After 1.6 miles, I was nearing the top of the 2-mile climb and I was looking forward to a fast descent to the other side of the mountain. As I was climbing, I was shocked to see a small cat and two kittens in a muddy ditch on the side of the mountain. The cats didn’t move when I stopped as they all seemed to be in shock by the situation.
I quickly called Karel and told him the situation. He was planning to go for a swim that evening but he stopped what he was doing at home and drove the car with a cat carrier and food and water. Of note, this is not the first time that I have found and rescued cats on the side of the road so Karel knows the drill.
I sat on the side of the road while I waited for Karel and told the cats that they would soon be safe. Around ten minutes later, Karel arrived with the carrier. Another older man stopped and offered help when Karel arrived.
We were worried about catching the momma and kittens but they were so tired and in shock that they didn’t move. It was very easy to scoop each of them up and put them in the carrier in the car.
It was nearing 5:30pm and our vet closed early on this day so we stopped by a vet in Traveler’s Rest to see if the momma cat had a chip. She was scanned and no chip registered. We noticed that the momma cat had an indentation around her neck which appeared to be from a tight collar or flea collar. At this point, we made the assumption that the momma cat and her two kittens were dumped on the side of Paris Mountain.
We made a stop at the store for kitten food and while Karel was in the store, the kittens started to nurse on momma. My heart hurt for what the kittens and momma had gone through but I assured them that they would be safe, loved and well-taken care of for the rest of their life.
We took the cats back to our house and quickly cleaned out our upstairs workout room and turned it into the “cats room.” We didn’t let our cats interact with the new cats. Momma and kittens now had blankets, a scratch post, beds, toys, water, food and a litter box and a safe room. We gave them time to decompress (and eat).
Over the next few days we had a good routine going with our 4 cats, Sunny and our three new fosters. The fosters ate three times a day. We played with them several times throughout the day. We tried to introduce them to different people so that they would become more social. Momma cat was an exceptional mom and taught them how to use the litter box and how to behave. They were pooping and peeing machines - all with healthy digestive systems and no worms. Momma cat was very accepting of pets and enjoyed the company whereas the kittens were a bit timid, but very playful. We would often hear the kittens playing while we were downstairs and it was amazing how two tiny kittens could make so much noise.
A week later we had an appointment at the Humane Society to get the kittens and momma vaccinated. However, when we arrived, we were told that we couldn’t get them vaccinated because we didn’t have them for 10-days, which is the time that they would be ‘officially’ my cats. We were upset that we couldn’t get them vaccinated because we were eager to start the process of trying to get them homes. We did, however, get their ears cleaned as they were filled with ear mites. The kittens were approximately 8 weeks of age and 1.8-2 lbs. Momma was predicted to be between 10-12 months old (very young for a momma!) and 5 lbs. Otherwise, all three kitties were healthy. We were also told that the two kittens were girls - a family of strong, determined females who fought hard to live. Anytime the kittens were in the carrier with momma (to and from the Humane Society), they tried to nurse for comfort. Momma wasn’t letting them nurse back in their room at home.
Knowing that we couldn’t keep these three adorable cats, we started the process of trying to find them homes. We posted on social media and passed the word around to friends. If needed, my next steps were to post on websites like Petfinder or Adoptapet. My hope was that I could find people that I knew well to adopt the cats (instead of strangers).
Thankfully, the word was passed around and I was able to find homes for all three of our kitties.
After three weeks of taking care of the two kittens and the momma, they went off to their forever homes. I cried as it was hard for me to say goodbye but I knew it was the right thing to do. And I am comforted by the fact that all of these kitties are getting spoiled by their new owners and will live a healthy and happy life without a worry in the world.
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Momma (who is now named Clementine or Clemmy) was adopted by my friend/athlete Ruthanne who recently said goodbye to her 18-year old cat. Clemmy loves watching the birds, playing with her fuzz ball and cuddling in the lap of her new mommy. A big thank you to my friend Allison who connected me with Karen (a friend of a friend) and drove Kitten 1 up to Pennsylvania to hand deliver to Karen. Karen said goodbye to her 18-year old cat a few months ago and has been actively looking for a boy kitten but fell in love with kitten 1. Kismet is now getting more rubs than she could ever imagine and loves playing with her toys.
Kitten 2 (who is now named Tele) was adapted by Rachael, who lives outside of Greenville. Leslie (who runs the Greenville Splash) teaches Rachael’s son and Rachael grew up with cats and has been wanting a kitten over the past few years and now was the right time to bring one in. Tele is the queen of the house and loves exploring new places. She demands treats and gets lots of attention from her new furever family.
Please consider making a donation to a local animal rescue or shelter as it is “kitten season.” From March until October, shelters and rescues experience a significant increase in the number of kittens entering their care. And do your part by spaying and neutering your animals to help with the ever-increasing number of dogs and cats entering shelters. If you have a stray/feral/outdoor cat roaming around your property, consider a local TNR program.