I remember a day when a swollen, frightened, pregnant stray cat came into my home from the rescue group I volunteered for. She was so tiny, yet so big because she had seven kittens getting ready to come to life. I could tell she was not healthy because she was pregnant and her belly was huge, but the rest of her was terribly skinny.

She warmed up to me by the second day. I had to keep her separated because I have my own two cats, and I hated that. So i moved her to my bedroom. I did it so I could sit longer with her without getting bored. I had a bed and a TV in the room. When i would come in she would run to greet me from wherever she was. She’d pop up on the bed asking me to come pet her. When I’d walk towards her she’d turn her head upside down on the sheets and flip the rest of her body over so I could pet her tummy. I’m sure it was stretched tight. There were times I spent over two hours with her just rubbing her tummy. She would never go to sleep. Instead just lay there purring. Every once in awhile readjusting, and all the while kneading the air with her front paws as if to say ‘Thank you’. As she was kneading the air sometimes I’d put my hand next to her paws and she would grab on and pull them to her. I still dont know why but I like to think she appreciated the attention.

As time went on she got close to me. I’d sit in the room working on my laptop so she’d have company. One time, very early in the morning she started tunneling in to the sheets and poking her head out at me as if asking to play. This was strange because she never played. not at all. just cuddled. That’s all she ever wanted to do.

I took a picture of it and posted it on a cat forum I’ve grown to love.

What I didn’t know was that she was nesting. Preparing to have her babies. She wanted to be close to me. I’d made her a great birthing box but when I tried to put her in it she jumped out and ran back to burrow under those sheets and stick her head out again. So i decided I’d let her have her kittens there. What a special day that was!

This was the first time I’d ever seen a kitten born, and while I knew what was happening I found myself stressing and worrying that something might go wrong. About 10 minutes after starting I saw a little white tail encased in a sack. Madonna started meowing a real guttural sound and I knew it hurt. I put my hand next to her face like I always did when giving her tummy rubs. She put her paw on and grabbed on pulling my hand to her. After a while she’d relax and I’d take my hand away to move the covers, readjust or whatever. Whenever I did this she’d start meowing quietly. I’d put my hand back and she’d grab on again. I guess it felt good for the first time in her hard life to have something loving her and she was probably frightened. After all she is young and I’m sure this was her first litter.

Two white little salamanders popped out after about an hour. She immediately took to them cleaning them up and surveying her work.

Soon after she guided the kittens to her to get some nourishment. They were really good at rooting around but being deaf and blind (all cats at birth) they didn’t know where to go. So she helped, gently.

I knew there were more babies in there she was still big! A couple hours later out popped three more! Two tabby’s that looked just like her and a tuxedo boy that looked a little out of place. It appears she had been impregnated twice. One father for the whites and one for the black and tabby’s.

I started to relax and just sit with her. She was tired and I knew it was hard on her, but I swore I could feel more kittens. Another couple hours later I gave her a little time and came out of her room figuring she needed some alone time with her kittens. About an hour later I walked back in to check on them and I noticed another white face sticking out from her furry tummy! number six! Soon after she went into labor a final time and out popped lucky. the fourth white one and seventh overall. But something was wrong. Mom didn’t clean this one up. I didn’t wait too long and broke the sack myself figuring she was just too tired and knowing that kitten needed air. Unlike the others she didn’t move, at all. her legs were stiff as a board. I thought she was gone but about once every 20 seconds she’d take in a HUGE breath, breath it out while sort of mewing and then go still again. I thought we’d lost her. After all, it’s common, and seven is a LOT of kittens. I tried moving her around like mom did the others to get her kick started and nothing worked. Mom was so exhausted she couldn’t move so she wasn’t helping. I got a razor and cut the umbilical cord. Then tried again to get her going with no success. All the other kittens were nursing so I put her at the bottom of the pile to keep warm. Her body was cool to the touch which is not good. I figured I’d give it one last shot so I put her in my hand, cupped the other over her and breathed out warm air over her hoping she’d catch on. I kept talking to her saying “Come on little girl, let’s do this!” But after about 15 minutes I was getting nowhere and the only thing that happened was that 20 seconds, a huge breath and a little pathetic ‘mew’. So I put her back with the group and I called the rescue group to let Mandy know we had lost one and the status of the others. After hanging up I took a break, then walked back in the room to get her. To my elation she was there, nursing like crazy! Somehow she had come out of her little spell and was wide eyed and happy! I was so happy, and at the same time nauseous because I had almost put her in a box to be put out. I didn’t want mom to spend time with her after she’d gone, but for some reason I just didn’t. Thank God! Mom was happy, the babies were happy and all of them were hanging out eating lunch. Life was good!

As time went on the babies, as they do, started growing like weeds. I weighed them twice a day with a little electronic scale I have.

I didn’t spend a lot of time with the kittens. they were too young and didn’t need me messing with them. I’d go in and sit next to the box though and scratch mom on the neck while she nursed. Then she’d flop over more, knocking all the babies off her nipples hoping I’d rub her tummy. I’d let the kittens climb back up and I’d scratch her where there was room. She loved it.

After a few weeks the babies started getting active. Their eyes opened and they started showing signs of individuality. Aby was the curious one. Whenever I’d go to the box she’d immediately run, well wobble over to the side and put her feet up staring at me. She did this because from time to time I’d come in and pick them up one by one and hold them for a few seconds. Just so they’d get to know my scent. She would come over hoping I’d pick her up. I knew right then she was going to be my little girl.

I decided they needed to get a little exercise so i opened the box and blocked off the closet. This gave them about 40 square feet to roam around and mom didn’t have to worry about them scattering. She could jump over the gate so it was fine.

Somewhere around five weeks I took the block down because Aby had figured out how to get over it and it was just an obstacle now, not a block.

This resulted in the kittens having free roam. Just in the bedroom though, they were still plenty safe. But i noticed they were figuring something out fast. They all liked it when I held them and I’m very gentle with them so they had no fear. Once they got out, I’d be laying on the bed watching tv and i’d hear them scratching. I have a bed skirt on my bed. What they were doing is crawling up the covers of the bed to see me :). No problem here. But I worried about them falling, and once they got up there they’d look like they were going to leap off again to go play. I have a pretty high bed. So I put a pillow below that area. That worked and they started hopping off the bed. Not just crawling, HOPPING off the bed and plopping onto the pillow. Oh they also had this great habit of walking in their poop in the litter box, then walking over the pillow, leaving little dookie prints all over. Cool!

All the kittens started growing and they liked to sit in my arm and sleep. i’d fold it over and they’d crawl into the corner and just crash.

But Aby took it one step further. Almost every time they did this after awhile ALL of them would be there. I had seven six week old kittens piled up to my chin. But Aby didn’t like sharing so she had other plans.

The four white kittens were starting to come out of their shell now and started getting really playful!

Jackie, the little tux boy, also started getting playful. At first he was quiet. not sad, just quiet and he’d keep to himself. But he came around

When Mandy came over to give them their first set of shots Jackie was a little sensitive. Just a little

As time went on they all became so close to me. They are all so sweet and fun. I expected there’d be one or two that were anti social or just didn’t care for me but that didn’t happen and i loved that. They’d all come running when I came in the room and as soon as I closed the door it was a mad dash to the bed spread to climb it.

Our time was cut short and it ended just that fast. I had an emergency that gave me no choice and I had to call Mandy to come get Madonna and all the kittens. I also thought I was going to have to give up my cats, Tinker and Wilbur but thankfully that didn’t happen.

It’s been a few days (4) and I find myself really empty still. I didn’t have a problem letting the kittens go. They were all either adopted or pending adoption and they went in pairs and one set of 3. But two problems came. First I wasn’t ready to lose Madonna. I always figured I’d still end up with her while the kittens were being adopted and then we’d work on a home for her, if I didn’t keep her. That never happened. Second I had less than two hours to get them all ready and send them off into the world. Never got a hug or to really say goodbye to even one of them. I remember Madonna was crouching around me though as I scooped up the kittens to put them in the carriers. I think she knew.

Mandy and I took the kittens out and walked to her car. we placed the carriers in her back seat and for just a second I took a last look. Two months of my life I had changed everything to tend to these kittens. Madonna was a stray and I remember the first couple days she smelled of trash and her teeth had black grime on them. She’d had a hard life but now she knew safety, peace and companionship. If nothing else I showed one animal that she didn’t have to be afraid anymore and I gave seven beautiful kittens a head start in life with that same love.