch go around and around.

Thank you everyone for helping take care of him up until the very end.“

Date departed: 2025-09-01

In Loving Memory of Queenie

Our hearts are broken as we say goodbye to Queenie, a beautiful and affectionate calico kitten who left us far too soon at just six weeks of age. Though her time with us was brief, Queenie’s gentle presence, sweet nature, and boundless affection left an everlasting imprint on all who knew her.

She was small in size but mighty in the love she gave, reminding us how deeply a tiny life can touch our souls. Queenie’s unexpected passing has left a hole in our hearts, but her memory will forever remain — a reminder of pure innocence, unconditional love, and the joy she brought in her short time here.

Run free, little Queenie. You were deeply loved, and you will never be forgotten.

Date departed: 2025-05-21

Rosco was a remarkable kitten with a heart as big as his personality! He came to us with a spinal injury and despite initially making a remarkable recovery, he has now crossed Rainbow Bridge. Here are some beautiful words shared to us by his wonderful foster, Melissa Sagan:

“Rosco Bean

It’s been hard to write this update—there just aren’t enough words to capture both the sadness and the gratitude I feel.

Rosco has moved on to his next life. He’s flying free now.

During his time with us, Rosco helped foster over 11 scared and spicy cats and kittens. He welcomed and befriended each one, showing them how to trust, give love, and accept it in return. His vibrant, caring, loving nature touched everyone around him—both feline and human. The profound impact he had on our lives is something we will carry with us always.

Because of Rosco’s steady presence and love, those cats found the confidence they needed to be socialized and adopted. I truly believe he played a key role in helping them find their forever homes. He wasn’t just my foster—he was theirs too.

Caring for Rosco wasn’t something I did alone as his Foster Mom. It took a team. I’m so grateful to the FTCR admin and social media teams, our foster community, vet staff, and everyone who supported us with advice, supplies, and love. You helped us give Rosco the best life possible, with the best possible care and opportunity to live and be loved.

Some of my sweetest memories are of him curled up snoozing on me, while gently touching my face to check I was still there. Or the texts from my son Emilio: “Mom, Rosco licked my Kraft Dinner!”He was always nearby… inspecting the kitchen, snuggling on the couch, or making friends with our resident cats.

Rosco had a gift for winning hearts. He certainly won mine, and his love will stay with me forever.

Photo credits to Mia Brabyn-Jones I’m so very grateful, thank you!“

Date departed: 2025-05-20

Didi who came from Montreal with Freedom Drivers! Didi was a sweet, gentle 15 year old boy who unfortunately crossed over Rainbow Bridge. Here are some words from his wonderful foster, Erika Ray:

“Darling Didi has crossed the rainbow bridge after 3 weeks in care.

Before coming into care, he spent several months at the Montreal SPCA where he wasn’t doing well. He was a 15 year old declawed cat who was very skinny and suspected to be diabetic. Despite this, he was an absolute darling boy who loved to eat (especially tube treats which he practically inhaled), bat pom poms around with his paws, and bite at the fuzzy ball on his favourite wand toy. He adored pets, head scratches and brushes and would often snuggle up on my lap for a nap while I watched TV. He was so good and gentle, and purred nonstop like a motorboat.

While we didn’t have much time together, I’m hopeful it was enough for him to feel truly loved and cared for in his final days. He certainly made a lasting impression on me and I miss him dearly.“

Written by Marta Bee, this family’s wonderful foster

After a week of apparent health, three precious kittens passed away. We suspect underlying congenital problems that took away their ability to thrive.



On March 31st, 2025, little Xenon – who we eventually renamed Chaim, in accordance with an old Jewish tradition – fell ill first, and despite Muriel Henry’s and mine round-the-clock efforts he did not recover.



Tiny Xena, the kitten born 12 hours after her siblings, fell ill second, and passed within minutes of her brother in Muriel’s arms.



Sweet Xandra was the third to pass, on April 3rd, 2025. Perhaps most surprisingly as she appeared to be thriving.

We’ll never know the cause of their passing but we do know that they were fiercely loved. Fly free, sweet babies. My condolences to Muriel, Thelma, Donna and all who loved them.

Date departed: 2025-05-28

Xander was a beautiful little boy who touched our hearts in the short time he was with us. The longest-surviving kitten of his litter, he gave us hope for a long and joyful life ahead.

But sometimes, no matter how much love surrounds them, fate carries these tiny ones away too soon. At just over two months old, Xander crossed the rainbow bridge, where he was reunited with his siblings—Chaim, Xena, and Xandra.

Though his time here was brief, Xander’s memory continues to shine. His gentle presence left pawprints on our hearts that will never fade.

The Bittersweet Story of Momma Cher and her Rockers

Written by Mary Della Malva, this family’s wonderful foster

When I was asked to provide Rainbow Bridge entries for some of my neonatal babies, I realized that I couldn’t tell their stories without talking about the whole family.

Momma Cher gave birth to a litter of Little Rockers on February 17, 2025. Momma Cher had no desire to be a momma and refused to feed or care for her babies. The kind people who found them realized caring for the litter of neonatal kittens was going to be very difficult and reached out to Furry Tales for help.

The family arrived at my home on February 22nd. Momma Cher looked at me with daggers in her eyes. Momma Cher disappeared to a spare bedroom where she could have solitude. She didn’t want to be touched and would hiss if I came too close. The sleepy babies were transferred to a carrier with a heating pad and fuzzy blankets for them to snuggle in.

The babies, at 6 days old, were just losing their umbilical cords and still had their eyes and ears closed. They latched onto the bottle easily and were warm and plump. At first appearances, the babies appeared healthy, and I was optimistic that the entire litter would make it through those critical first couple of weeks.

During the first 3 weeks of a baby’s life, I count success, not in days but in hours and sometimes minutes. I set my phone alarms to go off every 2 to 3 hours to feed and stimulate their bottoms. They were nursing on the bottle and peeing well but would not poop. They were all very constipated. Two of them had hard, lumpy bellies. Between the 22nd and the 25th, gradually I got all the babies to poop (more poop than those little bellies should be able to hold).

With a sign of relief, I was hopeful that the worst was behind us.

Their little eyes opened up and the Rockers got their names. Pink, Floyd, Janice and Joplin.

In true Rocker fashion, they crooned when they were hungry and belted out when they had had their bottoms stimulated.

With the initial constipation dealt with, we settled into a routine of feeding and stimulation every three to four hours.

However, as a foster of neonatals, you can never truly relax during the first few weeks. Never let your guard down. Pink, Janice and Joplin started having diarrhea and Floyd still struggled with constipation.

On March 2 at 6:20 pm, Joplin started fading. I immediately started syringe feeding and supplementing with sugar water. He was nestled next to my heart with a warm heating pad providing additional warmth. I purred to him and stroked his little head. Around 8:45 pm he started perking back up and I felt I could breathe again. We continued to struggle with diarrhea and constipation. The diarrhea got worse and worse.

Pink passed away in the early hours of March 5th. My heart ached that she passed alone, without being comforted.

At 3:07 pm on March 5th, Joplin started crashing again. He again went next to my heart with a warm heating pad, purring and stroking his head resumed. Sugar water and KMR were dripped into his mouth every few minutes. He was dehydrated so I also subQed him with warmed fluids. His condition continued to worsen. At 9:10 pm on March 5th Joplin passed away and joined his sister across the Rainbow Bridge.

By this time, Janice had also started to crash. The triage continued. Sugar water, drops of formula, subQ fluids, heartbeat, purring and heating pad. Janice crossed the Rainbow Bridge during the night of March 5th.

Three babies lost in 24 hours. My heart was heavy, and I felt I had failed. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry but I still had Floyd to care for. My full attention turned solely to Floyd. Unlike Pink, Janice and Joplin he did not have diarrhea, he still struggled with constipation.

I watched Floyd like a hawk and I used every trick in the books to help him move his bowels. Floyd was strong and loud. Hour after hour, day after day he continued to grow and get stronger. His ears perked up, his vision cleared, his legs got less wobbly. He howled and tore my hands apart, as he struggled to get away, whenever I tried to get him to poop. At times I was frustrated and almost brought to tears, but I wouldn’t give up. I could get him to do tiny bits every day or two but nowhere close to what he should be doing.

Fast forward to March 26th, 2025 Floyd is now just over a month old and today for the first time he pooped on his own, he even did it in the litter box. I’ve never been so happy to see poop. He is weaning, eating more solid food than drinking formula from the bottle. He is discovering his paws and his tail and likes to play with scrunchy toys. He snuggles under my hair, purring like crazy.
No Rainbow Bridge for Floyd!

As Floyd continues to thrive, Momma Cher quietly waits until the weather warms enough for her to return to her colony in Ottawa.

I specialize in bottle babies, not only to celebrate the success stories but to help ease the passage for those little ones who are too weak and sick to make it. I mourn the losses and rejoice in the victories as they come. If you would allow me to give some advice to anyone who finds themselves in a position where they must care for a neonatal baby, even for a short period, please try to remember that stimulating the bowels to get them to pee and poop is as important as keeping them warm and feeding them. I’m not saying this is what caused Pink, Janice and Joplin to fail. It’s impossible to know what caused them to fail. Lack of momma’s milk and inability to properly digest the formula likely played a part. Their little systems are so delicate, they are so fragile. Keep them warm, fed and stimulated to pee and poop (and try to get catnaps for yourself between feedings). There are many online resources available if you can’t find someone experienced with caring for neonatal kittens.

Date departed: 2025-01-18

Zurich, also known as Zuri, was only with her foster for a short time, but she left a lasting impression. Her foster expressed gratitude for the condolences and shared that Zuri was an incredibly sweet girl who didn’t deserve what happened to her. While she wasn’t fond of being brushed, she remained gentle and patient. Her foster believes she would have been a wonderful addition to a loving family.

While what happened to her remains unknown, we hope she has found all the love and comfort on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Date departed: 2025-03-21

La belle Étoile! Just as beautiful as her name suggests!

Sadly, she passed away after just a few days in care. Her foster shared these beautiful words in her memory:

“My sweet Étoile 💔.

As some already know, Étoile passed away unexpectedly late Friday night, after spending only ~4 nights with me. Although she was not with me for long, I think we all know how quickly we can get attached to our foster babies.

Étoile was roughly 8-10 years old and came to Furry Tales from Outaouais. When I picked her up, she was frightened and hiding in the back of her carrier, and would not even look at me the whole ride home. When we got home, she did not take long to start showing her affectionate, loving self. She had not been eating or drinking much, but after what was possibly her first taste of a Churu treat, things started to look up. It was bit of an adventure to figure out what she liked to eat. We tried Friskies, Hill’s, Fancy Feast, Weruva….and she finally settled on Tiki Cat—and who can blame her? I would’ve eaten it myself had I not known it was cat food!

Étoile loved head and chin rubs, gentle brushing, and curling up next to me, or sometimes even in my lap. She would roll onto her side for pets, and purr her heart out.

Reflecting back on the time she spent with me, she might have been experiencing some discomfort—she was sensitive to touch around certain areas, and had some trouble with dry food and hard treats. She had also been through many changes in the past week. Despite this, she was a happy girl who loved wand toys, a cozy bed, catnip kickers and mice, and would gleefully leave them for me in her food or water dish. I think she was brewing catnip tea.

I am devastated that she is no longer with us, and even more devastated knowing that I was not able to make her last moments more comfortable or less scary for her. I only hope that if she was suffering, that she is no longer; and I am so grateful for the few days that I got to spend with her ❤️.

I am also extremely grateful for the amazing community of volunteers, fosters, coordinators, and friends that complete FTCR, and for the amazing level of support and compassion that I’ve received from the wonderful foster team since Friday night. I genuinely can’t express how grateful and how sorry I am 😞.

I haven’t been able to bring myself to tidy up her room yet, but I do have 6 cans of Étoile’s leftover food that she enjoyed very much, and are just sitting on my counter. I am hoping that it might be of use to another foster, as I know that it will otherwise continue to sit on my counter indefinitely. Photo is the last one in the post.

I hope Étoile has everything that she couldn’t have in this life, across the rainbow bridge 🌈🩷👼.”