We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keely Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Keely, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Everyone has a purpose in life, whether they end up in history books or not. Every person leaves their own unique mark on this world. However, I’m not sure if I would consider what I want to leave behind a “legacy.” The truth is, I don’t want to be remembered for centuries, decades, or even many years once I’m gone. I want people to remember what I did. I want the kittens I have rescued and will continue to rescue to be remembered, and I just want to be remembered as the girl who helped. I don’t want my name to go down in history, but I want my actions to be remembered and to inspire others. I want my beliefs and efforts to be cherished and passed along to younger generations. Truly, I just want to see happy kittens and happy people. I hope my efforts will continue to encourage people to help those who need it. I hope my mark on the world is a big one, not remembered by myself, but by what I’ve done.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

While I have always been fond of pets, it was at age eleven when my passion for helpless animals truly began. I began learning about feline welfare through humane educator and animal rescuer Hannah Shaw, widely known as the Kitten Lady. After learning about young felines online, I began asking my parents if I could do something to help. Countless rejections later, I devised a plan to convince them that I was fully capable of caring for the most vulnerable kittens. On November 10, 2017, I began “fostering” stuffed kittens as if they were real; I pretended to bottle feed them and posted educational videos online about kitten care. Just 18 short days later, I had my first foster kittens! I quickly fell in love with helping kittens who needed it most. In just one year, there had been over thirty total kittens in my care. And this was only the beginning! I have since cared for hundreds of orphaned kittens and met so many wonderful people through my work. I plan to continue fighting for these sweet creatures as long as I can.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A heartbreaking, yet inevitable part of animal rescue is death. I have dealt with several kitten deaths over the past five years, and it never gets easier. While I wish I could say I’ve gotten over these deaths, I can’t. I vividly remember each kitten who has passed in my care– their names, ages, colors, and personalities. I cannot label these tragedies as which were harder or easier to heal from, because they were all devastating in their own ways. After many of these deaths, I have thought about taking a break from rescue, or even stopping completely. My emotions were elevated, and it was hard to open myself up to potentially being heartbroken again with new kittens. But I never stopped. I realized my emotions were far less important than the lives of innocent kittens who needed me to save them. I like to dedicate my rescue work to the babies I have lost, as a way to honor them forever. I am forever proud of myself for prioritizing the kittens rather than myself. I have helped hundreds of kittens who may have had no chance without me.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a twelve-year-old girl interested in animal rescue, I was constantly told I was “too young” to help. I began to assume that youth equated to immaturity, unreliability, lack of intelligence, and even foolishness. After establishing my Instagram account, however, I discovered that there are plenty of other children who wanted to help–and they did. Seeing my peers achieving the things I didn’t think I could was a total game changer! After I became truly dedicated to animal rescue, I began fostering kittens almost immediately. Sometimes, all you need is a little reassurance! Finding people with similar interests was super helpful and I hope that I can be that person who children can look up to and think, “If she can do it, I can too!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://keelyfostersx.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keelyfostersx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keelyfostersx/
• Other: I am currently in the process of creating a new website, and I will share with you once completed!

Image Credits
Heather Thomas