They were panting and so scared.
On a steamy Nevada afternoon, two pet carriers sat on the sidewalk outside a strip mall. A piece of torn notebook paper taped to one carrier read: “I sorry. Good kitty girl. No $. Please help.”
Three kittens and their mama cried out from inside. But it was Labor Day, and most local businesses were closed.
Luckily, a staff member at Homeward Bound Cat Adoptions noticed the carriers as she locked up for the day.
Peering inside, she saw the cats all panting from the heat.
“We immediately brought the carriers inside our adoption center,” Kimberly Wade, marketing manager for Homeward Bound Cat Adoptions, told The Dodo. “While they were panting and hot, they thankfully weren’t in an emergency situation.”
All four cats cooled down quickly, which meant the family hadn’t been out there for long. Wade said that the stress of their situation, combined with the thick Las Vegas heat, probably caused the panting.
Fortunately, wellness exams showed that the tiny babies and their mama were all in excellent condition.
“Mama cat is a bit skinny,” Wade said. “But with nursing kittens, that is to be expected. They are all sweet and loving … they clearly were with human caregivers and not on the street.”
But Mama, who was sweet and social, did not have a microchip. Staff knew the whole family would need a temporary home while the kittens, who were about 7 weeks old, weaned.
A regular foster named Ellen Richter happened to be at the shelter picking up medication for another pet when the abandoned family arrived.
“I do believe it was fate,” Richter told The Dodo. “I had been trying to get to the shelter a few times that weekend, and my schedule was too chaotic.”
She had room at home and couldn’t say no to the anxious kittens.
“The kittens were very nervous and shy,” Richter said. Instead of exploring their foster home, the babies sat in the back of their carrier, huddling together where they felt safe.
But Mama, whom Richter named Italia Ristretto, eagerly sought out attention. Not even a year old, Italia loved to play and climb. Richter worried once Italia returned to the clinic for spay surgery, the kittens would become even more reserved.
But the babies grew braver every day.
“They actually did well,” Richter reported. “As I started to sit in the room and talk to them, they climbed into my lap and sat beside me.”
A week after their arrival, Italia is now recovering from spay surgery and microchipping at Homeward Bound Cat Adoptions. She’ll be ready for her forever home later this month.
“The kittens don’t miss her, are eating on their own and doing fine,” Wade said. “[They] are just young enough that they are still figuring out who they are, but so far, they are silly, clumsy, curious, playful, intrigued and shy.”
On Instagram, Richter posts videos of the kittens climbing on her shoulder and quietly exploring. While two of them are feeling very confident these days, the tiniest kitten is still unsure of her new surroundings.
“I wrap her in a blanket and hold her, talking softly and petting her gently,” Richter said. “She’s learning that humans are OK.”
Wade remains grateful the stars aligned to save this cat family. “If we weren’t there, and if no one came to their rescue, there is no telling what kind of outcome they could have had,” she said.
Instead, these cats hit the jackpot — and their lives are just beginning.