NEW ZEALAND – A Taranaki woman went to check on her pet duck only to discover five teeny-tiny kittens bundled underneath the fowl, alongside its eggs.
The kittens’ mother was absolutely nowhere to be found but a trap had been set in the hopes of finding it, SPCA spokeswoman Jackie Poles Smith explained.
The kittens were provided all the warmth they needed, even if it was just for a night, ; thanks to a motherly duck!
After the kittens were handed over, Poles Smith said the North Taranaki SPCA followed the protocol of pairing a mother cat with the newborns by introducing the babies to Pepper.
Pepper, who is a calico cat, had come into the shelter in mid-November as a pregnant stray. Just one week later, she gave birth to one, little, grey kitten.
“It’s unusual to have just one kitten,” Poles Smith stated.
Poles Smith explained that Pepper immediately took to the new kittens like they were her own. The stray calico cat began to nuzzle, groom and feed the five babies, welcoming all of them to the warmth of her bed, she said.
“She’s been so good. We were really happy she took right to them. “It’s really variable for cats to take kittens.”
A foster family will soon pick up Pepper and the five kittens and care for them for about two months.
“When the kittens are eight weeks old, then Pepper will be looking for a home.”
Photo credits: SIMON O’CONNOR/Fairfax NZ via www.iizcat.com
