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This little sweetie showed up with a mouse gift at the patio door a few weeks ago and has adopted us as her new owners ...well we at least hope lol.



We figure she was an abandoned stray because she had kittens under my bedroom window and she acts very timidly if you make too much sudden movement or if she sees a box. Over the past 2 weeks though we have been interacting with her more and it didn't take long for her to stop growling and hissing at us. We can actually pick her up now and she will purr away on your lap while you pet her and she will come when you say "here kitty" or open the patio door and rub up against you until you bend down to pet her. She even leaves us with her kittens now while she goes and wonders around. When we first found her she would dart back to her hiding spot.

Yesterday my dad and I set up a kitten pen inside for the kittens since we figure she is either going to nudge them out to us or they are going to start wobbling out soon and we figure she is going to need some help. We have been letting her come inside now...yesterday she would only stay for a minute then run back out but we have started giving her wet food (seems to be her favorite) inside the patio door and letting her make the connection that this is where she will come for food from now on. We leave the door open when we know she is out there so she can come in. She came in for about 5 minutes today...it seems as if she is scouting out a place to move her kittens (yay!) because she was getting in behind the couches but also gingerly jumping up onto them. She even went to the patio door looked out and turned around to stay in. I called her a few times too and she came to me so I could pet her and reassure her it was ok to be in here.

We have named her Tuffie because she is pretty tough doing this. She looks fairly young herself (which is sad) she is so tiny. This is the first pet we have ever had so we have to Google a lot. We bought kitten food today and she is eating a lot of that. We keep it outside next to the patio door with water and we are thinking of bringing it inside the door tomorrow to see if she will come inside for it. We are going to get a litter box tomorrow too just in case she decides to move the kittens in and we are unsure if she would still want to be outside after.

Yes we do plan on getting her spayed in a few weeks. We are mainly concerned with giving her a comfortable home right now since we can only imagine what she has already been through. All of the kittens will be given to people we know who are responsible cat owners. One has already been claimed even though we don't know how many, what colours or genders (we think they may be 2 weeks old)

Anywho after all of this long winded talking (I am excited, can't you tell?) I was wondering if we are doing everything right. We are concerned with the weather changing, it is forecasted to be storming this weekend and we don't know how much shelter they have under the branches. It is also getting colder at night. I really want to go and pick up the kittens and move them inside but we have built this trust relationship already and we don't want to go back a few steps.

If you have any tips or suggestions anything is welcomed! And of course there will be photos once they come out!

Oh she looks gorgeous. Well done for doing all you are doing. Sorry I can't offer any advice.

She looks adorable! The stray kitten my housemate adopted has a lot of trouble with mites. When she trusts you enough, have her and the kittens checked out and treated if necessary. Also at this stage you should look into microchipping, that way if she ever gets lost, they can have an idea of where she's from.

Good luck!

What a beautiful kitty she is. I would think she was abandoned when she got pregnant because a feral cat with kittens would be very unlikely to be anywhere near humans. She is incredibly trusting and maybe she is checking you out because the weather is changing. Seems to me you are doing everything you should be doing. I think, well I am hoping, that soon you will be able to tell us that she has been bringing kittens in to a safe, warm home. Don't be surprised if you think she picks behind the couch and then you can't find them in the morning because she has moved them to the back of a closet. I was so surprised when you said she had kittens. She looks like a kitten herself.
Like beautiful stitching, this needs to be updated as often as you can. when you can also.

Carole

Tuffie is beautiful, and what a lucky cat to have found such great humans to adopt!

Emma we will be doing that as soon as possible we are just able to pick her up and move a bit without her wanting down and she runs every time she sees a box we think she may be traumatized from being abandoned

Carole, my dad and I are taking shifts right now on cat and kitten watch...and most likely will continue this for a while once they are settled I take the night shift...I had to go out twice because she saw me when she was eating and looked at me with that "are you coming out to visit" look. Both times it was about 20 minutes of her sitting on my lap purring as I pet her, she hasn't laid down yet but who knows what tomorrow will bring

The kittens sound more mobile than a few days ago...more rustling and noises. Mom is fattening up a bit now too which is good so maybe the kittens are getting better milk which is making them stronger. And she looks like a very young cat...probably around 6 months old...can't believe how much I love this cat already

Mabel, she has the most beautiful colouring in her fur. She has a mixture of orange grey white and a darker grey...but they are all muted and just meld so beautifully together. Ill try and take better pics in a few days

I agree with Carole. There is no way a feral cat would let you get anywhere near it much less sit in your lap. That's good though! I wouldn't be surprised if you have several new house guests in the next few days.

Also, I just wanted to say that I am so glad that you have made it a priority to give them a good home. I helped an abandoned kitten find a home last year and it's a great feeling! I'm currently trying to talk my husband into letting us adopt another cat, but he feels that one is enough for our two bedroom apartment. Oh well, someday...

What a lovely story! You are doing such a lovely thing for Tuffie and her kittens. I think you are doing fine! Once she's a bit more settled then you need to look into parasite control, fleas, ticks and worms, you might find a spot on that does them all. You have to check the rules on kittens and when it's safe to do it.

She's gorgeous. I wish you long and happy life together!

Niki xxxx

Oh she is just gorgeous - its a shame people didn't take better care of her and she is having kittens so young. It sounds like she is doing a fantastic job though.

I've grown up around cats but I don't know a huge amount about adopting strays - it seems like you guys are doing all the right things though - especially letting her do things at her own pace.

I know that here in the UK you can get cat boxes that the top lifts off, that might be a way that you could get her used to a box and see it as a nice comfy, safe place to be. If you leave the top off and fill the bottom with blankets and leave it somewhere she wont get spooked by it, she might start to feel more at ease with them

It definitely sounds like she is used to humans because she is adjusting to you guys so fast.

Good luck with everything and fingers crossed she moves the kittens inside soon!

No added advice because from what you are saying you are doing a great job. So sad that at her young age she is already a mama. Thank you for taking her in!!!!!!

Tuffie you are a star and a wonderful mum to your lovely new babies.

No further advice for you Lasting Allure as you are doing everything right and it shows too because she is beginning to trust you both. the weekends predicted storms stay away. However it they do arrive and prompt her to bring her babies inside all to the good. She will not abandon them I am sure.

Well done with taking such wonderful care of gorgeous wee Tuffie.

There is nothing better than being owned by a cat.She's such a pretty Tabby.It's for sure that she was owned then dumped.She would not be so friendly otherwise.Alll of my cats have come from the RSPCA and it is so sad to see the beautiful,often rare breed cats that have been dumped.

Thank you everyone for reassuring us we are doing everything right. We just want to make her comfortable and let her do things at her own pace.

We set up a few areas in the house with tipped over boxes and towels in the corners of the media room since she always comes in here to investigate. We also set up a tipped over box with a lip and towels in the tool shed so it doesn't feel so big and more safe and she has actually stepped into that one to check it out and the towels have been moved so fingers crossed she likes it enough to move in! Even if we can't get her inside at least we can monitor the kittens better in the tool shed.

I think she is starting to make the connection that the really yummy food is inside the warm house with the loving owners. She will still eat the kitten food outside (eats it every time she comes out from her kittens) but I shook the treat bag for the first time and she came running inside meowing loudly rubbing up against me so I gave her one and she kept meowing and rubbing so I gave her another two. She then stuck around and let me pet her and was exploring the house more. She then laid down inside by the door. After a few minutes she went outside again but then came in and came up to me for some love then went out and back in again...she did this 10 times. This is a mile stone since she never sticks around in the house after eating her wet food and won't come back in until later in the evening. She also tried clawing the sofa a few times and jumped onto my craft table I gave her a gentle no and she stopped. If she moves in she will get a scratching post.

The kittens we think are starting to move more. She tried crawling into her nest a few times today and each time she growled at them and was nudging them back in we think. We hope she decides to move them into one of the areas we made up for her. She will be so much warmer. I went out twice last night because I looked out and she saw me and gave me that "are you coming out?" look...each was about a 20 minute petting session with her on my lap getting warm.

We have decided if she or the kittens don't want to stick around we will go to the SPCA and adopt a kitten. I think though we are achieving a lot of small goals every day and she is going to be around for a long time.

Again thanks everyone for the reassurance it is really comforting knowing we are doing everything we can

Did I mention I am on cat/kitten night shift? I stayed up all night last night to make sure the kittens didn't get out or she didn't decide to move the kittens in and no one was there to open the door lol. Only got 2 hours sleep in the afternoon. It is worth it though...I can't wait to see those little fluff balls.

she is just amazingly beautiful, and you and your dad are doing a wonderful thing!!! I hope the weather doesn't get too bad and that you will manage to find a warmer spot for Tuffie and her kittens so that they feel safe and comfortable

Tuffie is a lucky cat, and a smart one to choose such a loving family. I think you're doing a great job with her and I hope she stays around. And if not, I like your plan of rescuing another cat. They are such fun and bring an entirely new energy to a home.

What a beautiful kitty! I hope she makes her home with you!

She is gorgeous! Hope you get to see the kittens soon!

Here is a better picture to see her colouring!



....and....THE KITTENS CAME OUT! Well 2 of them climbed over top of one another and they only came to the entrance than wobbled back inside. And guess what!! One was a little ginger!! His name is going to be Pumpkin or Peaches and most likely he will be my cat! The other is a little grey one with white paws. We hope they come out more tomorrow.

And Tuffie came in and we closed the door and she didn't freak out. She just wondered around and then went to the door and we opened it for her. She is coming in a lot more now and we feel like there is a lot of progress being made every day. We just wish we could bring the kittens inside where it is warm.

Anyone know when is a good time we can touch the kittens ourselves? We are unsure if she is going to voluntarily bring them in and we want to make sure they aren't going to turn feral. We want to adopt them out and keep most likely 2 for us.

Gosh, I personally would bring them in myself... Since she isn't feral, I'm sure she'll settle in just fine. If she were feral, I think it would be a different story... Just My opinion... She's a very pretty girl, can't wait to see pics of the babies!