Help Aaron Nurture Abandoned Kittens

Story

My name is Aaron and my life has been a bit rough, but I try to find happiness where I can, doing my best to get by on a fixed disability income living in a tiny home. I have osteoarthritis, I wear gloves to help mute the neuropathy in my hands, and I suffer from chronic glenohumeral dislocations as well as headaches. I was hit by a car twice while on my bicycle in my 20's, and now live with the aftermath in my 40's. On good days, I'm not half bad, but nowadays, less than half of my days are good and I reluctantly had to stop working some years ago. But this story is not really about me... A litter of cute helpless little kittens appeared in my workshed, I was hoping and praying their mom would find it a safe home to raise them, but it became clear that they are abandoned and now I just want to make sure they are safe, healthy, and loved. I spent the very last of my paltry savings on kitten bottles and KMR milk, and now it's almost gone. They are roughly five weeks old by best estimates, underweight and very tiny. Just writing this almost makes me cry thinking about how sad it is and how young they are to not have a mommy, but unfortunately, it gets sadder as the little black one is nowhere to be found. I did some rough estimates of what it may cost over the coming weeks/months, and it actually did bring me to tears at how impossible it is on my fixed income. If anyone can find it in their hearts to help these sweet little baby kittens get the things they need which I cannot possibly afford, we would be forever grateful! I already have the feeding bottles, and two more cans of KMR remaining but they won't last long and I need to increase the amount as they gain weight, up until they are weaned. I have cleared out the largest (5ft x 8ft) room in my tiny home and devoted it to them as a playroom & general living space, and have baby proofed the rest of the home they also have free access to. All funds will be used for these kittens just until they are raised up however long that takes, for consumables such as KMR milk/food and kitty litter, a litter box & scoop, items to make their playroom fun for them such as toys and things to climb/scratch on, and veterinarian visits including vaccinations as well as getting them spayed and neutered when they are old enough. I would love to get them an initial checkup visit as a stretch goal just to get professional eyes on them, and any specific advice tailored to their situation, but even just money for milk right now would save their lives. I'm sure I can afford to care for them once grown, can buy good adult cat food in bulk when on sale every few months if I pinch every penny, to keep per ounce costs down, and get them used to the back yard for bathroom time, but getting there is an uphill battle. In some way, I feel like life wants to give me something other than myself to care for, as I have been a bit depressed and unable to be productive in hobbies or self care for some reason this year, but I feel terrible that I can't afford to give them the basic things they need aside from love and safety. Now out of my slump, I have completely forgotten about my depression and have been devoting my everything to these babies, and it's made me very happy and fulfilled these past few days... I just can't think about their sad reality too much. It's been bottle feedings every three to four hours, midnight feedings, and snuggle time to nurture and comfort them ever since. Any help would be so greatly appreciated! I'll be posting regular updates with pics and short videos as they grow up and as I add things to their playroom so that everyone can see how well they are doing and growing over the coming weeks and months. Thank you so much for reading their story!

by Aaron Semler
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My name is Aaron and my life has been a bit rough, but I try to find happiness where I can, doing my best to get by on a fixed disability income living in a tiny home. I have osteoarthritis, I wear gloves to help mute the neuropathy in my hands, and I suffer from chronic glenohumeral dislocations as well as headaches. I was hit by a car twice while on my bicycle in my 20's, and now live with the aftermath in my 40's. On good days, I'm not half bad, but nowadays, less than half of my days are good and I reluctantly had to stop working some years ago.

But this story is not really about me...




A litter of cute helpless little kittens appeared in my workshed, I was hoping and praying their mom would find it a safe home to raise them, but it became clear that they are abandoned and now I just want to make sure they are safe, healthy, and loved.

I spent the very last of my paltry savings on kitten bottles and KMR milk, and now it's almost gone. They are roughly five weeks old by best estimates, underweight and very tiny. Just writing this almost makes me cry thinking about how sad it is and how young they are to not have a mommy, but unfortunately, it gets sadder as the little black one is nowhere to be found. I did some rough estimates of what it may cost over the coming weeks/months, and it actually did bring me to tears at how impossible it is on my fixed income.

If anyone can find it in their hearts to help these sweet little baby kittens get the things they need which I cannot possibly afford, we would be forever grateful! I already have the feeding bottles, and two more cans of KMR remaining but they won't last long and I need to increase the amount as they gain weight, up until they are weaned. I have cleared out the largest (5ft x 8ft) room in my tiny home and devoted it to them as a playroom & general living space, and have baby proofed the rest of the home they also have free access to.




All funds will be used for these kittens just until they are raised up however long that takes, for consumables such as KMR milk/food and kitty litter, a litter box & scoop, items to make their playroom fun for them such as toys and things to climb/scratch on, and veterinarian visits including vaccinations as well as getting them spayed and neutered when they are old enough. I would love to get them an initial checkup visit as a stretch goal just to get professional eyes on them, and any specific advice tailored to their situation, but even just money for milk right now would save their lives.

I'm sure I can afford to care for them once grown, can buy good adult cat food in bulk when on sale every few months if I pinch every penny, to keep per ounce costs down, and get them used to the back yard for bathroom time, but getting there is an uphill battle.



In some way, I feel like life wants to give me something other than myself to care for, as I have been a bit depressed and unable to be productive in hobbies or self care for some reason this year, but I feel terrible that I can't afford to give them the basic things they need aside from love and safety. Now out of my slump, I have completely forgotten about my depression and have been devoting my everything to these babies, and it's made me very happy and fulfilled these past few days... I just can't think about their sad reality too much. It's been bottle feedings every three to four hours, midnight feedings, and snuggle time to nurture and comfort them ever since.




Any help would be so greatly appreciated! I'll be posting regular updates with pics and short videos as they grow up and as I add things to their playroom so that everyone can see how well they are doing and growing over the coming weeks and months.


Thank you so much for reading their story!



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    Aaron Semler
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    Portland, OR

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