BOWLING GREEN — The shelves of Stacy Cochrane’s back basement wall are lined with kennels, cleaning supplies, canned kitten food — and Karo syrup.

“That is literally if a kitten’s dying in my arms,” said the Bowling Green woman, who has been fostering kittens for more than 40 years. “There’s a thing called ‘fading kitten syndrome,’ when they’re 4, 5, 6 weeks or younger, suddenly their body just shuts down.”

Rubbing the sweet syrup on the kittens’ gums raises their blood sugar, Mrs. Cochrane said.

“I always, always am prepared,” she said.

Sometimes she has to do downright unpleasant tasks to keep kittens alive and healthy. There are nebulizer treatments every few hours for those struggling to breathe. Her basement floors are purposely kept tiled, and sometimes tarp-covered, to make for easy cleanup when necessary.

When her fosters are very ill, she’ll don a hazmat suit to protect her own two cats, Marie and Todd, who have special needs.

“I want to help the helpless, the struggling, and often very suffering cats and kittens,” Mrs. Cochrane said. “I’m a type of bridge for these deserving animals, between a life of hardship — probable death — to a life of love and companionship.” 

Of the several hundred cats that have been in her care since high school, she has lost five. 

“It seems like I’m a magnet for the sickest,” Mrs. Cochrane said.

The most kittens she has fostered at one time has been 16. “Two years before that, I had 14, and all 14 of them had coccidia parasite,” she said.

Mrs. Cochrane said she couldn’t open up her Bowling Green home like an emergency clinic without the support of her husband of 33 years, Kevin, who is ... allergic to cats.

The couple have two daughters, Katie and Ashley, and two granddaughters. Mrs. Cochrane, who is 57, is a retired office administrator.

Here are a couple of her rescue stories.

Fifi’s eye-opening journey

Fifi was one of six in a litter that Mrs. Cochrane fostered in the summer.

“All of them did well, except for Fifi. Fifi’s immune system, somehow, was compromised,” she said. “It was a lot on her little body.”

The kitten’s always watery eye became deeply concerning in the fall, followed by pneumonia and parasites.

Mrs. Cochrane and Fifi made regular visits to Katie Morrison, an associate veterinarian with Heritage Animal Hospital in Dundee, Mich. The treatment was oral and eye antibiotics, eye washes, and isolation, over five weeks.

“Her eye continued to decline. We couldn’t get ahead of this infection. It was nasty,” Mrs. Cochrane said. “I just kept digging. I didn’t want to accept that she might lose her eye.”

Research led Mrs. Cochrane to a team of ophthalmologist specialists from MedVet Columbus. Fifi was started on antivirals compounded specifically for her. 

After a few weeks of administering the burning drops, the infection cleared, and the kitten’s eye was saved.

Dr. Morrison said Mrs. Cochrane is the kind of person who sees every cat as an individual, each with their own needs, quirks, and potential.

“She’s not just a foster; she’s a lifeline for these animals, providing them with the care, patience, and love they desperately need before finding their forever homes,” she said. “What sets Stacy apart is her unwavering commitment to their well-being, even when it means sacrificing her personal time and space. She’s the type of foster who doesn’t just open her home, but her heart as well. She is meticulous about their health, ensuring they eat on time, receive the right medications, and enjoy the kind of TLC that every animal deserves.”

She said Fifi is a notable example of how a foster's perseverance can be rewarded. 

“Stacy felt strongly that, with the right team and medical protocols, Fifi’s eyes could be saved,” Dr. Morrison said. “With diligent care and many eye drops, Fifi now has full vision and made a complete recovery. After seeing Stacy save Fifi’s eyes, it has given me the confidence and encouragement to save many other kittens and cats’ vision.”

“Every kitten she fosters leaves her home healthier, happier, and more ready to face the world,” Dr. Morrison said.

Misty Puhl, a veterinary technician for Temperance Animal Hospital, met Mrs. Cochrane 10 years ago through Ms. Puhl’s mother, Penny Bly, who operates Friends of Companion Animals Feline Rescue & Adoption Center in Monroe.

“Her passion is to help the ones who need it the most,” Ms. Puhl said. “She just has a huge heart to want to save the ones that are hardest to save.”

Ms. Puhl has kept a close eye on Fifi, who is available for adoption through Friends of Companion Animals.

“Black cats get overlooked, and she’s such a sweet thing,” she said.

Another kitten’s Odyssey

Mrs. Cochrane believes Odyssey hitched a ride home — in her Honda Odyssey — while she was parked at a Toledo veterinarian getting help for two other kittens in December.

Her husband heard Odyssey screeching in the garage the next morning before he left for work. It took two days to lure her out of hiding.

The stowaway kitten, who is now 6 months old, was just coming out of quarantine in mid-February in Mrs. Cochrane’s basement when this interview was done. After suffering a little setback, she required breathing treatments every six hours.

“A couple of friends have said to me ‘This is one lucky little kitten’ and that she knew where to go for help. I’d like to think something led her to me,” Mrs. Cochrane wrote on her Facebook page.

Keeping the Faith

The story of Faith, Hope, and Chance started on a steamy summer day in Bowling Green last year.

Mrs. Cochrane found a crying black kitten and two littermates abandoned behind a grocery store. Another kitten in the box, in the 94-degree heat, was dead. The three survivors, named Faith, Hope, and Chance, were so sick they couldn’t lift their heads.

“They were completely sunken and emaciated and covered in lice, and malnourished,” she said. 

The kittens were rushed to Ms. Puhl’s office, where they received fluids under their skin. They survived — after several weeks in Mrs. Cochrane’s care — and have since been adopted.

“You ask me why I do what I do. I start with what I start with. And over my dead body, I’m going to get them to this point,” Mrs. Cochrane said.

“I look into their eyes — their pleading eyes. I see them sick. And then I see them on the other side: strong, healthy, and ready for a bright future,” she said. “In the end, I’m just a cat-loving volunteer foster.”

First Published March 2, 2025, 12:30 p.m.