Carley began to foster Batty while she was 8-months pregnant with her daughter Aleena.
The crossed-eye kitty immediately developed a relationship with the baby, even before she was born.
Batty loved to sit atop Carley’s pregnant belly and snuggle on it, staying close to the baby inside. So, Batty made sure she was the very first one to greet Aleena when she was born. After mom and dad, of course.
Batty would curl up at the baby’s feet in any seat she was placed in. She also was there for Aleena’s first bath.
Batty wanted to supervise to make sure that Carley was doing a good job for her best friend.
She sits up on the sink or perches up on either side of the bathtub pacing back and forth to make sure everything is going smoothly.
“I don’t know what her fear is but she just sits there so concerned and so cute,” Carley explains. “She’s there to supervise. She just doesnt want anyone messing with her.”
Batty and Aleena do everything together. Mom will even hold both of them at the same time.
When Aleena is nursing, Batty is right there by her side. She is constantly trying to snuggle up with the baby.
“She will lay along Aleena’s back or sometimes she’ll try to lay on top of her,” Carley says.
Batty has become Aleena’s protector and watches over the child 24-7. Carley says she thinks it’s because Batty know that they were both babies together.
She describes their relationship as one of “inter-species love.” As much as Carley and Aleena love Batty, she is determined to not make Batty a foster fail.
The percentage of foster failing is quite high. Study Finds reports that 68 percent of people who have fostered an animal admit that they’ve “foster failed” and adopted one of their foster pets.
Among that group, about 87 percent said they immediately knew they were going to adopt the pet after meeting them.
About three in four of those people said fostering the animal help strengthen their bond. But only 23 percent said they decided to foster because they wanted to adopt a pet.
Twenty percent said it was a mix of wanting to give animals loving temporary homes and wanting to adopt.
Carley is looking to find Batty the perfect forever home.
Hopefully, one that includes children since Batty gets along with kids so well.
“I think it’s clear that she has an affinity for children and loves being around them and their energy. Fostering can be such a challenging thing, and it’s so hard to love something unconditionally and then be able to let it go,” said Carley.
To make it through, Carley has to continually remind herself that finding her foster forever homes allows love to grow into other families and helps to brighten the lives of others.
Learn more about Batty’s story in the video below, and find out how you can adopt Batty or other cats like her at @nolakittennursery on Facebook.
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