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Guest post: Talia’s Big Bang, Part I: When the Kitty Stork Comes Calling

Guest post: Talia’s Big Bang, Part I: When the Kitty Stork Comes Calling

Oh, kittens, have we got a treat for you.

Starting today, you’re about to hear from one of the kindest, funniest, hugest-hearted human beings in Tabby’s Place volunteer history. Sue has fostered tumbles of kittens for Tabby’s Place, with all the glee and heartbreak such a labor of love brings. But even in a sea of sweetness, some litters stand out.

It’s time for you to meet Talia and her tiny treasures.

And it’s time for me to shuddup. – Angela

In this episode of I didnt know I was pregnant, Talia plays like a kitten with all the toys in her room.

“The text pinged in the midst of chaos.

I had a lot going on at home. About to be an empty nester, my youngest was finishing up high school and starting college early. My days were full with forms, doctors’ appointments, orientations, and graduation parties.

But Danielle had a one-year old pregnant cat who needed a place to stay. I’d already fostered about a dozen cats over the last year, including a mom with young kittens, but never a pregnant one.

Maybe Danielle needed me to keep her until her due date, when she’d safely deliver her babies at Tabby’s Place? Nope. She was asking me to keep the momma-to-be through delivery and until the kittens reached adoption age.

Fostering cats was part of my empty nest strategic planning, something to fill the void in my home and help animals. I’d already socialized shy older kittens, squirted de-wormers and antibiotics through clenched teeth, gathered fecal samples from litter boxes, recorded daily weights, syringe-fed a sick cat, and administered subcutaneous fluids.

No, Talia, I dont think you are a romaine heart. But I thought we could make this box from Costco a comfy place to nest and have your babies when the time comes?

But help a kitty have babies in my home? A teen mom cat?

‘She’s getting antsy in her cage,’ explained Danielle.

I picked her up the next day.

Talia was a beautiful grey tabby with brown accents and deep green eyes lined with smoky kohl rims. She didn’t seem to realize she was pregnant, playing energetically with her toys and chasing a laser pointer at high speed in circles around my spare bedroom. We bonded quickly.

Days went by with no signs of labor. I placed my hand on her growing belly to see if I could feel any movement. I read up on cats and pregnancy. She was supposed to show interest in nesting. I read that some cats give birth in their litter box. Hoping to avoid that, I picked up a carton at Costco and filled it with soft bedding, eager for her approval.

As the days passed, Talia did slow down. She seemed content to sit on my lap and wait for the babies to come. I knew she could give birth at any moment, some more convenient than others. As a holiday weekend approached and our schedule relaxed, I suggested to her this might be a good time, but she had a mind of her own, and Memorial Day came and went with no babies.

Talias expanding belly, but no kittens yet.

Finally, I stopped obsessing. A watched pot never boils, right?

Or does it?”

To be continued…

1 thought on “Guest post: Talia’s Big Bang, Part I: When the Kitty Stork Comes Calling

  1. Wow, love that last picture of the expanding swirl on her side.! This is wonderful, and enjoying awaiting the birth of kittens along with awesome foster mom is great. Tabby’s Place, you do bring together the best people.

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