The Tale of Momma Cat & the Six Kittens

​One fine spring day at a park in Midland, a momma cat and 6 kittens were quietly being released to find their own fate in the world. 

Unbeknownst to anyone, momma cat had 2 fully developed dead kittens still inside her...

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It was a seemingly normal day at the park.  A couple of concerned citizens, Liz Haigler (who also happens to be one of our pet foster) and Blair Sullivan, were out for a leisurely walk with the dogs when they witnessed a man releasing something from two carriers out into the park. They initially thought he was releasing squirrels.

However, when the Schnauzers kept pulling them toward the area, they discovered that the man had actually dumped a momma and her 6 kittens!

The dogs had sent a few of the kittens and mom up a tree.  Sullivan jumped into action and retrieved them before anyone got hurt. They scooped all the kittens up, put them in a box and called MHC.

While we cannot do this for ALL cats and kittens, we told them to bring up the kittens so we can assess the situation and figure out how we can help. 

Thankfully, we found some space for them. We set up Momma Cat and babies (6-7 weeks old) in sets of three into clean kennels and got everyone settled in and fed.

They seemed healthy but a little shell shocked from the “dump”. But all was looking well for the bunch!  

We’ve named the kittens after poets. The two smaller females are Emily (Dickinson) and Elizabeth (Browning). The boys are Shakespeare, Hemingway, Whitman, and Kipling.

Momma Cat is Maya (Angelou).

THE SAGA CONTINUES....

​After the kittens were fairly settled in at the Adoption Center inside PetSmart - MHC Staff, Cheryl Ives, noticed that Momma Cat/Maya didn’t look quite right & wondered if she may be pregnant again.

Thinking and acting quickly, she called Legacy Animal Emergency Hospital to get a second opinion. They immediately took Maya in to the clinic for an X-ray to see what was going on.

It turned out that Maya has two fully developed DEAD KITTENS still inside her!
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Maya would have gone septic and died without a surgery to take the dead kittens out safely.
Needless to say, we got her scheduled in for surgery immediately.

We picked Maya up from the hospital yesterday and she is currently doing well. We will give her some time to rest and recover and then get her vaccinated.

At some point, in the near future, this brave Momma Cat will be ready to go up for adoption!
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If Maya hadn't been rescued, she would have suffered and died out in that park. And so would her kittens.

Thanks, Liz Haigler & Blair Sullivan, for rescuing these cats and giving them a chance to survive!
Thanks to all fosters who have stepped up to take some of the kittens. 
 
If you want to become a Pet Foster and help some kittens out: www.midlandhumane.org/foster

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Midland Humane Coalition is honored to be a recipient of the  PetSmart Charities Adoption Preparation Grant for 2021.

With the help of this grant, we are able to prepare rescues for their new homes!  

Thank you, PetSmart Charities!

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