My name is Noodles. I am a cat. I am long and sleek with fur the color of vanilla ice cream and a long tail ringed by ghost strips. I am young, barely out of kittenhood. I am a stray and I have a belly fully of babies.But this is not a sad story. It is a story of rescue and hope and salvation.
I don’t remember much about my before life or how I got to be lost and wandering the streets of a big scary city. But I am tired and afraid. The streets are mean; there are bad men and angry dogs and fast cars.
That I am hungry and thirsty is not important. All I can think of is to find a safe warm place to have my babies; they are the only things that matter to me and I don’t know what I am going to do.
I found a place to hide but this isn’t where I want to have my babies. It’s damp and cold and there is another cat I can here growling nearby. I think I am in his territory and I know it’s not safe for me here. And my babies, I feel them moving around inside of me and they will be coming soon.
From my hiding place I see a pair of human feet go by. This is nothing unusual, people pass by all day long. But trailing behind this human is an intoxicating odor. It’s a smell from my before life, my mouth starts to water. I am so hungry.
I dare a peek. I notice that the human is carrying a bag and this is where the wonderful smell is coming from.
I start to follow her. I can’t help myself. I’m starving! I keep to the shadows and slink along the walls. She steps up onto a porch and enters a door. Then she is gone . . . along with the delicious smell. This human reminds me of my human from my before life. Suddenly I recall that my human was good and loved me very much. How had I gotten so lost?
Maybe this human was nice, too. I cautiously approached the door and lay my paw on the wooden surface. With sudden resolve, I extended my claws and gently but insistently scratched at the door.
The door cracked open ever so slightly and the human lady peeked out at me. Right away I could tell she was kind and gentle.
“Prrrrrmreowrr?”
How horrible I must have looked; I was dirty and, with the exception of my big belly, I was very very skinny.
Suddenly she closed the door and I was once again alone on the porch. But a minute later the lady opened the door and placed two bowls in front of me. One was filled with the delicious smelling food and the other contained clean fresh water.
Without an ounce of caution I tore into the food and within seconds it was all gone. I began drinking up the water when I suddenly realized that the kind lady had been joined by another lady . . . and they were both staring down at me.
What a pitiful sight I must have made.
The ladies opened the door a little wider and stepped back. Were they inviting me into their home? Is this the safe place I’ve been looking for? “Prrrrrmreowrr?”
They stepped away from the door and I tentatively stepped inside. One of the ladies scooped my up into her arms. I struggled briefly and then realized that she didn’t mean me any harm. The other lady had walked away but came right back with a box. I struggled as they put me inside the box and closed the door on me. I was confused . . . they had seemed so nice and now I was trapped in the box. Then they left me there in the box.
Now that my belly was full of food, my babies’ safety was the only thing I could think of. What was I going to do? I curled into a tight ball and waited and the cramped box.
I must have fallen asleep. I woke up and one of the ladies was carrying the box, with me in it. She carried me into a room and closed the door. She set the box on the floor and opened the door. I dashed out and hid under the first thing I could find. The other lady came back with another bowl full of food and water. She set them on the floor near the door and then they both left.
I was still hungry and thirsty. Somehow I felt safe enough to venture out of my hiding spot to eat some more before hiding again.
The next morning I could hear the ladies moving around the room and talking quietly. I stayed hidden. I don’t know why by I knew they wouldn’t hurt me but I felt secure in my dark little space.
After they left the room I ventured out again to find more food and water waiting for me. After I ate, I felt a little braver so I explored the little room. In one corner I found a pile of clean towels, it would make a perfect nest for me to have my babies.
I had found my safe place. I didn’t need to be afraid for my babies any longer.
The ladies came and went, checking on me and bringing me food and water. They talked softly to me, reassuring me that everything was going to be okay. They were so kind and gentle that soon I let them pet me.
I was there for many days when I finally felt the pains begin and I knew my babies were coming. Before long the first little head emerged. I licked him clean and another one came then another and another. Soon I was surrounded by seven furry little kittens . . . my kittens . . . four ginger boys, a grey calico, a dark calico and a little tiny boy that looked just like me. Seven kittens . . . five boys and two girls!
But I was worried about the little one. He was so tiny and frail while the others were so much bigger.
Somehow they all managed to find a teat and began eating; even my littlest boy. I made sure he was getting enough to eat and that the other ones didn’t push him out of the way.
The nice ladies made sure I had plenty of food and water. They cleaned up after me and made sure I was comfortable. Most importantly, they made sure my babies were safe.
They made a tower of boxes around my nest so that the babies couldn’t wander away. I felt secure knowing that I could leave them alone for a little while and nothing could hurt them. I never went far but I always talked to them so they knew that I was near.The ladies visited often. They were gentle so I wasn’t afraid to let them play with my little ones.
I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay here forever but I didn’t know where I would go or what would happen to my babies. They reassured me that everything would be okay and I felt safe knowing they wouldn’t let anything bad happen to us. I knew that they would make sure we were okay.
I could tell that they really, really loved us. And we loved them.
My babies grew so fast. My little calico girls were fluffy and soft . . . I don’t know where they got all that fur from but they were so pretty. My ginger boys were adventurous and rambunctious. And my littlest one was still smaller than all the rest but he was growing and healthy and I knew I didn’t need to worry about him. I loved all of my children but he held a special place in my heart.
Before long they were exploring their little nest. As they grew the nice ladies made their nursery bigger; giving them more room to play and tumble around.
They brought us toys to play with. Sometimes other humans would come to visit and play with us, too. It was fun to watch my kittens learn to climb and jump and play with ribbons and stuffed mice. They loved all the humans who came to visit. They climbed on them and loved all the attention they got.
It wasn’t all fun and games. I taught them how to groom themselves and how to use the litter pan. One of my silly girls liked to sleep in the litter.
As they got older I showed them how to lick kitten formula from a plate; tasty stuff that kitten formula! Only a few weeks had passed but soon they were eating soft food from a can and then crunchy kibbles.
They were growing so fast. Once again, I started to wonder what would happen to us. Where would we go?
One day, when the humans were visiting and playing, I notice one was paying particular attention to my precious little one. Cuddling, nuzzling, cooing . . . and then I knew. A wave of warmth and security washed over me when I realized that this kind, gentle lady was going to give a furever home to my baby. I knew it would be a good home because I could tell how much she adored him.
I knew then that the nice ladies would make sure we all would have furever homes. It seemed like such a short time later but soon my babies were getting big enough that they didn’t need me anymore. I had taught them everything they needed to know to take care of themselves and the nice ladies had made them feel safe, secure and healthy.
One day, a couple of humans came. They had a box just like the one the nice ladies had put me in the day I came to them. Were we going somewhere . . . with these people? They were petting and talking to one of my ginger boys. I knew these humans; they had visited us many times. They were very nice. Were these humans his humans? They were! They were taking my baby away! I was sad but he was brave and I knew he would have a good home and a wonderful life. And he was so excited to be going on an adventure!
Over the next few days other humans came and, one by one, my babies left. Soon it was just me and one of my ginger boys. Even though he was almost as big as me, I let him nurse because it gave us both comfort. And then a human came for him, as well.
After my last baby had gone I started to feel a familiar urge. It was the same urge that got me lost and in trouble so many weeks ago. I knew it wasn’t good but I wanted out! I couldn’t help myself.
The nice ladies noticed I was acting strangely and took me to the doctor. He gave me something to make me sleepy and when I woke up I was back at the nice ladies’ home. My tummy was sore but that horrible urge to run away was gone. I slept and felt a little better every day.
Soon a human came to visit me. It was someone I knew. It was someone who had taken away one of my ginger boys. They had one of those boxes with them. They had come for me! I was going to my furever home! And my furever home was with one of my babies.
Never once when I was cold, alone and afraid all those weeks ago did I ever think I’d feel this safe and happy. I was so lucky to have found these nice ladies who took care of me and my babies.
They loved me and loved my babies. They took care of us. They made sure we’d be safe and secure forever and ever. I will never forget them and their kindness.
Thank you nice ladies!
Love always,
Noodles
