Imagine this. You wake up one Friday morning, readying yourself to go about your day; happily looking forward to the weekend. But then, 2 rolly polly kittens literally fall out of your closet! And you do not own a cat. In fact, you’ve never even had a pet! So what do you do? For one man who goes by @damienordame on social media, he and his friends stepped up big time to help the tiny home invaders.
Out of the Closet and Into the Spotlight
What’s funny to those of us who are familiar with felines, is that those kittens are NOT brand new. Neonatal kittens begin to open their eyes around 10 days old. So these kittens are likely around 2 weeks old. Which means that mama cat had her babies elsewhere but then spotted a more comfy abode. And she moved her kittens into the home, probably through an open window. Little did anyone expect the fluffy potato-bellied kittens to tumble out of the wardrobe and into the spotlight. So now he is an honorable member of the Cat Distribution System. 
As the shock wore off, he and his roommate realized they were going to need help. They scooped up the 2 kittens and took them to a local vet. An equally shocked vet tech informed them the kittens looked healthy, but that they couldn’t take in bottle babies. The guys were going to have to care for the babies over the weekend. So they spend an hour learning how to measure out formula based on kitten weights. They would be responsible for making sure the young family survived.
There a lot more context to this whole situation and we’re still working it out. Personally I’ve never owned a pet so google has been battered over the last 2 days. We’ve had bare advice from friends and the online community but still learning on the job. Unsure what we’re gonna do just yet but part 2 coming so by then hopefully we patterned something up. Keep sending all the advice through though cause the vet’s words were “they are yours for at least the weekend” so we still have to get to Monday lol.
When this happened, he shared the laughable surprise on social media. And some experienced cat lovers in London quickly rushed to help. Not only did support show up, so did the stray mama cat! It was outside in their small patio area that she had probably had the kittens initially. So they placed the 2 kittens by the window where mama could reach them. She picked them up, but refused to leave the yard.
Amy, one of the volunteer heroes, then asked a question that changed everything.
And here is where her prior experience made all the difference in the world. Because there could be a reason mama wanted to remain there.
Are you sure you have checked your room thoroughly?
With baited breath, they began looking through the room. What they found was literally lifesaving. There were THREE MORE kittens hiding under the bed! So they proceeded to tear the entire room apart to confirm that was the entire litter. Thankfully, the final number was 5. But that meant 5 times the work that lie ahead of them.
The next morning, very, very early, the team set out caring for the family and making a more permanent plan. Fate intervened more when they forgot a scheduled visit with friends who had children. But the kids seemed thrilled to get to have fluffy new friends too. Hours were spent feeding, playing and snuggling the adorable kittens. And their ever growing knowledge of bottle babies now included how to stimulate the infants to express their bladder and colon. Fun stuff, haha. 
Totally forgot I’d made plans to have friends over (with their kids!) — they arrived around midday and at first we were nervous, but it actually turned into a really wholesome day. Everyone was obsessed with the kittens and kept the noise low. Good vibes only.
But not once did they ever think of giving up on the ‘closet’ family.
As soon as the vet office opened again, they were able to grab mama and took the entire family in to be checked. Sadly, mama did not have a microchip and was a stray. Now that her family was together though, she seemed to be amenable to motherhood. However, the guys were a bit hurt she only seemed to be using their home as a halfway house, with no rent offered.
Today was all about figuring out the best plan for these little ones. We want to keep them close to their mum, so we’ve been working on making a calm, safe space in the house where she can feel comfortable around us and stay with them. She’s a stray and keeps trying to move the babies around my room, so we thought it best to help her settle somewhere secure while we figure out longer-term options.
They even got to name the kittens which is always a fun bonding experience.
Feeding time is chaotic and cute — they’ve already got little personalities.
🐯 Galileo (the tiger-looking one) is strong and would happily drain the whole bottle.
🟤 Aristotle (dark brown with streaks) started off slow but is getting the hang of it.
⚫ Socrates (the tiny black one) is the smallest and trickiest to feed.
⚪ Plato (grey #1) is full of energy but a top-tier sucker.
⚪ Pluto (grey #2) is chunky and calm, proper chilled vibes.
And now they had a plan.
One woman helping named Jess worked with animal rescues and was a fosterer. So she welcomed the entire family into her home, where they could continue their new life indoors. Even better, there is a comment online that mama cat will be remaining with Jess!
Photo: Mama off to a better life
Where does that leave the guys now though? The house probably feels a bit empty now. Going from having never had pets to saving the lives of 6 cats, 5 of them who would have perished if not for your help. That changes you.
Roommate Paddy with the entire gang
And when the kittens reach the age that adoption is a possibility?
Once the weaning’s done, we get first dibs on adopting, but right now they’re happy and thriving. We visited on the weekend and the difference was mad. Mum’s chill, the kittens are playful, and it just feels right.
Another bonus is that they now also know that adopting in pairs is the best way to go! Regardless, these guys (and friends) did an absolutely amazing job stepping up for this homeless feline family. Without their caring and animal loving attitudes, who knows what could have happened.
Mama cat sure knew exactly what she was doing when she chose his closet. Thank you to everyone involved in saving them! Here’s the video for part 3, but definitely go check out 1 & 2 on his page for cuteness in “meowtion”.
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All Photos/Video Screenshots property of @damienordame
