Last August, a veteran was out doing some yard work when he found three little kittens stuck in the bushes with their stray cat mother nearby. He immediately tried to get the kittens out to safety.
Jerry Smith, a veteran, is paralyzed on his right side, resulting from a stroke at 28 after his time serving in the Army. He never asks for help despite his disability, but that day, he called his wife over for something important.
"I was working at my desk and my husband was working in the yard. He never asks for help with anything till he's frustrated, so when he came to the door and demanded I 'come help' him, I asked why and he said, 'Just come help me with the cat,'" Patty Smith, a Renaissance Faire photographer, told Love Meow.
Patty was confused because she could see both of their indoor cats, also rescues, in the house. "I went outside and he was on his knees next to the shrubbery next to the porch. He held up a tiny kitten and then started handing me kittens one after another."
Jerry had to move a wooden planter contraption that he built years ago to retrieve the third (last) kitten. Afterwards, he pulled up the rest of it to make sure there were no more kittens.
The stray mama cat was standing in their yard when Jerry spotted her babies. She stayed there watching as the couple scooped up all the kittens from the bushes. She then walked away as if she knew that her babies were in good hands. They waited for the mama cat, but she never returned.
Turned out, the momma cat met Jerry a few days before in the crawl-space of their garage. He couldn't reach the kittens then with the use of only one arm, but this time they got all of them.
"I brought the three tiny kittens indoors and put them in a cardboard box and then into the bathroom so they'd be safe from our other pets."
The kittens were estimated to be between six and eight weeks old. The family fed them kitten food soaked in water to help them learn to eat. After a couple of days, they were eating like champs!
When the kittens were big enough, Patty started arranging good homes for them.
"Because of the stroke, Jerry doesn't share emotions well, so after I peeled back his onion-y layers, he said he didn't want to give the kittens away because 'what if they end up with a family who doesn't love them?' And that's also why he doesn't block the crawl space in the garage," Patty told Love Meow.
"So, now we have three kittens along with our two adult cats and too many dogs."
Their names are Boots (with white feet), Ash (lighter grey), and Cinder.
Boots stares at his human, demanding attention right meow!
Who could possibly say no to that face?!
Their 10-year-old cat Emmy, rescued by the family after her previous owner passed away, was introduced to the kitties. "I told my husband we were taking her because adult cats are usually overlooked. She took a little time to adjust, but she's fine now. And then we forced her to love kittens," Patty told Love Meow.
Emmy now tolerates all the cuddles and snuggles from her three little furry admirers.
Boots and Ash giving their human mom their daily snuggles.
In just two months, the kitties have grown by leaps and bounds!
Perhaps the mama cat could see what a big heart Jerry had and left her babies in his hands. Now they are thriving with love!
Playing with Boots!
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