Precious Mama Cat Does Everything She Can To Save Her Only Kitten's Life

The harsh reality of being a stray cat in the winter.

Elana

• Published in Animals
• July 1, 2019

In recent years, officials in Canada have expressed an "overpopulation problem" that requires addressing. While there has been progress regarding increasing spay and neuter rates and reducing euthanasia rates of cats, it has been slow progress and continues to need encouragement, support, and improvement.

For one mama cat facing the harsh cold of Vancouver, one can only ponder how differently things could have turned out for her had she been spayed or cared for during her pregnancy, but as she prepared to birth her litter of kittens, she struggled to find adequate shelter and lost all but one precious, fluffy, jelly bean of a kitten.

Tasha Bukovnik, the vice president of VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association) told The Dodo what happened to Calida as she sought warm shelter to have her kittens:

Calida (the cat) tried her best to find a warm place to give birth, but was only able to find an outdoor laundry room with a freezing concrete floor.

Sadly, exposure to the extreme cold meant devastation. The first four kittens birthed passed away almost immediately after they were born. Tasha said:

All the kittens were healthy and would have lived had Calida been able to give birth in a warm environment.

However, in both a miracle and a shining example of a mother's instinct and love, one kitten survived. Calida covered her precious kitten with her body, sheltering her from the cold with her warmth and fur.

Thankfully, it was shortly after that the homeowners found Calida and her kitten and immediately called for help. Volunteers with VOKRA rushed to the home and took Calida and her kitten to the rescue center for emergency care as quickly as the icy Canadian roads would permit.

Look at this precious baby! A real survivor. The shelter volunteers named the kitten Sentrie.

In the safety and warmth of the shelter, Calida scarfed her food. Obviously, she had not eaten in a while and she would need that food to make milk for her surviving kitten.

Bukovnick said:

Sentrie is a chubby little girl, but Calida is on the thin side and can’t seem to get enough food

The people caring for Calida and her kitten realized rather quickly that Calida was a sweet cat and quite tame. Thus, they believe she once belonged to a family and must have been, sadly, abandoned at some point.

Amazed and saddened at the same time, VOKRA volunteers decided to share Calida's story in hopes that it might inspire and encourage other people to make extra sure their cats are spayed and neutered. The suffering Calida endured as she lost four kittens was completely unnecessary.

Thankfully, between Calida's quick thinking and motherly instincts and the efforts of VOKRA, Calida and her lucky, little Sentrie grow stronger everyday. Their future now looks bright and hopeful!

The next step for Calida and Sentrie is to move into a foster home, a much more comfortable and soothing environment for a mama cat and her kitten to grow and thrive before finding their forever home. We wish them the best of luck!

Elana