Shannon Kirkman was nursing 14 kittens when she adopted Izabelle from the municipal shelter, but only a couple of them were her own.
Kirkman, foster and adoption coordinator for Best Friends Animal Society, told The Dodo, “She was in a home with two other adult female cats who were all pregnant at the same time.” “However, because the other two mother cats were not feeding their babies, the owners gathered all of the other kittens to check whether Izabelle could care for them. And she succeeded.”
The owners ultimately decided that they had too many cats in their home, so they surrendered Izabelle and all 14 kittens to Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC). From there, the ACC staff reached out to Best Friends Animal Society, and asked the group to help Izabelle and her unconventional family.
The kittens had come with names: Arcade, Mahko, Grizzly, Hyperion, Dill, Moose, Tiramisu, Curry, Zuko, Zeta, Aerya, Nyx, Mace and Swirl.
Izabelle’s expression when Kirkman first saw her was absolutely worn out, and Kirkman will never forget it.
“She is such a beautiful mom,” Kirkman said, “but she was plainly weary, dehydrated, and underweight after giving everything she had to the babies.” “When I took her up, she looked at us and said, ‘Help!’” says the narrator.
Izabelle had to look after the kittens in addition to producing milk for 14 newborns. She had to make sure the tiniest kittens got their fair portion of milk because some were bigger than others.
Kirkman observed, “It almost appeared like she was breastfeeding in shifts.” “She was merely washing some of them while the others were breastfeeding,” she explained.
Izabelle was fortunate enough to receive the assistance she required.
Kirkman took Izabelle and the kittens to the vet for a checkup right away.
Izabelle’s hard work had paid off since every single kitten was in wonderful health. Izabelle, on the other hand, was in need of fluids to rehydrate her body, as well as more nutrients and rest.
The vets concluded that the older kittens could be fed solid wet food, while the younger kittens could be fed formula. They then placed six of the kittens in foster care, leaving Izabelle with only eight newborns to care for, greatly easing her parenting obligations.
Kirkman almost expected Izabelle to be unfriendly to strangers after losing her original family. Izabelle, on the other hand, proved her incorrect.
Kirkman described her as “very kind, compassionate, and sensitive.” “She purrs loudly and nuzzles up to you the moment you go to pet her. She’s a one-of-a-kind young lady.”
The remaining eight kittens will be available for adoption once they have been weaned, spayed, and neutered.
“We’re just looking for loving homes with people who would accept these kittens into their family, just as we would for any of our other animals in our program,” Kirkman said. “I think once Izabelle is spayed, and she’ll be ready to go, she’ll make a wonderful companion for just about any home she goes to.”
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