A cat chirped with renewed hope to her kittens when someone took them out of the shelter, promising them a good life.
Nova and her kittensAsa
Nova, an orange and white cat, found herself in an animal shelter, going into active labor. A rescue group, Tails High, contacted the shelter to ensure a better life for the feline family.
Asa, a volunteer for Tails High, was running errands when she received a text from the rescue. "I cut my errands short and headed out to make my 3-hour roundtrip drive to pick them up, at which point she was done giving birth to her beautiful babies," Asa shared with Love Meow.
At just a few hours old, the kittens left the shelter with their mom en route to their new life in a foster home.
Asa
"Nova was having a bit of a hard time at the beginning. The shelter said she wasn't cleaning the babies when they were born."
Overwhelmed by stress and the shelter environment, Nova withdrew into herself and relied on the kindness of the staff and volunteers to tend to her babies. That quickly changed when she stepped into her foster home.
Asa
With a quiet room, a comfy bed, a constantly replenished food station, and a loving human, Nova relaxed. The wariness in her eyes melted away, and her maternal instinct took over. She gently put her arms around her babies as they nursed away on her belly.
After a long feeding session, she stepped out for a well-deserved break, chatting up a storm with her foster mom and rewarding herself with a big stretch.
Asa
Despite their best efforts to save all the kittens, one of them, Ash, sadly lost her fight. The rest of the litter, Alexandria, Arly, and Vienna, continued to gain weight and strength. At two weeks old, they officially entered the wobble phase.
For a while, Nova enjoyed some me-time between feedings, but that changed when the kittens started using their legs. Curious about their surroundings, they ventured out of the nest to explore.
Asa
While they honed their balance and gait, they followed their mom everywhere, always trailing close behind.
Nova lay on the floor and stretched out her paws to wrangle the wobbly kittens into her embrace. Her adorable chirps and trills filled the room as she called out to them.
Asa
Over the next two weeks, the kittens became steadier on their feet. As their curiosity grew, their playful, mischievous side emerged. "Nova's really got her hands full with these kids."
At four weeks old, the kittens turned into roly-polies with rotund bellies, and their personalities started to shine.
Asa
"I'd describe Alexandria as the most independent - she wanders around the room by herself and likes hanging out under the cabinet."
"I often see Arly and Vienna together, slo-mo pawing at each other's faces (learning how to play)."
Asa
Nova teaches her kittens feline etiquette and shows them how to eat from a plate, play with toys, use the litter box, and climb cat trees.
Following in her paw steps, the kittens are on their way to mastering many essential feline skills, including the zoomies. "Arly is starting to get the hang of the bunny kick thing. She learned from the best."
Asa
After a play session, the kittens nestle against their mom and drift off to sleep to the sound of purrs.
"Nova has become quite the nurturing mother. She's very chirpy and trills a lot. She's also started to play with her little ones now that they're a bit older."
Asa
Once her kittens are old enough to spread their wings and fly, Nova will happily retire from motherhood and focus on the things she adores.
Asa
Share this story with your friends. More on Nova, her kittens, and Asa's fosters on Instagram and Tails High on Instagram.
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