A tabby cat who has been a feral all her life, finally accepts her rescuers' love so she can have her babies in a safe and comfortable home that she never had as a kitten.
Meet Lipstick and her four tiny newborn babies!
Courtesy of Katie Lanza
Lipstick has been a feral cat all her life. "My mom and other neighbor have been feeding her for about a year. I took over the majority of it this past summer," Katie Lanza told Love Meow.
"During the blizzard in New Jersey on 1/22-1/23, Lipstick disappeared. We found her trapped under a neighbor's porch. After we rescued Lipstick and realized she was pregnant, my mom and I decided to capture her."
Courtesy of Katie Lanza
With her being pregnant and the coldest temperatures in decades fast approaching, they knew they needed to get her inside, but it took weeks, a lot of patience and love.
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"Finally on Valentine's Day 2016, she walked into our kitchen. We locked up our cats and dogs in upstairs bedrooms and set out some leftover hamburger all cut up, and she finally ran inside. It also happened to be the coldest day in New Jersey in decades," Lanza told Love Meow.
Courtesy of Katie Lanza
Mama Lipstick realized that her human friends were there to help her and her babies. She was ready.
She gave birth to four adorable kittens on March 2, 2016. "Once they were born and Lipstick cleaned them up, we put them in a fresh kitty bed and we are using a heating pad to help regulate their temperature," Lanza said.
Courtesy of Katie Lanza
Mama gives her four kittens undivided attention and unconditional love!
"She is very, very sweet but very protective. She lets me handle her babies to check their weight and make sure they are nursing but will lightly smack my hand if I have been holding them too long."
Courtesy of Katie Lanza
Watch this cute video of Lipstick the mama and her newborn kittens.
"We think they were 2 girls and 2 boys but we aren't sure just yet. Their eyes haven't even open yet but they are strong little things."
It's hard to believe that she has been a feral cat all her life! This is what love can do!
YouTube/Katie Lanza