Four Litters, One Brave Mama: A Kitten Fostering Journey

Some stories take time to bloom—and sometimes, they purr.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve had the joy of fostering three separate litters of kittens—all from the same resilient mama cat called ‘Momma’. The first litter appeared right in our backyard nearly a month after we moved into our home, we quickly bonded with them and adopted them.

The second round, we called the Jazz cats, were found in the front yard. After we realized this was a problem, we partnered with our local rescue, Wags and Whiskers, who assisted in getting all the kittens the care they needed and each a new home. The next litter we called the X-Men Crew they were the most feral crew! Momma had not yet trusted us so these babies were hidden in a fence and eventually warmed up for us to bring them inside. 

Lastly were the Pirates, named after Pirates of the Caribbean of course. This crew was delivered directly to us from Momma! She knew the drill by then and you can tell by the look in her face that she was done with having babies. While we did earn her trust enough to catch her, she definitely is too feral to become a house cat. So we brought her in to get fixed with the last litter and released her back into the neighborhood for your classic Trap and Release. I still feed her and give her water daily because she brought me the most perfect babies!  

This post is a love letter to Momma, the kittens who passed through our home, and the quiet work of rescue that adds up to real, lasting change. Check out your local shelter and rescue for pets near you to adopt a new family member. If you have the time but are not ready to commit, please consider fostering a lifelong lasting experience that helps a sweet pet in need.

Tell your cat I said “pspsps”