Finding Mama Cat
Within the span of only one year, my family has gone from only having one furry friend to five! I've had my golden retriever, Wiggles, for ten years, and neither my family nor I were planning on taking in another dog or cat any time soon.
Like some, I never knew that I was a cat person until the fateful day that I actually interacted with one! One November afternoon, I was alerted to a ruckus in our kitchen. I asked my sister what it was, and she told me that there was a white cat that had been prowling around outside. (Our kitchen is connected directly to the garage by a small backyard area.)
Having always had a love for animals, though not particularly for cats at the time; I ran outside to find the aforementioned mystery kitty. To my great surprise and delight, she was affectionate from the get-go, albeit a little wary. She was rubbing herself against every available surface, and was meowing loudly, and so I approached slowly, beckoning her to come to me. She was scared initially, obviously having had very limited contact with humans in the past. With some food and patience, however, I was able to feed and pet her.
Pretty girl, later named "MingMing", All white and odd-eyed.
The key to acclimating strays to your home: Lots of patience, repetition, perseverance, gentleness, and good food. Lucky for me, though, MingMing was only half feral; wary, but not terrified of new environments and people. At first, we had planned to adopt her out, as my mother was not fond of cats, and had negative preconceived notions about them. After a while, though, all of us fell in love with her affectionate nature and silly antics, and we just couldn't let her go! I remember the day my sister asked me: "Can we just adopt her already?", and from then, we officially had a new member of the family.
Mama Cat is Pregnant!
Unfortunately, by the time we had decided to take MingMing in, she was already exhibiting signs of pregnancy. We didn't want to abort the kittens, and instead opted to help soon-to-be mama cat through her pregnancy by making sure she and her babies were well-fed and healthy.
The Special Day
On the day she gave birth, MingMing let us know that it was time. She likes to go in and out of the house, and one day, she came home strangely early in the morning, meowing loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. We let her inside, of course, and immediately noticed that she was acting differently. She was hiding underneath the furniture, and seemed somewhat distraught. The realization came when my sister was petting her, and we found discharge coming from her vagina. The kitties were coming! Quickly, we set up a box with warm towels for her to nest in. She seemed to be saying "Thank you!" as she finally settled down. We waited, and watched her through her labor as she delivered three beautiful boys!
We named them Warden, Target, and Bullet.
It's been over a year since then, and the three have grown into beautiful cats! Since there are plenty of new people constantly coming and going in our home, socialization for the kitties was a breeze. Let me introduce them to all of you!
This is Warden. He looks almost exactly like his mama, except with a larger build, and more masculine face. He is very sweet and athletic, and loves to play in the garden!
This is Target. (Named after the target-like spot on his face!) He's a little selfish, and likes one-on-one cuddle sessions. [emoji]128523[/emoji]
Finally, say hello to Bullet! He is one of the most affectionate of the bunch, constantly demanding snuggles and kisses. He's also the master hunter of the pack. Will you believe he once caught a bird mid-flight? [emoji]128561[/emoji]
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet our little family. I'm currently in the city for my education, and the pets are at home in the province with my mother and father. I miss them dearly, but I will see them soon! In the meantime, I am supporting multiple animal welfare groups in Manila, Philippines. I am currently fostering a senior cat from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, and will be dropping off much needed donations to the local city pound as well. Animals have helped me through my bouts with clinical depression and anxiety, and I am so blessed to have my pets in my life. To people out there: Love animals! They will bring so much joy to you!
Sincerely,
Sam
17 years old, Philippines
Within the span of only one year, my family has gone from only having one furry friend to five! I've had my golden retriever, Wiggles, for ten years, and neither my family nor I were planning on taking in another dog or cat any time soon.
Like some, I never knew that I was a cat person until the fateful day that I actually interacted with one! One November afternoon, I was alerted to a ruckus in our kitchen. I asked my sister what it was, and she told me that there was a white cat that had been prowling around outside. (Our kitchen is connected directly to the garage by a small backyard area.)
Having always had a love for animals, though not particularly for cats at the time; I ran outside to find the aforementioned mystery kitty. To my great surprise and delight, she was affectionate from the get-go, albeit a little wary. She was rubbing herself against every available surface, and was meowing loudly, and so I approached slowly, beckoning her to come to me. She was scared initially, obviously having had very limited contact with humans in the past. With some food and patience, however, I was able to feed and pet her.
The key to acclimating strays to your home: Lots of patience, repetition, perseverance, gentleness, and good food. Lucky for me, though, MingMing was only half feral; wary, but not terrified of new environments and people. At first, we had planned to adopt her out, as my mother was not fond of cats, and had negative preconceived notions about them. After a while, though, all of us fell in love with her affectionate nature and silly antics, and we just couldn't let her go! I remember the day my sister asked me: "Can we just adopt her already?", and from then, we officially had a new member of the family.
Mama Cat is Pregnant!
Unfortunately, by the time we had decided to take MingMing in, she was already exhibiting signs of pregnancy. We didn't want to abort the kittens, and instead opted to help soon-to-be mama cat through her pregnancy by making sure she and her babies were well-fed and healthy.
The Special Day
On the day she gave birth, MingMing let us know that it was time. She likes to go in and out of the house, and one day, she came home strangely early in the morning, meowing loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. We let her inside, of course, and immediately noticed that she was acting differently. She was hiding underneath the furniture, and seemed somewhat distraught. The realization came when my sister was petting her, and we found discharge coming from her vagina. The kitties were coming! Quickly, we set up a box with warm towels for her to nest in. She seemed to be saying "Thank you!" as she finally settled down. We waited, and watched her through her labor as she delivered three beautiful boys!
We named them Warden, Target, and Bullet.
It's been over a year since then, and the three have grown into beautiful cats! Since there are plenty of new people constantly coming and going in our home, socialization for the kitties was a breeze. Let me introduce them to all of you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet our little family. I'm currently in the city for my education, and the pets are at home in the province with my mother and father. I miss them dearly, but I will see them soon! In the meantime, I am supporting multiple animal welfare groups in Manila, Philippines. I am currently fostering a senior cat from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, and will be dropping off much needed donations to the local city pound as well. Animals have helped me through my bouts with clinical depression and anxiety, and I am so blessed to have my pets in my life. To people out there: Love animals! They will bring so much joy to you!
Sincerely,
Sam
17 years old, Philippines
I thank you on the behalf of the kitties for what you are doing.
