A stray cat adopted a litter of kittens and started raising them alongside her own.
Macy, a stray cat mother, and 10 kittens were brought into the Humane League of Lancaster County in Pennsylvania for a chance at a better life. Some of the kittens came from a different litter that the cat had decided to raise as her own.
A Good Samaritan who found both litters, was able to capture Macy, but the other mom was nowhere to be found and never returned. By the time they sought help for the clowder of eleven, Macy had already begun caring for all of the babies as a big blended family.
"Macy has been taking care of all ten since then. She is a mom to two litters of kittens combined,” Wilma, a foster volunteer of the Humane League of Lancaster, shared with Love Meow.
Macy was a bit wary and scared after the whole ordeal, but quickly settled into her safe abode and felt right at home in her comfy, warm nest. She relaxed as she stretched her toes while she was covered in all ten kittens.
"It didn't take long for her sweet, cuddly personality to shine through."
"She accepts my help with her babies. She loves attention and being held, so she may have had quite a bit of experience being around humans in a positive way."
For the first couple of weeks, Macy was completely devoted to her demanding patchwork litter. She catered to their every whim and didn't mind being swamped in kitten fluff.
To help alleviate the load, Wilma supplemented the kittens twice a day to ensure every baby was well fed and cared for.
It was team work as Wilma and Macy alternated mommy duties. After feeding and weighing the babies, Wilma placed them back in the nest. "Macy jumped in with them and started nursing."
"Macy is a phenomenal mom to all her babies, and is endlessly patient and attentive. There's no way to know which kittens are hers and which were from the other litter, and she treats them exactly the same."
Watch Macy and her ten kittens in this cute video:
"Although there are times when all 10 are trying to nurse at the same time, there are usually 4-5 of them who are napping. The trick is to make sure everyone is getting their share, either from her or from me."
The kittens are about 4.5 weeks old and have almost perfected their litter box skills. They are learning to eat big kitty food by modeling after Mama Macy. "A little over half of them have figured out that food is delicious, and the other half still have eyes only for the bottle."
"Macy continues to amaze me, and spends all of her time eating, nursing and catching naps away from the babies."
The kittens are now entering the teenage, rambunctious phase, where they are getting more active, inquisitive and mischievous by the day. They are showing interest in toys, and wrestling with each other has become a popular sport.
When Macy needs a break from the kittens, all ten of them come piling onto their foster mom's lap, and switch on their purr motors at the same time.
"It's becoming increasingly impossible to walk or do anything on the floor without at least half a dozen kittens trying to climb me. They are endlessly entertaining, so getting my work done is becoming more difficult every day," Wilma shared with Love Meow.
Macy adores her people and loves her life as an indoor cat. She will squeeze in every chance to be with her humans for some head scritches and cuddles.
Once she is done with mommy duties, she will be spayed and find a loving family that will cherish her forever.
Share this story with your friends. Follow updates on the big family and Wilma's fosters on Instagram @purrs_in_paradise. They will be available for adoption through Humane League of Lancaster.
Related story: Cats Who Raised 8 Kittens Together, Wait at Glass Door at Shelter Every Day