A sweet tripod mother cat brings her kittens to her owner for help in an incredibly adorable new video.
In a video posted to the popular r/aww subreddit by u/vladgrinch titled “When your cat trusts you so much they bring their newborns to you for shelter and protection,” a brief video shows the stepmother tabby silverfish jumping on a bed with one of her kittens in her mouth. Although she is missing her right hind leg, she has little trouble moving around.
From there, she places the kitten with her siblings in a soft blanket fort built for her by her owner. Happy with all her kittens together, she then throws herself on the ground and begins to suckle.
As of this writing, the video has been upvoted over 108,000 times and received over 1,300 comments.
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Sometimes newborn kittens need help from humans to survive, but if the mother cat is still in the picture, like the good mom in the video, that’s even better. If the mother cat is around, the best thing to do is just be there for her if she needs anything, according to home and garden site The Spruce.
The site recommends letting her nest with her babies in a quiet place indoors and giving them their own room if possible. Also keep this area warm, either via the thermostat or via blankets and heating pads, as newborn kittens can get cold quickly without their mother, even if she is just taking a short break to eat or relieve herself. . Be sure to give her a cat food made specifically for nursing cats or, failing that, canned kitten food. Kitten food contains extra nutrients that growing cats need, and nursing cats also need a nutritional boost.
However, sometimes the mother cat is not there. For anyone who has encountered unattended kittens, first watch and wait to make sure their mother hasn’t just chased them away or moved them, according to the Bideawee shelter, which operates in New State. York since 1903. at least 10 meters away from the kittens and supervise them; sometimes it can take several hours for a mother cat to return, especially if humans are nearby.
Although it’s best to be with the mother cat, if something has happened to her and her kittens are orphaned, don’t take them to a shelter or the vet. Newborn kittens need a parcel help, and shelters and vets often don’t have staff who can help around the clock, Bideawee says. Some cat shelters can accommodate newborn kittens, so check to see if there are any nearby.
If there are no placement options available, first make sure the kittens are warm. If they are cold, warm them slowly by wrapping each kitten in a towel, holding them close to the body and rubbing them with warm hands. Once the kittens are warm, they can be fed, but they will need to be fed every three hours, according to the New York City Animal Alliance, and that’s if they’re healthy. If they are in poor health, they may need to be fed every two hours.
Kittens also need help relieving themselves. Mother cats usually stimulate urination and defecation by licking the kitten’s abdomen. Without a mother, however, humans can fake this by gently massaging this area.
That said, fostering newborn kittens is very difficult and time-consuming, so if possible, it’s best to entrust kittens to an expert, whether human or feline.
The original poster was praised for how the mother cat seemed to trust them.
“She probably came to you because that’s where she felt safest,” u/Yousernym wrote.
A number of Redditors shared their own adorable stories of mother cats and their kittens.
“I knew a street cat that I suspect was a neighbor’s cat. She was pregnant and I was scratching and massaging her belly. One day I woke up to the sound of a loud meow at my door. C was her. When I opened my door, she ran straight into my room. Less than 5 minutes later, the first one came out. Needless to say, I adopted her and also kept one of her kittens,” said r/Mila_MM.
“My brother once took in a stray cat he didn’t know was pregnant and woke up a few weeks later with several newborn kittens on his chest. Our pets have so much love and trusted for us,” wrote r/Addicted2Death.
“Ahh! I was sleeping over at my friends house (like every weekend for years) and her loving cat wouldn’t leave me alone. knew she was pregnant but didn’t know she was READY. She finally turned around revealing her uhhh…prep. It was a bit gory for me. I jumped up and followed her to the closet where her family had made a little birthing box. . She wanted me there instead of my friend? :,) I woke everyone up and suddenly babies!” u/gur0chan wrote.
“Our family cat, Boots, was quite territorial; she seemed to find creatures that were detestable to cats, and chased them from our yard with growls and hisses. Even the friendly advances of Muffet, the spayed female on the other side from the street, were pushed back.There must have been an exception to the rule as Boots eventually got in the family’s way and dropped a kindle of four little balls of fur one spring.As the weeks went by and the weather grew was warming up, she finally decided it was okay for her offspring to spend some time outside, and that’s when it happened. I was walking out the basement door when I froze from amazement: Boots had her kittens in the driveway and was washing one. And Muffet too! Poor “aunt” Muffet, as we began to call her, was in love with Boots’ family and was dutifully washing a second one! Boots seemed appreciate the help, if any, and was not I don’t mind his presence at all,” u/carmium said. “Sometimes cats are amazing.”
Newsweek contacted u/vladgrinch for comment.
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