A Pregnant Feral Cat Accepts Help From a Human to Come In From the Cold to Have Her Kittens

Rather than fleeing back into the cold New Jersey winter air, a pregnant feral tabby cat allowed a generous woman named Katie Lanza to welcome her into a warm, inviting and loving home so that she could bear her kittens in a safe environment. The formerly feral cat was given the name Lipstick and gave birth on March 2nd to four kittens. Since giving birth, Lipstick has become a willing and affectionate member of the family. Lanza spoke with LoveMeow about building trust with the feral mama-to-be.

We took Lipstick into our house on Valentine’s Day 2016 after trying for weeks to get her to come inside. After the blizzard on 1/22/16 &1/23/16, Lipstick disappeared for about 5 days. We finally heard her meows and rescued her from underneath a neighbors porch where she was blocked in by plywood the owner put there to keep the snow out. …After we rescued Lipstick and realized she was pregnant, my mom and I decided to capture her. Finally on Valentine’s Day 2016, she walked into our kitchen. We locked up our cats and dogs in upstairs bedrooms and set out some leftover hamburger all cut up, and she finally ran inside. It also happened to be the coldest day in New Jersey in decades. …She is very, very sweet but very protective. She lets me handle her babies to check their weight and make sure they are nursing but will lightly smack my hand if I have been holding them too long.

via LoveMeow