Mama Mittens is acting as a surrogate mom to six orphaned kittens, providing them with nourishment, care, and love
Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center
NEED TO KNOW
- Mama Mittens, a polydactyl cat, is caring for her biological kitten and six adopted kittens at a California shelter
- All seven in the blended family were rescued from the Long Beach area
- After a few more weeks, Mama Mittens and her baby kittens will be ready to be adopted
A mother cat born with extra toes is celebrating Mother's Day by taking in a handful of orphaned kittens.
Mama Mittens, a cat at Helen Woodward Animal Center in California, is uniting her biological kitten and six orphaned kittens into one large litter. As a polydactyl cat, Mama Mittens has a few extra toes due to a harmless genetic condition. The extra digits may come in handy as she cares for her expanding litter.
Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center
The "big-hearted and big-pawed" mother cat arrived at Helen Woodward Animal Center on April 8, alongside her 3-week-old kitten, who appears to be a polydactyl cat as well. Both had been rescued from the Long Beach area, Helen Woodward shared in a release.
Around the same time, six-week-old kittens, also rescued from the Long Beach area, arrived at Helen Woodward with no mother to care for them. The group of kittens wouldn't survive long without a surrogate mother to provide care and nourishment. Luckily, Mama Mittens was happy to step into the role of mother of seven.
Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center
"Overnight, Mama Mittens went from a single mom of one to a single mom of seven," said the shelter's foster assistant manager, Courtney Williams. "Animals are amazing. Mama Mittens didn't just decide to welcome them for nourishment; she immediately began to provide each of them with the love they'd been missing."
Now under Mama Mittens' care are her biological daughter, Socks, and her six adopted kittens: Flip, Flop, Jean, Jacket, Hat, and Scarf.
The shelter announced that all seven kittens are "flourishing," and they'll be ready for adoption after they are weaned from Mama Mittens.
Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center
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Before they're ready to be placed for adoption, the shelter said, Mama Mittens and her kittens will undergo a few more weeks of health tests, and all will be spayed or neutered.
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