Katie (@kateskittens), an animal rescuer in BC, has been working closely with cat colony caretakers, getting community cats spayed and neutered and helping friendly kitties find good homes.
A few months ago, she took in a kitten named Eddie who had been saved from an industrial site where many cats frequented.
While caring for the kitten, Katie and her fellow rescuers never stopped looking for her mom, who had likely birthed litter after litter.
A caretaker was able to locate the mama, and they noticed that she had moments of being “more social than the ferals”.
They continued their mission to get her to safety while assisting all the cats in the area. It took until last month to successfully rescue Eddie’s mom with the help of a humane trap.
After months of trying, they got Eddie’s mom, and she was pregnant againKatie @kateskittens
The cat arrived at the shelter, but she didn’t come alone. “She was almost 6kg (13lb) and heavily pregnant. We immediately settled her into the shelter,” Katie shared with Love Meow.
She went into labor and delivered 10 kittens. Seven of them survived and began to thrive. “I have never seen such a big litter. She is fiercely protective and a great mama.”
Mama stayed with her kittens nearly the whole time with only a few quick breaks to replenish and use the litter box. She was glad to have a safe place to nurse her babies and plenty of food for her to feast on.
When the kittens opened their eyes, they began to move around more. Mama watched them every step of the way and made sure that her littles didn’t wander off too far.
The cat mom can be very sweet towards people, but when she feels extremely protective, there are moments where she will lob hisses and swats at them.
“Her moods are very hit and miss, and she’s been an interesting study in cat behavior,” Katie shared.
“I often receive a few hisses and growls when I go in, until she settles and then purrs and will get somewhat comfortable. Sometimes she loves head scritches.”
Katie has been monitoring the kittens’ weights to ensure that they are making steady gains.
The grey kitten is the runt of the litter. He was just half the size of his siblings at birth and has been playing catch-up since.
“He is still small and sort of unusual, but cute. He’s got these funny crimped ear tips right now, reminds me of a Scottish fold.”
The grey kitten is the runt of the litterKatie @kateskittens
After a few weeks in foster care, Mama seems to have made some progress and is showing more trust.
“For the first time ever she left the nest while I was in the room to check out the food situation. Not a single hiss. From super untrusting to the most trusting she’s ever been.”
Eddie the kitten who was rescued a few months ago, has since found her forever home. Thanks to rescuers and volunteers, her mama will never have to hustle on the streets again.
She will be able to enjoy herself once she’s finished raising her last litter. She will be spayed and get to live a stress-free life that she so deserves.
