At just a few days old, a tiny calico kitten was found outside by herself. The finder waited for hours but the cat mom never came back for her.
As the kitten was getting weaker by the hour, the Good Samaritan brought her to the shelter for help.
Melinda Blain, an avid foster, came to the Arizona Humane Society and met the tiny 5-day-old Cherie in the kitten nursery. She took her home along with several other bottle kittens.
Since day one, the little calico has proven to be the most demanding. "Cherie was super fussy when I first got her and it was obvious that she missed having a mama cat," Melinda told Love Meow. "She was definitely on the small side when I got her and she was not a huge fan of eating."
All she wanted was to cuddle. Melinda made sure that the kitten continued to eat despite how much she tried to resist. After a couple of days, Cherie finally perked up and started to eat like a champ.
"After her first week with me, she became so attached to me and constantly meows at me for snuggles when she hears my voice."
She is very tiny but slowly gaining muscle strength in her legs and even has started to explore.
The calico will snuggle with her foster mom every chance she gets. "She's the biggest cuddler ever and loves following me around the kitten room and exploring her dollhouse," Melinda added.
"Cherie purrs all of the time and gets so mad at me if she doesn't get after-meal cuddles and exploring time."
The adventurous calico follows Melinda like a tiny duckling imprinting on her human every time she's with her in the kitten room.
"She also loves smelling my toes and is well on her way to becoming a perfectly odd kitty."
Little Cherie still has a lot of growing to do until she's ready for adoption. But for now, she has a foster mama that she loves and clings to constantly.
"Cherie demonstrates what your belly looks like when you're fed every three hours."
Fostering has given kittens like Cherie a chance at a better life. "I always miss the babies, but it makes me so happy to see how loved they are in their new homes, and it opens up my kitten room to have space and time to foster more kittens in need," Melinda said.
Cherie the little cuddlebug!
Follow Cherie and her adventures on Instagram @bottlebabyfosters.
Watch little Cherie in this cute video:
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