A Mama Cat Gets a Mama of Her Very Own

The small cardboard box left outside Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital had surprising contents: several kittens, a mama cat and a puppy. The lovely people at Oakhurst Vet quickly found good homes for the puppy and kittens , but the mama cat was more problematical. She was a grey tabby with big round eyes. She wasn’t elegant or showy - she was simply a tabby, with neat stripes and a compact, sturdy body that had borne her share of kittens over the years. She had an enormous purr and gave lots of love when given the chance but, like many single mothers, she seemed to know that if she was going to make it, she’d have to do it herself.
“Just give me someplace safe to sleep,” she seemed to say, “and I can take care of myself.”
After spaying (thanks Oakhurst Vet Hospital!), she went to a foster home who discovered how much love she had to give. She would snuggle with her foster family at night and they would wake up in the morning to find her sitting patiently at the foot of the bed, waiting for someone to wake up so she could start up her purr.
One of the people who adopted a cat from us in the past (Cuthbert, rescued in the North Fork fire) lost her beloved dog to health problems late last year. Our cat coordinator, thinking that maybe her cat needed a friend, asked if she’d be interested in fostering a companion cat to see how it worked out. She said yes, and Ms. Mama Cat packed up her stuff and moved right in. Her new mom, dubbed her Tasha, or Princess Tasha when she’s very good. She and the resident cat, Cuthbert, both sleep on the bed with mom, and rumor has it there was some nose touching, so detente may have been achieved.
Cuthbert is currently not making any public comments, but he has been overheard to say that Tasha is “kind of cute” though he also has complained that she hogs the food, doesn’t arrange the litter box back the right way after she uses it, and sleeps in all his favorite spots.