Making the decision to become a foster parent comes with many challenges. Just when you think you have seen it all, the universe throws another challenge at you. That’s exactly what happened to Nikki Martinez.

A woman found these poor kittens in the bushes while walking her dog one night. Since it was cold, she immediately picked them up and started warming them up in her hands. Unfortunately, mama cat was nowhere to be found!

Knowing that these frozen babies needed special care to survive, she called the right person for this job – Nikki Martinez. She is a foster hero from Las Vegas, specialized in caring for neonatal and critical kittens. 

On this fateful night, Nikki was in California when she received the call. Being the foster hero she is, she drove straight to the parking lot where our newborn kittens were found.

Nikki tried to warm the kittens by holding them up in front of the vents in their car. Being just one day old, even Nikki herself doubted they would pull through the first week. 

Despite her doubts, she drove them straight to her home and decided to give it a try. She was confident until one of the kittens, named Bagel, stopped eating. As Nikki shared:

“We thought we were going to lose her, her weight was drastically going down.” 

For newborn kitties, if the cat mom is not around, getting food in their system is crucial for their survival. So in cases like this, tube feeding was the only option for poor, little Bagel.

As scary as tube feeding is, Nikki never gave up. She managed to start bottle feeding her at one point and from that moment on Bagel was eating everything! However, Bagel was quite a messy eater:

“She makes quite a mess, but I don’t care, as long as she is eating!” 

This little but important victory, made Nikki celebrate every milestone for the kitties. Opening their eyes, gaining weight, and their first grooming sessions, made Nikki throw party hats on their little furry heads.

So what happens when a foster parent is past the critical phase? The kittens start to show their personality and become little tornadoes around the house.

Bagel’s brother Spud was a feisty little handsome boy who quickly got adopted in Southern California. He was blessed with another brother named The Bitty. 

Their sister Pancake was a true lap kitten, as Nikki remarks:

“Her future family is not going to be able to get her off their lap.”

She was also adopted in California and lives with her mom and her older sister Zoey. Their adventures are shared on their Instagram profile.

Bagel, being little but fierce, was jumping over baby fences only to be close to Nikki and her husband. However, being able to jump over fences meant only one thing. She became strong and healthy and was ready to go to her forever home!

Saying goodbye to foster kitties is such a hard thing for foster parents. You were there for them when it was scary when they first discovered the world, and when they shined through.

Our girl Bagel got adopted right on the stage, where her foster mommy Nikki held a speech in New York City about adoption and fostering.

While handing over Bagel to her new forever mom, Nikki, with tears in her eyes, said:

“My heart may break just a little bit, so that theirs will never have to break again.”

Bagel lives happily in NYC with her two dog siblings and three cat siblings, all tabbies like herself.

Being able to say these hard goodbyes means only one thing, Nikki’s home can welcome new kittens in search of help and recovery. Who doesn’t love happy and purr-fect endings like this?