When Kittens are in Need of a Friend, They Find one Other and Become Family for Life
The Virginia-based Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) rescued a pregnant cat in bad health. At the shelter, she gave birth, but only two kittens survived. They need intensive care because their mother was unable to care for them.
Paula, a dedicated kitten fosterer, took them in right away and began caring for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Monique, the gray cat, became the lone survivor despite her best attempts to rescue them.
With her unwavering will, she overcame the odds and began to gain weight and strength.
Monique grew into a fluffy, robust kitten with loads of activity at three weeks old. She yearned for a brother and desperately needed a friend.
Paula realized she had another kitty in her care that might play that function.
Paula had taken in an orphaned tabby (called Stranger Danger or SD) who required round-the-clock bottle feedings a few weeks before.
SD was an outspoken individual who sought attention from the start. The tabby youngster vowed that he would never be alone again.
Knowing how beneficial it would be for these kittens to have a companion their size, Paula chose to pair them up in the hopes that they would accept each other.
The two singletons nuzzled with each other right away and became close buddies.
Penny Richards, their current foster mom, told Love Meow, “They really are the best of friends and already so attached despite being a week apart in age.”
When they play together, the brother and sister feed off one other’s energy, and they’ve become more energetic and lively since they first met.
They will try to find their best buddy if they are not within sight of each other. SD, being the more talkative of the two, ensures that his sister can always locate him.
They like this soft cuddling toy, which has a small beating heart, and will snuggle with it for comfort.
Penny told Love Meow, “Both kitties love this, but SD has taken to it very well and can often be seen curled up with it.”
By copying each other, the two closest friends are polishing their feline abilities. If one of them turns over for belly rubs, the other will follow suit.
Their personalities are beginning to emerge, and they are a lovely match.
Penny told Love Meow, “Monique has a distinctive coloring that I believe makes her appear like a newborn wolf, and she likes all the extra attention and belly rubs she gets.”
“SD possesses a healthy pair of lungs. He enjoys singing to me all day long, as though I haven’t fed him in days.”
After each feeding, the gray kitten has perfected the roly-poly and will flop down on a warm lap. Her tabby sibling is a talker who isn’t afraid to express his various viewpoints.
“He is the king of complainers, yet as soon as you touch him, he purrs.”
The elder sister is at the stage in her life where she is becoming increasingly boisterous. Despite being younger, her younger brother holds his own when they wrestle and roughhouse together.
Penny hopes that when the kittens are large enough for adoption, they can find a home as a pair, given how much they rely on one other.
The two friends are prospering together after a rocky start in life.
