A family was stunned to find six kittens in a flower box. As it turned out, a cat had brought them there.
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Chantal and her family have been helping community cats in their neighborhood, providing food and shelter especially during harsh winters.
One morning, she was outside tending to her garden when she discovered something in one of her flower boxes. Stunned, she saw six kittens huddled up in a fur pile at the bottom of the box.
Not far from her in the garden, she noticed a stray cat standing right there, looking at her, as if the cat was guarding the box.
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The cat turned out to be the mother of the kittens, and had come to the garden in search of safety and food.
Chantal is no stranger to the neighborhood cats as she tries to help them the best she can. Perhaps, the mama cat had gotten wind of this family and brought her kittens along.
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The flower box was tall, and the cat had likely carried her kittens in, one by one, so they could be stowed away from the tough outdoors.
Wanting to give the mom a safer place to raise her babies, Chantal consulted her local animal rescue, ChatonsOrphelinsMontreal, and offered to foster them until they were ready for adoption.
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She scooped up the six fur balls and brought them into her home. The next thing was to get the mom inside.
After having lived as a stray for some time, the mom was a bit wary of people and kept her distance, but she didn't have a mean bone in her body. Treats weren't enticing enough to get her indoors, so Chantal decided to try something different.
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"She came out with one of the kittens in her arms, and the mom immediately approached her and tried to tend to her baby," the rescue shared.
Chantal patiently guided the cat to the door and into her house. She had a room set up for the family of seven and named the mom Gerbett.
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As soon as the kittens saw their mom, they swarmed over her belly and started nursing. With good food, fresh blankets and comfy beds, Gerbett warmed up to her rescuer and began to seek affection.
"She seemed to understand that Chantal was there to help them." The whole family was back together, with a roof over their heads, purring in unison.
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Over the next few weeks, Gerbett raised her six into happy, playful young cats. She taught them feline skills and watched them attentively as they crossed one milestone after another.
She became very fond of people and couldn't get enough of their attention and pets. "She is affectionate and gives head butts all the time."
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"She is like a cat-dog, following her humans everywhere they go. She is very chatty and likes to talk about her day. She is playful and still a kitten at heart."
As her kittens have grown more independent, cavorting around the room by themselves, Gerbett is taking a backseat to spend more time with her people. She is inquisitive about what they are doing and wants to be part of the action.
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The kittens are around three months old now and ready to spread their wings and fly.
Two of them have found their forever home together. The rest of the family is thriving in foster care, waiting for their happily-ever-after.
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Gerbett brought her kittens to the right place and ended up changing their lives.
After surviving the streets and raising her litter of six, she is retiring from motherhood and enjoying her new life as a spoiled indoor cat.
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