A cat arrived with her six kittens from a shelter. She was so relieved when a dog offered to help care for her babies.
Smokey the cat and Spam the kitten@shibuyarollcall
Last month, a cat named Smokey arrived at her foster home with her six kittens after a stint at the shelter. Asa who volunteers for Animal Welfare League of Arlington, took them in with open arms.
She set up a quiet, comfortable room for the family of seven and gave the mom the time she needed to decompress. Smokey felt at ease in a home environment and dove right into mommy duties.
She was so relaxed that she rolled the tip of her tongue out, in complete contentment, while her kittens happily nursed away on her belly.
Smokey is a wonderful cat mom@shibuyarollcall
Smokey gobbled up at least six cans of food every day for her six demanding kittens. She catered to their every whim and made sure that they all had full bellies and clean fur.
Every time Asa entered the room, Smokey was delighted to have someone watch her kittens, so she could step away to stretch and replenish.
“Smokey is an amazing mom, but she’s also very laid-back. She’s been so chill with her babies being handled,” Asa shared with Love Meow.
The kittens have grown by leaps and bounds in the past few weeks, and their personalities have also bloomed. Out of the six babies, five of them are gray (Chorizo, Pepperoni, Salami, Prosciutto and Pastrami). The one black and white kitten named Spam is the most mischievous of them all.
@shibuyarollcall
“She’s the only non-gray kitten of the bunch, so I guess she has to be different in every other aspect too.”
Early on, Spam stood out from the crowd by being the most needy baby, vying for Smokey’s undivided attention. Now that she’s bigger and stronger, she has developed a fearless attitude.
She likes to tackle and wrestle with Mom’s tail. She prefers eating kibbles out of the bowl while sitting in it, so she can have all the snacks to herself.
Raising six kittens is no easy feat, so when it was time to socialize the little ones, Asa brought in her trusty assistant, a cat-adoring dog, Kona.
@shibuyarollcall
Kona has a passion for doting on foster kittens and mothering them as her own. She is also very respectful to cat mothers and their space.
Smokey is elated to have a canine resident around, especially knowing that she’s good with her kittens.
The six younglings immediately swarmed over to Kona as she greeted each of them with slobbery kisses. Smokey was completely hands off, allowing her canine helper to take over.
“Kona tried to ‘steal’ a baby (carrying the kitten by the scruff) and Smokey didn’t even care,” Asa shared with Love Meow.
Smokey is relieved to have some help@shibuyarollcall
“She seems pretty relieved whenever I let Kona into the foster room. I think she views Kona as a babysitter, and she goes ‘thank goodness you’re here!’”
In true Spam fashion, she screams at Kona and boops her nose for attention, and she is persistent about getting what she wants.
“Now that the kittens are older and more playful, they view Kona as the fun auntie (or mom), and they’ll all gravitate towards her the moment they see her.”
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Smokey is spending more me-time with the help of Kona. When the kittens are old enough to go on their own, she will be spayed and look for a loving family that will spoil and adore her forever.
Share this story with your friends. More on the cat family and Asa’s fosters on Instagram @shibuyarollcall.
