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Princess Leia and Her Kittens

Meet Princess Leia (formerly known as "Gypsy"), and her wee kittens. Their safe landing at NMAF has been a rather wild ride involving at least a couple of minor miracles.

Tammie, an NMAF volunteer, got a phone call late last Tuesday night, April 22, from her son, Josh, who works at the Circle K in what is not so affectionately known as "the war zone." A young homeless man was hanging around the store clutching a young female cat and offering to sell her for five dollars. Josh was understandably concerned for her fate and promptly paid the young man five dollars, placed the cat in the cab of his truck, and called his mom for help. Tammie wasted no time picking up the young cat and , once home with her, noticed that the cat's nipples were swollen and engorged. Apparently she had recently given birth, and Tammie knew that, sadly, the chances of finding her babies were slim. But still she prayed for a miracle, and lo and behold, a miracle happened...

Three days later, Tammie and Josh learned that a family had come by the Circle K trying to re-home some very young kittens. The family said that the mother kitty had gone missing a few nights prior, They feared that she had come to a sad end. Tammie rushed to the store to find them, but the man had already left, saying he would be back soon. Tammie waited and then drove around searching for the man with the kittens, to no avail.

Desperate now to find him and the kittens, Tammie decided to walk around the neighborhood on foot in search of the family. As she walked past a homeless encampment, something inspired her to go in. She made her way to a tent in the middle of the encampment and asked if anyone knew someone giving away young kittens. Yes--She found them! John and his wife, Raquel, told Tammie that they had become homeless about three weeks prior. They were able to take only a few possessions and their sweet kitty, Gypsy, with them, who had just given birth. Then three nights ago, Gypsy went missing. They were heartbroken and sick with worry that the kittens would die. They did their best to care for the tiny orphaned kittens whose eyes were barely open; they bought bottles and kitten formula, and used a warm washcloth to stimulate bowels and bladders. But they feared that they would be unable to keep the kittens safe and well under the circumstances.

John and Raquel made the difficult decision to try to re-home the baby kittens. You can guess the end of the story. Once John and Raquel knew that Gypsy/Princess Leia was in a safe home, they lovingly and with heavy hearts agreed to relinquish their beloved mom cat and her kittens to NMAF. This was a painful decision for them, but, because of their care and loving attention, the kittens thrived and were able to be reunited with their mom.

The kitties' reunion was wonderful! The instant Princess Leia heard the sound of her kittens' mewing, she rushed over to them, eager to mother them again! This is the photo of their happy embrace, the kittens as eager as mom to get back to mealtime, licking and purring in unison.

Princess Leia and her kittens will eventually be ready to start searching for their forever homes. For now, they are all happy and healthy in their new foster home - A purr-fect ending for this fabulous feline family!