When Jessica Thompson, a seasoned vet and dedicated foster mom from Portland, Oregon, got a late-night call about a cat that gave birth to three kittens, she braced herself for a challenging foster journey.
Little did she know, it would become a tale of loss, resilience, and hope. Let’s see how Jessica handled the situation.
According to Jessica, the poor feline gave birth to her kittens in a car. The previous owner had recently been evicted from their home and had a car full of pets. Unable to care for the new litter, the owner left the family at a local mechanic’s shop.
The mechanic then reached out to the people at PDX Cat Trapper, a Portland-based nonprofit focused on controlling feline populations through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs.
They then contacted Jessica, who agreed to take the cats under her wing.
Upon arrival, the mama cat was in a state of shock, unresponsive to touch.
She refused to eat or drink and simply lay motionless in the corner on the blanket. Lacking the willpower to move and use the litter box, she ended up urinating all over the bedding.
The cat also showed little interest in her kittens, prompting Jessica to step in and syringe-feed the fragile newborns in the hopes of a turnaround.
The next day, she noticed that only one of them had gained weight, while the other two had lost a bit. However, she also observed that their urine had started to become more appropriately colored, which gave Jessica some hope that they might survive.
She was particularly worried about the littlest one, and unfortunately, her concerns proved to be valid.
Later that same day, the smallest kitten sadly passed away. His urine had become tinged with red, and he began to breathe irregularly.
Devastated by the loss, Jessica expressed her grief on her Instagram page:
“I tried. I’m sad. I’ll keep trying with the others.”
The bad news continued the next day as the Thompson foster household lost the second kitten.
Jessica shared with her Instagram followers how she tirelessly tried to keep him alive. She fed him, ensured he was warm, and even snuggled him next to his mom.
However, fate sometimes has other plans beyond our control.
With two kittens lost, Jessica was determined to fight for the third one, who seemed like a fighter, and to improve the mother’s condition as well.
In the face of sorrow, there was a silver lining. Mama cat began to show signs of improvement, warming up to Jessica and starting to care for her surviving kitten.
The following morning, Jessica offered mama cat some breakfast, which she kindly accepted. Upon weighing the kitten, Jessica noticed a small but significant gain in weight.
This improvement brought joy to Jessica’s heart. Often, it’s the small steps that make all the difference in the end.
Feeling hopeful both mom and the baby would make it, Jessica decided to name them. She shared their names on her Instagram:
“Mom’s name is officially Serenity and baby is Phoenix. Phoenix for resilience and Serenity so she never has to go through that trauma again.”
As days passed, both Serenity and Phoenix made remarkable progress. Serenity completely transformed from a frightened cat into a loving and attentive mother.
Phoenix started nursing her mom, had a lot of weight gain and around the tenth day, she even opened her eyes!
As the days went by, she also lost her umbilical cord and started to make her first wobbly steps.
She began exploring her environment but always came back to her loving mom for some cuddles and nursing.
All of this made Jessica so happy. She said:
“Watching these two blossom is amazing. Serenity is asking for pets and attention where 3 weeks ago she just sat in the corner shaking, terrified.”
After a month with Jessica, Serenity and Phoenix were unrecognizable from the scared pair that arrived. Their story of survival and the power of love serves as a heartwarming reminder of the miracles foster care can achieve.
I genuinely hope that in the coming days, this mother-daughter duo will only continue to thrive, and that soon they’ll find their forever home together. To stay updated on their journey, let’s not forget to follow Jessica on Instagram.
Leave a comment