When does one kitten become four?

When that kitten has babies, of course.

OK, so Momma kitten was about nine months old at the time and by some standards no longer a kitten, but for all intents she was still a baby and too young to safely reproduce. So -- four kittens.

Jules' husband brought Momma home from work one day. She'd been hanging around his office in a business park somewhere. A friendly stray.

They brought her in to the vet to have her checked out and vaccinated before introducing her to their other cat Suess.

Surprise! Momma was pregnant and about a week from delivery.

No vaccinations could be given. They'd have to keep the cats separated. They set up a kitten nursery in the bathroom and waited.

Momma went into labor, but things didn't progress well. They ended up bringing her into the vet, who advised them that Momma wouldn't survive without an emergency C-section. About a thousand dollars latter, Momma and the three surviving kittens came home.

There was some hand-feeding and nursing involved, a few bites and scratches, and a lot of TLC. Jules' kids and various guests have enjoyed playing with the kittens for the past 10 weeks.



Last night, Momma and the little girl Cali went home to a new family. The little boys are still there. Jules is looking for a home for the yellow, but thinks they'll end up keeping the gray one. (Me? I have my excuse for not taking one -- horrible cat allergies. But trust me, even with the allergies, it's hard to say no.)

I've posted a set of photos of the kittens on Flickr. Here's one of my favorites: