Honey was recently surrendered to shelter in Indiana after her owners discovered she was pregnant. There was another thing about Honey that was very special – she’s deaf.
Five days after her surrender to the Humane Society of Whitley County, the beautiful deaf cat gave birth to four little kittens at her foster home. Sadly, one was stillborn, and another passed away the very next day. Honey refused to leave the side of her two surviving kittens.
“The foster was concerned that Honey wasn’t producing enough milk and the thought of bottle feeding two surviving kittens was a lot to take on,” Barb, foster carer based in Fort Wayne, told Love Meow. “So I said, of course, and I’ll try whatever it takes to keep them healthy.”
The two kittens were named Tupelo and Manuka, which are the names of types of honey – to honor their mother.
Honey attentively tried to nurse her two kittens and seemed to be very protective of them both. To help, Barb would wake up every few hours to help feed them and make sure that mama and her babies were doing okay.
“The babies have also been supplemented with some kitten milk replacer. So happy to have positive weight gains. They even feel a bit ’rounder’,” she said.
Honey hates leaving her kittens’ sides and will go hours without eating in order to stay with them. Barb has to remind her.
“I’ll provide breakfast in bed, or lunch, snack, whatever – so the mama can relax while she eats, knowing her babes are right there beside her. A stress free mama cat is going to make more milk.”
Mother cats often use small meows and chirps to communicate with their babies, but since Honey is deaf, she doesn’t make much noise at all. However, there’s one thing that she does to show her love, affection, and happiness – she purrs.
Honey has grown to trust Barb with handling her two precious babies and they are all doing splendidly.
“She does not get concerned when I handle the babies (to weigh them and check them over). Usually the babies fuss when you do that but she can’t hear them mewing so it doesn’t upset her,” Barb told Love Meow.
Although their eyes aren’t yet open, the little kittens are growing bigger and stronger every single day. Between the love of Honey and their foster mom, these two kittens are sure to beat the odds and live a long, happy life.
“Honey is so gentle with her newborns. She will scoop them up close to her face and cuddle them. It’s so endearing.”
In a few weeks, the kittens will be spayed and neutered, then put up for adoption. You can keep up with Honey and her adventures through her Instagram account @kitten_faces. We know that Tupelo and Manuka will end up in the perfect, loving home for them both.
Watch how gentle and loving Honey is with her two tiny little kittens in the precious video below. We’re so happy she’s safe and loved.
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