Earlier this year, a cat and her six newborns found themselves at an animal shelter, desperately in need of a foster home. Jenny, a dedicated volunteer at the shelter, welcomed this feline family with open arms.
Upon arrival, Jenny observed that the mother cat was not actively nursing her kittens, and her milk supply was alarmingly low. “When I picked them up, the kittens were lethargic, had low energy, and despite being a few days old, all of them still weighed under 100 grams,” Jenny shared with Love Meow.
“The babies were trying to nurse but weren’t getting the nourishment they needed.”
Jenny attempted to bottle-feed the kittens, but they were too fragile to suckle. She ended up tube-feeding them around the clock for several days, a challenging task to undertake alone.
“When they regained some energy, I reunited them with Blossom, the cat mom.”
Even though Blossom’s milk supply started to increase, it still wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger of six growing kittens, so Jenny continued to supplement their feedings as required.
In the following days, Blossom spent most of her time lounging away from her kittens. She would respond when they cried, clean and nurse them to the best of her ability, but it was evident that the responsibilities were taking a toll on her.
Blossom had a sweet disposition but much preferred to have her own space. When the kittens began to lose weight, and Blossom’s appetite and energy declined, Jenny made the difficult decision to intervene for the kittens’ well-being.
“I gave it about two weeks to see if Blossom would be able to adequately care for them before finally having to separate.”
Once in her new foster home, Blossom immediately relaxed and began enjoying the company of her human caregivers. Her calm and endearing personality returned.
“I had been tube-feeding the kittens as they refused to take a bottle. Feeding six kittens through a tube every couple of hours left me exhausted and in need of assistance.”
A fellow foster caregiver named Penny came to lend a hand for the weekend. Once all the kittens were able to latch onto a bottle, their appetites soared.
The group of six kittens, lovingly named Chiclet, Skittles, Pez, Tic Tac, Jelly Bean, and Gumdrop, transitioned to a spacious room as they became more curious and mobile. They explored their surroundings and attempted to climb whatever they could reach with their tiny paws.
As they started weaning, the mischievous sextet frequently covered themselves in food, creating a fluffy mess for their foster mom to clean up.
While the kittens were reaching important milestones, Blossom went on to find the loving family she deserved. “It’s a wonderful feeling to break the cycle (often they’ve had multiple litters) and place them in a caring home.”
When all six kittens raced around the house simultaneously, their collective paws and joyful meows filled the air, creating a heartwarming spectacle.
The kittens quickly made friends with other fosters, frolicking with them as if they owned the place. “They effortlessly formed a new crew with any other kittens in their vicinity, whether related or not.”
