Rescuers Cassidy and her mother, Laura from Portland, Oregon, save both kittens and puppies, but it was one pretty foster Birdie that caught our eye.
In early June, they took in the 2-year-old black mother cat Birdie, who reminds us of Cole, with gold eyes and fluffy medium-length fur. When she arrived, she had three healthy and chunky 10-day-old black kittens, including two females and one male. From the start, Birdie was a wonderful and mellow mother who was friendly but protective and caring of her brood.
Images, media via Instagram/fosterkittenpdx and daisycatphotography
Birdie is a Great Mom From the Start
At the time, the identical kittens were difficult to tell apart, but all liked to stick out their tongues (bleps). Their mother kept them and their nest immaculately clean.
“Birdie is such a great mom,” Laura said. “She’s approximately two years old, so likely this isn’t her first litter, but it will be her last. She keeps the kittens and their bedding so tidy that we’ve only had to change it out a couple times in two weeks, and they have the cleanest patooties in town,” she explained.
Inside their ears, the kittens had colored dots to distinguish them, but later they wore colorful collars briefly. Interestingly, Laura says the mother cat didn’t tend to groom the kittens if the collars stayed in place.
A trio of Mini-Panters:
- Purple – Alma, the fluffiest of the kittens
- Yellow- Lottie, the smallest, usually has her tongue sticking out with thin hair on her nose
- Blue – Owen, biggest with a white mark like Birdie
Alma and Lottie
“Alma cleans her beans 🐾”
Everyone fell in love with the cute kittens and their adoring purring mama Birdie in frequent livestream videos. The kittens were already moving around from their nest. To keep the kittens well-fed, Birdie wolfed down four to five cans of kitten food daily and dry food.
“Mama Birdie is a fluffy black cat & she has three plump ten-day-old kittens. (1 male, 2 female). She just got here and is doing a bit of stress panting in the video. We will leave her alone to settle in. She was very friendly at her intake exam,” wrote Laura on Instagram.
Best Mama Award
At three weeks old, the kittens were wrestling and thriving, exploring their surroundings. Meanwhile, Birdie continued closely watching them and cleaning them gently and carefully. She deserved a Best Mama Award.
“It’s great having healthy kittens and a mom because she does all the work for the first four weeks or so,” Laura explained.
It’s one of the reasons rescuers always try to keep the mama with her babies if possible.
Below, Birdie cleaning the kittens:
Growing Up Fast
At four weeks old, the kittens began licking water from a bowl, and in a couple more weeks, they would begin weaning to wet food and using a litter box. At five weeks, their baby blue eyes began transitioning to greenish.
“Finally got them all to look at the same time! For some reason, Owen looks smaller in this pic. He’s always been a smidge bigger than his sisters.🤷♀️”
The whole time, Birdie remained a gentle and attentive mama, especially to Owen, the mama’s boy.
“Yes, Birdie does have a favorite kitten. And yes, it is Owen. ❤️😂”
One of the Easiest Foster Groups
Since she was such a friendly kitty, she would have no problem finding a forever home when the kittens were grown. It was time to say bye-bye to Birdie in mid-July as she started a new life at Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon.
“This has been one of our easiest foster groups ever and it’s all because of Birdie! Happy Adoption Day, Birdie!” shared Cassidy.
Bye Bye Birdie and Her Grown Kittens
When they were old enough to be spayed and neutered, the kittens also found homes. Everyone was happy they made it but also sad to see them go. They grow up so fast!
“Happy Adoption Day, Alma & Lottie! If you missed it, Mama Birdie went to her new home last week, Owen was picked up yesterday, & the girls just left today. We didn’t have any double adoptions this time around, but all four of them have fur friends in their forever homes. 💕”
Below, the rescuers play “Bye Bye Birdie” as they say farewell to the devoted mother cat.
For more, you can follow daisycatphotography and fosterkittenpdx on Instagram.
