When Andrew heard noises coming from the garage, he and his dad, Peter, went to investigate. There, they discovered that a stray cat had just given birth to a litter of kittens!
“There are a number of street cats that frequent our neighbourhood and we’ve been friendly to them and feed them occasionally,” Andrew, who lives in a suburb in Toronto, Ontario, told iHeartCats.
One of the strays is a green-eyed kitty who they call Lil’ Grey. She frequently visits Andrew and his family, and they noticed that she’d gotten rather fluffy around the middle – but they just figured that her warm winter coat had grown in.
Recently, the family’s dog of 19 years crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and they bid him a heartfelt goodbye. But just hours later, Lil’ Grey brought them a miracle.
Andrew explained that, by chance, his dad had accidentally left the garage open that night.
“My dad does a lot of woodworking out of the garage and the night before [finding the kittens] he had forgotten to close it,” he said.
The next morning, the mysterious sound of tiny cries lead them to the garage, where they found Lil’ Grey and three newborn kittens, one boy and two girls, tucked into an old sleeping bag.
As they mourned the loss of one companion and celebrated the arrival of four others, Andrew said, “it was a really emotional experience for my family.”
Andrew, who owns a small video production business with his friend Iky, grabbed his camera and put together this short video to document their discovery:
Before a big snowstorm hit, Andrew brought the feline family (aka, “The Gritty Kitties”) into the house where they could stay warm and safe. With the help of his best friend, who’s raised two cats since birth, they’re caring for the mama and her babies until they’re old enough to find their forever homes. Andrew says that the litter’s main caretaker is Lil’ Grey.
“For the most part, Lil’ Grey’s motherly instinct is doing a great job with the kittens,” he told iHeartCats. “Next hurdle is litter training [her].”
The kitties have been in their foster home for almost a week now, and Andrew posted another video of the mama cat exploring her new litter box, as well as close-ups of the three babies:
“We plan on keeping one and finding homes for the others, but we may get attached to them all,” Andrew said of his household’s new additions. He also said that, when they’re ready, they’ll all get spayed or neutered, including Lil’ Grey.
You can keep up with The Gritty Kitties on Youtube and on Instagram @thegrittykitties.
Thanks to Andrew and his family for taking in these kitties in need and letting us share this story. Now, they have a chance to live in a warm, loving forever home!