Simon & Ryder

I’ve got to give a shout out to these two boys….

Simon and Ryder have opened up their home and their hearts with open paws to the many foster kittens that have come to live with us over the past few months. Before I began fostering my boys had never even seen a kitten. Needless to say, I was a little unsure how this fostering thing was going to workout. I knew Simon would pretty much just ignore the cats, but I was unsure how Ryder would react. I never expected Ryder to react as he has. 

Let me explain… I half expected that Ryder might try to eat a kitten for dinner. I was very cautious the first few days while introducing Ryder to our new guests. The first day he followed the kittens around with BIG eyes and the hair on his back completely raised. This was a little unsettling to me because the last thing I wanted to report to the Humane Society was that my 69 pound puppy ate a kitten for lunch! 

I remember distinctly Ryder’s first contact with a kitten. He was sound asleep on the ottoman and little Sasha (Sasha and Stella were my very first fosters) jumped up to nuzzle next to him. He woke up startled and stared at me with those big eyes. As Sasha began to kneed and nurse on his belly he started to LICK HER! He laid there and groomed her like the best of mommy’s would. From that moment on Ryder and his “babies” have been inseparable. He is just SO wonderful to them…. He grooms them, sleeps with them, mothers them and it just melts my heart each and everyday. He likes to play with them too! They make up the cutest little games. Only a few times have I thought he’s gotten a little rough. I don’t think he realizes that a 69 pound boy and a 2 pound kitten may be an unfair match! He likes to put the kitten’s heads in his mouth for some reason and gently “chew” on them…. The kittens actually enjoy this for some reason, but it still makes me a little nervous… hahaha. Simon still to this day could careless about our foster felines which is alright with me.

Thank you Simon and Ryder for being such sweet boys and loving on these sweet babies each and everyday. Thank you for sharing your mommy with them and never becoming jealous or harsh. I will keep bring them home to stay with us as long as you will have them.