“Mother knows best,” and that motto seems to work for both humans and their fluffy friends. Mother cats know how to protect their kittens, care for them, feed them, and provide them with everything they need because they’re wired that way.
Mother cats don’t need guidance on how to fend for their kittens because they’re equipped with knowledge from the beginning.
Whether we’re talking about a mother cat’s instincts, intuition, or experience, there’s nothing that a mother cat wouldn’t do to protect her kittens and ensure they’re safe and sound.
We can’t forget about a mother cat’s aggression (a.k.a. maternal aggression) that’s medically proven to be a consequence of a bunch of hormones that act out and cause a mother to develop a protective attitude toward her offspring.
When you attempt to touch, caress, or entertain a litter of kittens when the mother’s present, you’re guaranteed to get away with a nasty scratch (a bite, a hiss, a growl, or pretty much anything that screams “Don’t you dare touch my babies ever again!”)
With that out of the way, we’re not surprised that we’re beaming with heartwarming narratives of cats doing unfathomable and unbelievable things to protect their kittens.
One of them starts with a black-and-white tuxedo cat named Taylor and her 6 kittens arriving at a rescue center in Wichita, Kansas, and taking the volunteers and fosters at the shelter by surprise.
(Credit: @fosterkittenmama)
As a matter of fact, one of the fosters named Heidi Shoemaker decided to take Taylor and the entire litter back to her foster home and provide them with everything they need. When they arrived at the foster home, Taylor was extremely protective of her kittens.
She didn’t allow anyone to come near them or touch them, and she was the one that was allowed to feed them, groom them, and take care of them. She worked for hours on end every day, but she didn’t want anyone’s assistance.
She was tired and timid, but she was adamant to provide her kittens with affection, appreciation, and adoration. When she figured out that her kittens were safe and secure, she started to become more comfortable around Heidi.
She became more trusting around Heidi, other humans, and other cats. She also allowed them to hang out with her kittens, feed them (from time to time), and entertain them.
She allowed them to offer her cuddles and snuggles, and she started to appreciate the attention she and her kittens were getting from Heidi and other fosters.
She began to take advantage (and we mean that the best way we can) of her warm bed, her friends and family, and the amenities that came with Heidi’s affection toward Taylor and her kittens.
Taylor began to appreciate the fact that she wasn’t on her own and she allowed Heidi and other fosters to handle her babies.
When her babies became unwell with some stomach problems, she allowed Heidi to treat them, bathe them, and provide them with medication and other medical care they needed. When she noticed that her kittens warmed up to Heidi, she allowed Heidi to hold them, hug them, and sleep with them.
Taylor’s kittens were really, really small and they didn’t want to be away from her. At the same time, they seemed to appreciate Heidi’s efforts to care for them and they often rewarded her with meows and cries of affection.
(Credit: @fosterkittenmama)
Heidi confessed that the kittens were fortunate to have a mother such as Taylor. She was gentle with them, she never pushed them away or abandoned them out of frustration, and she was always happy to spend hours and hours feeding them, grooming them, and cuddling them.
Heidi added that the entire litter became known among the fosters as The Boy Band because each one of them was a boy. Of course, Heidi named them after members of popular boy bands and ended up with a litter consisting of Justin Timberlake, Donnie Wahlberg, Harry Styles, Nick Lachey, Joe Jonas, and AJ McLean. What a crowd!
We know we’ve talked your ears off about Taylor, but her boys were even more popular among the sisters than she was. All of them were beaming with energy, running around the foster home, hopping on kitchen counters, chasing after critters and crawling creatures, and causing trouble.
When they’ve gotten bigger, Taylor adored watching over them from afar and allowing them to explore the world on their own. After a few weeks at the foster home, Heidi announced that The Boy Band family (with Taylor as the momager) were ready to become adopted.
Now, Heidi never expected anyone to adopt the entire family, but she hoped that she would be able to get her hands on forever homes that were searching for two or more kittens. And, she managed to do exactly that.
Donnie and Harry were the first ones to go and they were over the moon to meet their forever family (and two human siblings). Taylor and Joe were the next to go, and they were welcomed by a couple of doggy friends.
(Credit: @fosterkittenmama)
Justin and Nick were second to last, and they were greeted by a human sibling and a kitty sibling. AJ was the last and he was welcomed by Heidi’s neighbors and their furry friends. Heidi made sure to announce the adoption day on Instagram and keep everyone posted on The Boy Band’s progress.
We’re wishing Taylor, Justin Timberlake, Donnie Wahlberg, Harry Styles, Nick Lachey, Joe Jonas, and AJ McLean the best and we’re keeping our fingers crossed they have a happy and healthy life.
