Happy June, you joy-bringers!
It’s a little early in the summer for sunflowers, but that hasn’t stopped one mama cat from blooming big-time. Thanks to you, everything’s coming up…well, Sunflowers.
As you know so well, our TNR work generally aims to prevent free-roaming cats from becoming pregnant in the first place. But until we’ve T’d, N’d and R’d every cat in all the lands, there will always be some mamas and papas who are a few steps ahead of us.
Such was the case with a certain soft white-and-grey stray. At least, so it seemed. We’ve been fooled before by reports of a “pregnant cat” who has turned out to be obese — or, in one memorable instance, simply very gassy!
But one way or the other, this plump kitty needed our help, and so Team TNR sprang into action. What we found was a beautiful, balloon-shaped cat with the face of an angel and the belly of a basketball. As you can see, an X-ray confirmed that there were two little ones growing inside. The gentle cat, who we named Sunflower, came bearing little seeds!
Dear sponsors, it’s at this point that I must pause to thank you. Without your compassion and generosity, Sunflower would have been hours away from going into labor outdoors, in dreadfully difficult conditions. There would be no soft blankets or ready sources of food and water for the new mom and her kittens, no shelter from the weird weather of a New Jersey May.
But you were there, and so Sunflower bore babies Lucy and Desi in the comfort of Tabby’s Place. No sooner were they born, than the whole little family was whisked off to a foster home, where a (human) “mama” would lovingly take care of Sunflower’s needs, so she could focus on her newborns. All three would be nestled into the warm blankets and vigilant eyes of love. Sunflower’s days of lonely blowing in the breeze were over; things were going to be just fine.
As you can see, the little family is doing far more than “just fine.”
The love between a mama cat and her kittens is so powerful, we are left speechless with wonder every kitten season. But some mama cats are particularly tender, their love overflowing in all directions. Sunflower is one such mama, and we are in grateful awe.
This could have been a cold and sorrowful summer for Sunflower and her kittens. But thanks to you, these three darlings are Tabby’s Place cats, and the best is yet to come.
Thank you from the depths of my heart!
Your correspondent,
Angela