Six tiny kittens were brought in to a shelter clinic in Philadelphia, desperately needing round-the-clock care. Their cat mother stopped feeding and caring for them when they were around 10 days old.
A volunteer took them on and bottle-fed them until they were three weeks of age. They were then transferred to Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA in VA) to continue their foster journey.
The mama cat was too sick to feed or tend to her babies. She was treated and spayed, and was finally on the mend.
Penny Richards, an experienced foster carer of AWLA, provided a comfortable nursery for the six. The kittens were all sucklers, nursing on each other, which could cause damaged tissue.
After a week and a half of getting them on a good feeding schedule with individual pens, soft blankets, and faux mama plushies, they curbed the habit.
The kittens were excellent with their bottle. Then one day, Maiori, the mostly-white calico, decided that she was ready to have big kitty food, and she never looked back.
Her sister Atrani (calico) soon joined her, while the rest of the littermates continued bottle-feeding and transitioned to solid food at their own pace.
Once the kittens started running around and playing more, they were upgraded into a spacious playpen. As soon as they saw their foster mom in the room, all six of them would swarm onto her lap and purr in unison.
The feline siblings enjoy napping in a cuddle-puddle, wrapping their legs around each other.
The six have turned into unbridled balls of energy, romping around the house, getting into all sorts of mischief.
“They are constantly chasing each other around the house and wrestling together,” Penny shared with Love Meow. “When they are tired, you can usually find all six of them cuddled up together on my lap.”
The kittens adore their humans, but what they love even more is each other.
“They are always playing together, either in pairs or as one big group, and always snuggled up together.”
“Limoncello (tuxedo) and Maiori both love to play soccer with their toy balls. Atrani and Amaretto (cow kitty) have big personalities and are always the first to greet me and yell for their food,” Penny added.
“Lambrusco (cream) is a mama’s boy. He can usually be found on my lap or next to me on the couch.”
Amalfi (calico with a tabby pattern) loves to tackle and pounce on her siblings’ tails.
“She is a quiet girl who could easily slip under the radar. She enjoys being cuddled and pet, rewarding you with purrs. She is a playful one who relishes in the company of her littermates.”
Atrani (calico with a white streak on her head) will come running when she hears her name. “She is always climbing on to me and meowing for a cuddle.”
“She’ll stand and reach up for me to hold her against me, then she’ll stretch her little paws up to hold my face as I pet her. She’s got a loud purr and it never seems to end.”
The kittens take every chance to vie for attention and love. They like to hang out on a warm lap until they fall asleep to the soothing voice of their people.
They make sure that no one is alone, and that everyone has someone to cuddle.
“The love these kittens have for each other is immeasurable. The comfort they find in a friend is incomparable. They will have a snuggle buddy for life.”
