Employee is Smitten with Kittens

Darin and his wife saw a call for employees to be foster parents to kittens on InSite. They fell such in love that they've since fostered more than a dozen kittens - dubbed tweenies -  for our animal care facilities. In fact, they love it so much, they wanted to share their experience with some of the kittens they had this summer. Tweenie season typically starts in the late spring. Darin and his wife just finished fostering their last batch of cuties. Here's their experience - and awwww-worthy photos, of course.

My wife and I are both county employees. One day, we noticed the cute image of four kittens posted on InSite’s homepage. The following day, we signed up to be “tweenie” foster parents. Since that day, our family has fostered 13 tweenies. Each one was an adorable, furry ball of cuteness!

What is a tweenie? A tweenie is a kitten under two pounds. Once they weigh more than that, they get put up for adoption. They were quickly adopted through the San Diego County Animal Shelter. With our two teenage boys home for the summer, the tweenies received constant attention. The smallest tweenies we fostered were a litter of four, weighing about five ounces each. All four of them would fit in one hand.

At the end of a work day, coming home to cute, playful tweenies, that run to you to greet you, and demand to be held, makes every day a better day. Tweenies brought peace and happiness to our home, and they will do the same for you. If you can give the amount of attention these little ones require, please become a foster parent. We plan on being foster parents every summer.

-Darin and Laura Hinesly