In the Spring of 2020, we received a call from a woman who had found 2 mama cats and their combined eight kittens in her garage. The kittens were only 3 weeks old. Luckily, we had room and were able to take in all ten cats. After driving an hour and a half round trip to pick them up, they settled into my extra bedroom with their extended family.
My cats, however, weren't excited about their arrival. And of course, the mamas were stressed there were other cats hanging outside the door. We desperately wanted to keep the family together, but finding someone that is willing to take on 2 adult cats and 8 mewling, yet adorable, mini Tasmanian devils was close to impossible.
Yet, somehow we got lucky! Two roommates who had just signed up with us as a foster, who I hadn't even met yet, agreed to foster them sight unseen. They were literal lifesavers! I packed up all of their belongings and started the 45-minute trek to their new Los Angeles foster home.
As we introduced them to their temporary shelter, the sister moms showed us the "system" that kept them safe for so long. Bereet stayed in the large transparent storage container with all 8 kittens snuggled up against her. Jean, however, patrolled the apartment to scout for threats. When she had checked out every single hidden corner of the apartment, she returned and told her sister it was OK to come out. Then, and only then, Bereet came out to explore.
Bereet preferred to be with the kittens and Jean preferred to keep serving as the single cat security force. It was amazing to see the system they worked out between them. The roommates turned out to be phenomenal fosters and managed to find adopters for all eight kittens from their pool of friends!
Jean and Bereet weren't so lucky. Bereet turned out to be FIV+. Because the sisters were so close, we didn't want to separate them by adopting them into separate homes. We were looking for an adopter that could take them both because they are so devoted to one another. Many people don't realize that FIV+ cats can live long lives and live in the same home as negative cats. Even so, these best friends have been with us for 2 years now waiting to find their person. They can stay with us for as long as they need to, but of course, we'd rather they were in a home together!
Your one-time or monthly donation helps us pay for supplies like cat food, litter, treats, toys, as well as veterinary bills. If you'd like to help us care for Jean Grey or Bereet, you can sponsor them here!