Two amazing cat mums discovered the power of teamwork recently when they raised their litters of kittens together.

Two Rescue Cat Mums Raise Their Eight Kittens Together

One of the mums nursing at the local garage

Animal welfare organisation and rescue home, Mayhew, first came across this adorable, big family, when their Animal Welfare Officers received a call from the owner of a local car garage to say that he’d found two cat mums nursing eight tiny kittens.

Mayhew Animal Welfare Officer, AJ Ford, said: “The eight kittens appeared to have been born on the same day to the two mums and were all cuddled up together at the garage.”

“The two mums, one domestic and one feral, were sharing the feeding responsibilities and it was impossible to tell which kittens belonged to which mum. The mums were very loving towards each other, they were nursing the kittens interchangeably and when one mum needed a break, the other was able to step in.”

“As the mums were coping so well together, we temporarily left them in the safe hands of the garage employees, who had created a safe place for the mothers to raise their kittens together. They had provided plenty of food, water and shelter for the mums and kittens, and had left three large padded seats down for them to live on. We also gave the employees lots of advice on how to care for the mums and kittens and stayed in regular contact with them during the period when they were at the garage.”

Once the kittens had reached five-weeks-old and were old enough to eat solid food, Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officers returned to the garage to bring the two mums and eight kittens back to the Home.

Two Rescue Cat Mums Raise Their Eight Kittens Together

One of the Family Guy Kittens

The feral mum was neutered and health checked by Mayhew’s Vet Team, and returned back to the garage as a part of Mayhew’s Trap, Neuter and Return Programme, launched by the charity in 1996 to help control and contain the feral cat population in London. As the garage employees had become so attached to the two families, they were happy to continue looking out for the feral mum.

The domestic mum and eight kittens were settled into a comfy and warm cat cabin by Mayhew cattery staff and were given a thorough health check by the Vet Team. Thankfully mum and kittens were all in good condition and were healthy weights, proving that feline teamwork certainly makes the dream work!

As the mum and kittens were such a big family, Mayhew staff aptly named them after the characters in the popular TV cartoon show, Family Guy. The mum was named Lois and the kittens were named Peter, Meg, Chris, Stewie, Brian, Jo, Cleveland and Quagmire.

Two Rescue Cat Mums Raise Their Eight Kittens Together

The Family Guy Kittens

“This story highlights how important it is to get your pet neutered. We see hundreds of unwanted kittens coming into our Home all year round like the Family Guy kittens and it’s a growing problem. We encourage pet owners to get their animals neutered, and offer low cost and affordable neutering for cats and dogs at our Vet Clinic, and are part of the C4 Scheme to tackle the overpopulation of cats in London. We also run a Pick and Snip project, which offers free neutering for cats and kittens for some owners who may be eligible, pending circumstances,” said AJ.

Once the kittens are old enough to leave their mum and have all been neutered and vaccinated, they’ll be ready to start their next adventure with a loving forever family.

If you are interested in adopting a Mayhew cat, please visit their website or call 020 8962 8009.

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About Author

Nisha Kotecha is the Founder of Good News Shared. Having worked and volunteered for charities in the UK for over 10 years, Nisha is on a mission to highlight how amazing charities are.

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