About three months ago, a beautiful tortoiseshell cat appeared outside a house, ready to leave the street life behind.
She came from a small cat colony in a neighborhood. Though still a young cat, she was heavily pregnant. Gazing at her finder with a plan in mind, she plopped down on the ground, rolling back and forth for attention.
The tortie needed safe shelter and a trusted food source and seemed to know exactly where to seek help.
A cat rescue, the Stray Cat Club, was notified about the expectant mother cat and didn’t hesitate to open their doors to her.
A foster family took the cat, Ruby, into their care and prepared a comfortable room for her to settle in. After exploring her new space, Ruby seemed pleased, lying in her new bed with a full belly and contented eyes.
A few days later, Ruby began rearranging her bedding as it was go time. She gave birth to her kittens in the comfort of a loving home, away from the streets and the elements.
Ruby stayed with her kittens the whole time, tending to their needs and ensuring they were fed, clean, and loved.
About a week later, a fellow rescue, Foal Farm Animal Rescue Centre, asked the Stray Cat Club if they had a nursing mom who could lend a helping paw. They had been hand-rearing five newborn kittens in need of motherly love.
They immediately thought of Ruby and her kittens who were close in age.
With a proper introduction, Ruby quickly took to the newcomers and started caring for them as her own. She cleaned them, allowed them to nurse alongside her kittens, and smothered them all with love and purrs.
It was incredibly demanding to feed seven hungry mouths, but Ruby didn’t do this alone.
Ruby worked closely with her foster carer who provided supplemental feedings for the new babies. Once the younger ones finished bottle-feeding, Ruby took over, washing their faces and bathing them from head to toe.
“It’s a team effort, and we couldn’t be happier to see them thriving together,” the Stray Cat Club shared.
Named after precious gems, Topaz, Opal, Onyx, Emerald, Jade, Pearl, and Diamond grew in leaps and bounds. Their adventurous side emerged when they felt strength in their legs and became curious about their surroundings, ready to take their first steps outside the nest.
Ruby kept a watchful eye on her littles, making sure they didn’t wander off too far.
As the kittens learned to eat independently, Mama Ruby began to spend more time doing what she loved, playing with toys and letting her inner kitten come out.
Though the kittens came from two separate litters, they formed a beautiful blended family. They zoomed around the room with unbridled energy and piled on each other, often in their human’s lap, when they needed to recharge.
With a foster home, a doting mother cat, and kind humans, these kittens have blossomed into happy and boisterous young cats.
They enjoy cuddling with their people and siblings, blasting their purr motors like tiny rockets preparing for takeoff. “These little loves certainly have a way of melting hearts.”
Ruby wandered to the property on that fateful day, hoping for a fresh start. She’s raised her last litter and helped five more since.
She’s back to being the happy, playful kitty she ought to be, pouncing and chasing after toys, living the life she always dreamed of.
