Sweet Pea - Adopted

Female
Solid Black, Domestic Shorthair
Born 10/29/2017

Contact Jeri at cats@nmaf.org or (505)350-7463 for more information about Sweet Pea.

Sweet Pea is aptly named because she really is the sweetest! She's a loving and vigilant mom. She calls sweetly to her kittens, nuzzling each in turn. She no longer nurses them for nourishment and has finally gained weight.

Sweet Pea and the cat-friendly dog, Belle, greet each other every morning. Sweet Pea seems very fond of Belle, purring when she greets her. Belle has been very patient with the kittens also, so none of them are afraid of the dog.

Sweet Pea's foster family tells the touching story of how she came into their lives and home:

"Sweet Pea came to our NMAF foster home, literally having just given birth and starving. She was just skin over bones, hardly any muscle tissue. I picked her up and she wrapped her front paws around my neck and tucked her head under my chin. Who could say no to such a plea for help? I fed her as much as she could eat. She returned three or four times a day for food and a cuddle.

"After a series of violent storms and about four weeks after giving birth, Sweet Pea brought her kittens to us, one at a time. Their eyes were barely open. At first, we thought it was just three black kittens, but she kept going in and out of the cat door. Then we heard another little "meow" and we went into the garage and found a dilute calico kitten, obviously bigger than the others, but still very young. Sweet Pea came outside to encourage this stunning little girl to come inside with us. It seemed that Sweet Pea had taken in an orphaned kitten, even when she had so little to give her own kittens.

"Because Sweet Pea was so malnourished herself, she never appeared to have enough milk. We had supplemented what we were feeding her with powdered goat's milk, a close match with the nutritional values of cats' milk, so her milk production had apparently increased enough for these kittens to become healthy enough to move in with us.

"It took about five weeks of free access to food before Sweet Pea began to gain weight, but finally, with various supplements, all the kittens and Sweet Pea were completely healthy. She has been an incredibly dedicated mother - watchful, encouraging, protective and patient.

"Throughout the six months we have cared for this little family, Sweet Pea has never neglected to express her gratitude and affection to us, even though she is still a kitten herself...barely a year old now. We are so humbled by her honesty and love, it has been a privilege to help this wonderful little lady with the green eyes. We hope her adoptive family will see the generous soul in this beautiful cat."

Sweet Pea's litter was born on July 14, 2018. Their names are Willow (F), Jade (F), and Tim Tam (M, named after the famous thoroughbred racehorse) and Party Girl, who may have been born to another mother...and adopted by Sweet Pea!

Please click on the thumbnails below to view larger sizes of the photos

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