A 3-week-old abandoned kitten was rescued from a cat colony. No one was able to calm her cry until a 10-year-old boy put her in his arms and told her everything would be OK.
Little Ariel the kitten was found in a cat colony in California. She was left behind by her feral cat mother and was taken into MeoowzResQ, a rescue group in Orange, California, while waiting to be placed into foster care.
When Kelli Gross (@kittyfoster_) learned about the kitten's plight, she immediately offered to foster her as she already had a rescue cat mother nursing six kittens of her own.
Kelli and her 10-year-old brother, Zack, went to pick up the kitten from the vet. When they met her, they heard the loudest cry coming from a tiny little body.
"She was going crazy and wouldn't settle down," Kelli told Love Meow.
No one was able to calm her down, so Zack put the kitten in his arms and started talking to her softly while giving her kisses and pets. Eventually little Ariel fell asleep in his lap. (Scroll down for video)
"He put a blanket down in his lap and bundled her up. She was sound asleep and didn't make a peep during the whole 30-minute car ride home."
They introduced Ariel to Twilight the cat mom, hoping the kitten would latch on and start nursing. Mama Twilight took to her right away and began grooming her as her own, but Ariel kept squirming away and was not able to nurse.
"Because my coordinator had bottle fed her for a day, the kitten had to learn to nurse from a cat mom again," Kelli told Love Meow.
Every time Ariel moved away, Zack gently put her back by the mama. "He kept putting her back until she learned to nurse again."
Once Ariel latched on, it was the happiest moment for the little fur baby.
"You can tell how truly happy she is and you can hear her purring," Kelli told Love Meow.
Zack shares a very special connection with every foster that comes through the door.
"He has a routine of waking up and telling them good morning every day before school and then coming and kissing every single one goodnight before bed. He makes sure that they all feel included.
"He misses them when he's away and they're the first thing he says 'Hi' to when he gets home from anywhere. He just makes it effortless and you can tell that it's actually ingrained into his heart."
Ariel has been in foster care for a few days now, but she still runs to her foster mom for attention and love.
"She screams at me to give her milk. She's extremely needy," Kelli told Love Meow.
"She was malnourished at first but has now almost caught up to the weight of the mom's original six babies."
Watch Ariel's rescue journey in this cute video:
Zack has helped his sister foster over 100 kittens in the past two years.
"Teaching kids to be kind with animals has always been so so important to me. The kittens I deal with are usually the youngest ones the shelter has and are so fragile, and my brother is amazing with them," Kelli said.
"I love having a kid around while my fosters grow up in case they go into forever homes with kids, then they'll be comfortable already!"
Look at those ear wiggles!
Share this story with your friends. Follow little Ariel and her feline family on Instagram @kittyfoster_.
Related story: 14-year Old Boy Dives into Overpass to Save Cat Hanging Over Bridge - Kitty Clings to Him for Life