KITTY TALES - Piper and Babies

Love Unending

In a world littered with abandoned animals, one is hard pressed to figure out which case is the most heartbreaking. Never getting the chance for a home and a life certainly is among the top. That was nearly the case for Piper's babies after she was dumped at a shelter, extremely pregnant making her unadoptable, and headed for death. Her only hope, and that of her babies, was in rescue. This is where Stray Cat Alliance stepped in and contacted Kitten Rescue in one of many partner rescues that happen all year long.

1 year old, Piper, was rescued from Carson Shelter on January 10th, 2012. She had been at the shelter since the 4th. On January 5th, just one day after arriving at the shelter, Piper gave birth to 5 kittens. From the very first day in foster care, this gorgeous mother showed her inexplicable trust in people as she happily allowed her tiny babies to be handled. Piper was so enthusiastic with the prospect of getting to be cuddled in a person's arms, that she had to be encouraged to remain in the box with her babies!

Piper was a wonderful, devoted mother. It is no small miracle that she was able to keep her babies alive long enough for rescue. While all five were still alive, they had not gained a single oz since their birth. Her body was not able to produce enough milk as it struggled to recover from the birth and fight off classic shelter illnesses. Sadly, Piper fell ill just 3 days after her rescue and refused to eat. At only 1 week old, her babies' immune systems were not strong enough to combat a common virus and had to be removed for their own safety. Thankfully, they all survived (though it was a close call for one) and were thriving in the loving care of a bottle feeder, whose care would have been required either way due to the insufficient milk production.

It took two weeks for Piper to fight off the cold virus and regain her strength. Days of subcutaneous fluids and force feeding were required. Along with three different medications that were coupled with evenings of filling the room with warm moist air to help her breathe. Throughout it all, Piper was a patient, trusting, and loving cat who wanted little more than a human to snuggle with. One of her babies did fall ill, and after a terrifying evening during which the little girl turned purple, the baby began to recover. She too was on fluids while her bottle feeder sat up with her, massaging her belly until she finally accepted a bottle at 3am that night.

When the babies turned 6 weeks old, they left the bottle feeders and returned to the foster home where their mother was. Amazingly, Piper not only was excited to see the kittens, but she appeared to recognize them! Straight away she began grooming them, even going so far as to pin them down so that she could properly lick them. From the first night they were back, Piper slept in the room they were curled up in, rather than on her foster mom's bed like usual. Piper also refused to eat anywhere else but with her babies.

Then, two days after being reunited, I heard a kitten crying. I was about to go see what was wrong when it stopped. In came Piper, carrying something dark in her mouth. She plopped it down on the living room rug where all the babies were playing, and began grooming the stray. Since then, Piper has been spotted carrying her babies around on several occasions. She runs to see what is wrong if they cry, and is always following them around the apartment. This story shows us just how strong a mother's love for her kittens can be. Without Kitten Rescue, Piper's babies would not have made it and Piper would never have gotten the chance to see her kittens grow up. I truly believe she knows they are hers and she seems much more settled now. Piper can now move on and put her experiences behind her as she searches for a forever home where she'll never be left alone again.

If you are interested in adopting Piper or her babies please contact team member, Cynthia, at cmkeag@msn.com