A cat came to a rescue with one kitten and stunned everyone with a second. She then sneaked into a nursery to adopt two more.
A few weeks ago, Sara Sharp, founder of Community Cat Club, was notified about a plea for help for a newborn kitten whose cat mom “wasn’t caring for her”.
Sara reached out to the family and offered to take the baby and get the mom fixed if she indeed wasn’t nursing. When the family decided to surrender them, Sara was surprised to learn that the mom was a Sphynx.
“We don’t see that too often,” Sara shared with Love Meow. “As soon as we got them home, we realized Zayda (the cat) loved her baby very much. However, she didn’t seem to be producing milk.”
Zayda arrived at the rescue with one kitten
Zayda was taken to the vet the next day to make sure that she was in good health. While they were examining the mom, they were hit with a second surprise.
There was one more kitten in the womb, and Zayda had to go in for an emergency C-section straight away.
She surprised everyone with a second baby
Zayda made it through surgery and was reunited with her two kittens in the comfort of a warm nest. “We are so happy that we were able to get the mom and get her this care. She would not have survived without this.”
Despite still being unable to produce milk, Zayda continued devoting herself to her babies, Xana and Zia, keeping them clean, warm and loved.
It was teamwork as Sara and Zayda co-parented the kittens, sharing mommy duties.
“I bottle-fed both kittens the whole time while she took care of everything else,” Sara told Love Meow. “During these feedings, she usually sat on my lap and hung out, checking on the baby and wanting all the attention.”
Zayda hopped onto Sara’s lap at bottle feeding time
At one week old, the kittens’ eyes started to open. “They were healthy and chunky, and mom was obsessed with them.”
Around that time, a pair of orphan kittens arrived at the rescue, needing round-the-clock care. Sara took them on and placed them in an incubator as they were too young to regulate their body temperature. “They were only a few days older than Zayda’s babies.”
Zayda jumped into the incubator and started caring for the new babies
As soon as Zayda caught wind of the new kittens, her ears perked up and she started looking for them. After an isolation period to ensure the health of the kittens, Zayda could see them and decided to sneak into their nursery.
Without hesitation, she climbed into the incubator and started caring for the babies. “She pretty much made me give them to her.”
The new kittens, Hermes and Hera, joined Zayda and her two in their nest. They quickly cuddled up to each other in a clowder.
Zayda showered her precious four with unconditional love. As the kittens grew, they learned to walk, wrestle and explore, and they kept their mom on her toes.
The kittens have reached many milestones over the weeks, and are now eating from a dish like champs. They are getting very playful as they zip around the room, pouncing on each other and creating all sorts of antics.
“Zayda loves her babies so much and even took in two additional kittens. She is finally getting some time away from them to relax.”
But whenever she notices that a kitten needs a bath and a cuddle, she will come running.
Now, Zayda spends ample time hanging out with another foster kitty named Lupin and enjoys sharing a blanket with her people, feeling cozy and loved.
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