A woman heard her lawn mower “meowing.” As it turned out, there were many kittens in need of help.
Lori White
About two months ago, a Good Samaritan heard what sounded like kittens coming from her riding lawn mower.
Following the sound, she was astonished to find a litter of kittens under the mower. They had likely been crying for their mother for days, but she was nowhere in sight. Carefully, the finder retrieved each kitten from between the blades.
She counted a total of eight kittens. After unsuccessfully trying to locate the mom, she contacted her local rescue, ARPO, for help.
ARPO
The kittens were starving and in desperate need of round-the-clock care. “Thankfully, they were safely delivered to one of our incredible bottle feeders, who reports they immediately latched onto the bottle with hungry little mews,” ARPO shared.
Feeding eight hungry mouths was no easy feat. To ensure each kitten received the best care, another foster volunteer stepped in to help.
ARPO
Lori White welcomed five of the kittens into her care, allowing the original foster to focus on the three smaller ones. Shortly after they arrived, the resident dog, who adores kittens, watched them lovingly from just outside the playpen.
Waking up at 3:30 a.m. to feed the kittens soon became part of the daily routine. “The kittens are helping me by being good eaters, which is always a relief,” Lori shared.
Lori White
Greta, the gray tabby, had a hearty appetite and always claimed the first spot at feeding time. Her calico sister, Daffodil, wasn’t just the biggest of the bunch—she also made it clear she was in charge.
“Daffodil likes playing with our momma cat stuffie and trying to bite her ear.”
DaffodilLori White
As the kittens outgrew their nest, they moved into a spacious pen, where they learned to eat from a dish and dash around like tiny whirlwinds.
Every morning, Lori walked into a chorus of five screaming kittens. While some tried to scale the panels in hopes of speeding things up, Daffodil took a more direct route, climbing up Lori’s arm to ensure she got exactly what she wanted.
Lori White
“Daffodil is for sure the diva of the group. She knows how to eat wet food from a plate but prefers to have her bottle served on your lap and takes her sweet time eating.”
“She was the first to appoint herself as my office assistant and was the first to climb up and out of the soft playpen in my office.”
Greta, Mikey, Daffodil, Sprout, and SamLori White
“Greta prides herself on being one of the first in her group to wean from the bottle and eat from a plate. She loves to be picked up and is a great big sister to her siblings.”
Sprout (the darker tabby) clung to his bottle, reluctant to wean. He was the most frantic eater, flailing his arms furiously to grab the bottle from his foster mom.
Greta, Daffodil, and SproutLori White
“Sometimes, you just have to let them go at their own pace. For Sprout, he was apparently ready once he reached two pounds.”
Mikey, a sleek house panther with a charming white patch on his chest, has a playful personality and plenty to say. His brother, Sam, another house panther, is calm and always goes with the flow.
Mikey, Daffodil, Sprout, and SamLori White
“Daffodil is the typical calico diva, demanding attention, while Sam is very laid-back and content.”
All eight kittens are thriving in foster care with kind humans catering to their every whim. Soon, they will be zipping around, filling every corner with their playful antics and boundless joy.
Sam, Sprout, and DaffodilLori White
Share this story with your friends. More on the kittens and Lori’s fosters on Instagram@dreaming_of_foster_kittens and ARPO @arporescue.
Related story: Cat Puts His Arms Around Everyone at Animal Shelter Until He Finds a Family of His Own
