I am not a fan of cats. I've always been more of a dog person. But all of that changed on one fateful night in April when a basket was left at my front door.

It was a chilly, damp evening. I was comfortably wrapped up in some blankets watching a hockey game when I heard the doorbell ring. Reluctantly I got off the couch and opened the front door.

There was nobody there. I figured it must have been some mischievous kids. I was about the close the door when I spotted a basket on the front porch. It was covered in a baby blue blanket.

I gently lifted the blanket to find five little kittens inside. They were so tiny as they struggled to open their eyes. They all tried so hard to meow but barely a whisper left their mouths.

It was starting to rain so I decided to bring the kittens inside. A couple of them tried to climb out of the basket but couldn't make it all the way out with their wee back legs. I gently placed the pair of kittens back in the basket.

I called my friend Sloane who was involved with an animal rescue group. A few minutes later she came over to see the bundle of joy that had been left at my doorstep. "What should I do?" "Well, you can bring them to the shelter tomorrow or you could foster them."

"You know I'm not a cat person." "This is an emergency Fraser. Right now we're going to need some supplies for these sweethearts. Put on a pot of coffee. It's going to be a long night."

We stayed up all night with the kittens making sure that they were warm, happy, and fed. By the time morning rolled around I was exhausted. "I think it's time we brought them to the shelter" I said to Sloane who looked a little disappointed. "Oh, okay."

As I lifted the basket, the runt of the litter tumbled out. He was an odd looking fellow. He looked more like a gremlin than a kitten. When I picked her up she began to purr. "Oh alright. I'll foster these kittens but only for a little while." A huge smile filled Sloane's face.

Over the course of the next few weeks I spent a lot of time with the kittens.. Thankfully Sloane had fostered before and she helped me keep the little ones warm and safe. I bottle-fed them as if they were newborn babies. I even burped them.

I provided a safe and loving home for the orphaned kittens. Sloane and I made sure that all of their needs were taken care of. They were all healthy although the vet was a bit worried about the smallest member of the group. He didn't seem to be doing as well.

What was supposed to be a couple of days of fostering turned into a few weeks. The kittens were starting to grow, to play, and develop personalities. All except for the tiny one. I started to grow worried about him.

We had done such a good job of fostering the kittens that they were almost ready to be adopted. As happy as I was about their progress, I worried about the sickly little one. He didn't seem to be eating and wasn't developing as quickly as his brothers and sisters.

Soon I had people stopping by to meet the kittens. The rescue group made sure that only the best people possible would have a chance to adopt a kitten. The duo that showed the most spunk by trying to climb out of the basket a few weeks earlier were the first to be adopted.

For a guy who wasn't a cat person, I was certainly a proud Papa as the two left with a friendly couple to start their new life. Now there were only three kitties left. I was really going to miss them as I got a little choked up thinking about it.

I hadn't had a pet since my dog Trixie passed away a couple of years ago. The last thing I expected was to fall in love with a group of orphaned kittens. But that's what happened. It's amazing how much love and happiness a few fuzzy faces can bring to your life.

A week later the next two kittens were adopted leaving only the little guy. I was really hoping that one of the families would take him too but they thought he looked too frail. I was really beginning to get concerned about him. He wasn't digesting his food properly and was much smaller than the other kittens.

The house felt kind of empty without the other cats but at least I still had one left. I wrapped him up in a warm towel and held him close to my chest as we watched TV. That's when I noticed that he had stopped breathing.