Cat Man Chris is at it again, with the story of Dunkin’ and the Donuts kittens. He was on his way to rescue another group of kitties when, by chance, he stopped to get some coffee. That’s when his seasoned “cat rescuer eyes” spotted another group of ginger kittens needing rescue. Four kittens (including one calico) were hiding out in the bushes and under a filthy dumpster with their skinny feral mama.
“I stopped at Dunkin’ to get CATfeinated, and my cat rescuer eyes immediately saw tiny fluffy nuggets playing by the dumpsters 😞. So this fur family is my top priority right now,” Cat Man Chris shared.
Images via Instagram/catmanchrispoole
Coffee and Fluffy Donuts
As it turned out, capturing all of the Dunkin’ Donuts family would be tricky. After days of leaving food and observing, Cat Man Chris arrived with the TNR (trap, neuter, return) traps and hoped to catch them all. But things soon went awry. To his surprise, the hungry mama, who usually let her kittens eat first, was the first in the trap.
Next, he caught the absurdly cute Dunkin’ Donut.
Dunkin’ Donut the kitten
“Dunkin’ is such a chill kitty; love that his face has very little white on it too 🧡☕️”
Dunkin’ Serves as Bait
With Duncan securely in a trap, he was like adorable “bait” to invite his siblings into another trap beside him. But only one kitten, a friendly lil’ calico beauty with a “big cattitude” named Munchkin, fell for it.
Munchin the calico and Dunkin
That left two ginger donuts who weren’t about to come out of the bushes! And their mama was already caught, leaving them without her protection.
After many hours of trying everything possible, the remaining donuts weren’t impressed. Chris had to return the next morning, hoping they would stay put.
“This was stressful because Mom was caught, and I wanted to get them too. I tried everything to peak their interest and investigate the trap using different foods, their siblings and videos of kittens and Mom cats meowing on YouTube, but they still wouldn’t budge. After several hours, we decided we weren’t going to have any luck and had to leave them behind that night. I couldn’t release Mom back out since there was no guarantee of catching her again, and the kittens should just stay put in the bushes in the area they know,” he explained.
Collecting the Remaining Donuts
Luckily, the next morning, the two ginger kittens were still there. This time, both Duncan and Munchkin were the bait, and Chris used a tried-and-true strategy to spring the trap when the kittens went inside the trap. Success!
Final two ginger kittens go in trap and Cat Man Chris pulls the string to close the trap.
“This time, I used the bottle and string method where the water bottle props open the trap door, and I use the string from far away to pull the bottle away and close the door once the kittens are inside… and as I was hoping both kittens went in the trap at the same time and I caught them!”
“Reunited and it feels so… scary and confusing, let us out RIGHT MEOW hairless ape man!! 😾”
Winning Over the Kittens
Unlike many rescues, these little donuts were sweet, not very fearful or spicy. There were all in overall good health and such cuties!
It was just a matter of time before the kittens would learn to trust people if given lots of love. But first, they needed lots of cleaning up!
“I slowly won them over with treats, toys and chin scratches, I also gave them meds to start killing fleas quickly, bathed them to get rid of the final fleas and all the filth from living under and around the dumpsters and then dewormed them over several days,” Chris explained.
This time, Chris’s fingers (covered with Churu treats) were the irresistible bait.
“You know you’re doing alright when the kittens trust you enough to eat treats off your fingers! 👍”
In just a few days of being with the Cat Man, he knew they would be purrfect companions for someone with lots of silly antics to keep them laughing!
But their mama remained fearful and only wanted to be freed. Now, she’s become a daily part of Chris’s routine as he returns to care for her to ensure she’s taken care of. Thus, it’s a win for the whole Dunkin’ Donuts family.
“After these few days, they were all calm when I entered the room and enjoyed the attention, so it was obvious they were all going to make great indoor pets, and I’m so glad they won’t be living on the streets.”
No more struggles for these kittens, plenty of time to be happy little lovebugs.
“Unfortunately their Mom didn’t show any sign at all of being friendly, she was spayed and released, I go at the same time each day to feed her now and we’re in a good routine. I’m hoping over time she’ll earn to trust me more and more,” he said.
The Kittens Hit the Happy Trailz
After spending time in the Catty Shack, the Dunkin’ Donuts kittens were very fortunate to find a place in the foster program at Happy Tailz Cat Rescue. They’ll all seek furever homes after being spayed, neutered, and vaccinated there.
In the meantime, Cat Man Chris has been busy saving many more struggling kittens from the cruel and hot streets. It’s been raining kittens in Florida, and rescues everywhere are trying their best to prevent so much suffering.
“Everybody in the rescue world is saying this year as been one of the busiest/worst and I would have to agree, it’s been non-stop! If anyone as been considering fostering felines, meow’s the purrfect time to get involved!” Cat Man Chris writes.
So keep your eyes open the next time you go for a coffee break. You never know if you’ll spot a fluffy sweetie or two nearby!
You can follow and support Happy Trailz Cat Rescue on Facebook and Instagram and Cat Man Chris on Facebook and Instagram.
