Life on the streets can be cruel and short for feral cats and kittens, but one rescue organization is making a big difference for cats in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York. This is especially true for cats like Mama Stracciatella and her three wiggly kittens. Mama Strattiacella (nicknamed Ella) is an unusually marked and thoroughly adorable black-and-white kitty who was a little bit feral, to begin with. Unused to her new situation, she initially preferred to keep her distance.
Video via Instagram/flatbushcats
Image via Facebook/Flatbush Cats
❤️🍎 The New York Rescue With A Big Heart 🍎❤️
Will Zwiegart, the executive director of Flatbush Cats, an organization that focuses on trapping, neutering, and releasing cats, notes in a February 4 Facebook post that when Mama Ella and her kittens arrived at the rescue, they were in that cute, stumbly stage. Named Fior di Latte, Biscotto (I love that!), and Nocciola, these little fluffbutts motor coordination was still developing. But they spent the first few days in a cage large enough to allow them to roam and snuggle with their mama.
“Our main job is to keep her fed and comfy, while making sure the kittens are nursing and steadily gaining weight,” Zwiegart writes. “Rescuers can only help friendly cats when they have somewhere to go.”
After rescuing Ella and her little ones, Zwiegart and his team went back to the location where they’d found her and located another adorable batch of five kittens. The team drew the little ones out by using recordings of crying kittens. Now the kittens, aged 4 to 5 weeks old are safe, albeit a bit “spicy,” Zwiegart notes.
Video via Facebook/Flatbush Cats
🌼 Then There Was A Surprise 🌸
How lovely is that? All these beautiful babies (dubbed the “basement kittens”) will find furever homes. After Ella became used to her surroundings and the care she and her kittens were now receiving, Zwiegart found she became quite friendly. Everyone had originally believed she was feral so this was a pleasant surprise.
“Turns out she was not feral after all,” Zwiegart writes in a Feb. 14 Facebook post. “Very important distinction: we did not socialize her, we do not socialize adult feral cats (or recommend anyone else try). We handled her as feral by default for everyone’s safety, as she initially kept her distance from people at every opportunity. But over the last few weeks, Ella began to seek out small bits of attention — a skritch or a slow blink here and there. Maybe it’s been a long time since she knew love and companionship from people. Maybe she had a home at some point, we don’t know the full story, What matters now is that she’ll spend the rest of her life with a loving family once her kittens have flown the coop. 🧡”
Video via Facebook/Flatbush Cats
Now, this sweet mama kitty is sampling a brand new happy life. No more worrying about where her next meal is coming from or how to keep her little ones safe in an outside world full of dangers. Mama Ella is getting the love and attention she so deserves.
“Mama Stracciatella enjoys her first chicken tube treat, a small preview of the good life waiting for her! We only found out she was friendly because of her kittens,” Zwiegart writes. “And we only took on this huge basement project — with 20+ cats and counting — because of your support. To help us make more stories like this possible, please consider joining us today as a monthly supporter (link here— https://donate.flatbushcats.org/social-recurring). Donors don’t just help us rescue more cats like Ella — you’re also helping us develop new programs to prevent cats from ever needing to be rescued. Thank you. 🧡🐾”
This New York Rescue Is Making A Difference For Feral Cats
What a lovely rescue Flatbush Cats is. While it’s definitely small, serving the residents of Flatbush in Brooklyn, New York, it has focused its resources “on a small, targeted area, which will allow us to maximize impact,” the rescue says on its website, noting the main goals are TNR — trapping, neutering, and feral cats, and of course, rescuing and adopting cats “in our local service area.” They also offer training, mentoring, and assistance for those hoping to learn how to TNR.
As for Mama Stracciatella and her kittens, well, everybody’s thriving, and staff even improvised a special place where she can have a break from those rambunctious little ones. Because every mom needs a break every now and then.
Instagram/flatbushcats
And those kittens? These little waifs are absolutely the cutest.
Nocci via Instagram
Latte (left) + Nocci enjoying an afternoon snuggle 🐾
“It’s magical to watch these nuggets develop right before our eyes. 🐾❤️”
Ella And Her Kittens Will Find Loving Homes
And here’s the best news: Ella is “doing wonderful!” Will tells me. She’s “very sweet,” and when her kittens turn eight weeks old and are “ready to roll,” Ella will be placed for adoption so she can find her furever home. Right now, he says, her kittens are about four weeks old and “just beginning to climb and pounce around — doing wonderfully as well,” and will be looking for new homes in about a month.
This is such a lovely story. Ella is just precious and so are her little ones. If you’d like to help Flatbush Cats rescue more kitties, you can donate here.
