FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Kelly Smith

* Story by Deepa Bharath; photo by [tk]

Kelly Smith loves animals. And the Costa Mesa High School sophomore

knows how to show it.

Kelly is a volunteer “foster mom” to two kittens she picked up from a

shelter. She will continue to take care of them until they are adopted.

It all started last year when Kelly befriended a stray cat -- a

four-legged friend she named Sugar.

“One day, Sugar ran under my bed,” Kelly said. “And when I looked

there, I saw four kittens about two or three days old.”

So she decided to raise those kittens until they were ready to be

adopted. Kelly still has one of the kittens, which she named Tiger. She

also adopted a cat, Cuddles, from her vet.

This year, she found an advertisement in the paper from the Newport

Beach-based Community Animal Network animal shelter asking for foster

homes to take in a pregnant cat.

“They wanted someone to let the cat have the kittens and then take

care of the babies and the mom till they’re ready to be adopted.”

Now she has a mother cat, Konstantine, and her two kittens, still

nameless.

Does it get pretty crazy with five cats around?

“Not really,” Kelly says.

The only challenge is when Konstantine and Tiger fight, she said.

“They don’t really get along,” Kelly said. “So, it can be a problem

sometimes.”

But they are “adorable,” she is quick to point out.

“It’s going to be so hard to let them go or give them up for

adoption,” she said. “But that’s something that’ll have to be done.”

Taking care of the animals is also part of Kelly’s school project,

part of her 40 hours of community service she is required to complete

this year.

The kittens are now three weeks old, and will continue to stay will

her another 10 weeks and then wait to be adopted.

Kelly said this is something she will continue to do long after her

project is over.

“I love animals,” she said. “This is something I really enjoy doing.”