They gave a community cat and her five kittens a new beginning, and one of them quickly stole the spotlight.
A few weeks ago, a community cat, Bella, and her five kittens were brought to Metro Animal Care and Control, in need of a foster home.
Her kittens were less than a week old, their eyes still closed and ears folded. Bella cradled them in her arms, tending to them with absolute devotion as she awaited a safe place.
Lindsay, a volunteer, jumped at the chance to foster them. Out of the five kittens, one was unlike the others.
Bella had four brown tabbies (Button, Enoki, Porcini, and Shiitake) and a gray one named Oyster. Though he was just palm-sized, his loud voice commanded attention, and his hearty appetite quickly turned him into one of the chunkiest kittens.
With four siblings competing for milk, he ensured his belly was always full, wiggling through the nest until he secured the prime spot.
Bella relaxed in the foster room, spending most of her time caring for her kittens in their cozy “igloo.”
Trusting and affectionate, she’d run to greet her foster mom at the door, her purr starting the moment she felt a chin scratch. “At only one year old, she is a baby herself and deserves the most wonderful home after raising these five little meowshrooms,” Lindsay shared.
As Oyster grew, his inquisitive and adventurous side started to shine. While still finding his footing, he wriggled to the edge of the bed, attempting a daring escape. But in the midst of it, he was overtaken by the need for a nap.
“He made it about halfway out of the igloo before giving up and going to sleep.”
Oyster loved lingering by the edge of the igloo, always plotting his next “jailbreak.” Mama Bella cuddled up to her intrepid but sleepy gray baby, showering him with snuggles and purrs.
As the kittens got the hang of using their legs, their personalities emerged. They began rolling around, wrestling each other in “slow motion.”
Once the kittens graduated from their igloo, they explored every corner of their playpen. Lindsay introduced a comfy new “cave,” which quickly caught Oyster’s attention. While his siblings dozed off in a pile on a blanket, he nestled into the cave on his own.
“Mama Bella discovered the cave too. She’s almost too big but made it work somehow. Of course, the kids tried to follow her in there, and it got even more snug.”
With a devoted mom and a kind human, the kittens blossomed into plump bundles of energy.
Despite being a bit unsteady on his feet, Oyster continued to challenge his siblings in rough-and-tumble play. Arching his back and skittering sideways, he tried to appear twice his size as he prepared to pounce.
The wilder the romping, the deeper the kittens crash, often ending up in a purring cuddle pile.
Oyster has a mind of his own, always marching to the beat of his own drum. While the brown tabbies line up on one side to nurse, the little maverick stakes out his spot on the other, blazing his own trail.
“They were 5-6 days old when we got them. Six weeks old now, and we’ll probably have them 2-3 more weeks before they’re ready for adoption,” Lindsay told Love Meow.
“Mama Bella has the patience of a saint. The kittens agreed her tail is the best toy. She’s the sweetest, gentlest girl and would make an amazing pet for anyone who wants nothing to do with that chaotic kitten energy.”
With a loving foster home, this beautiful family is thriving as the kittens enter their rambunctious phase. Bella is almost ready to retire from motherhood and enjoy being the center of attention in a loving home.
