This past February, two cats were surrendered to a county shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the cats was a female named Hela. She was expecting kittens and was less than one year old.
The young female gave birth to two tiny kittens, but sadly, one did not survive. At one point, Homeward Bound Cat Adoptions caught wind of the abandoned mother and baby’s story—and rushed to place them in a loving foster home.
The kitties were placed with Ellen Richter, an experienced feline fosterer based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ellen’s fostering journey began after she adopted a cat named Kitty from a no-kill shelter in Chicago. “She was like a person wrapped in tortie fur,” Ellen wrote in an e-mail to our staff. “I felt such a strong connection to her and grew to feel more bonded with other cats and kittens.”
“That’s how I learned about differences in county shelters and no-kill rescues. I felt compelled to help in any way I could to save these fur babies. Fostering was the best option for me, as I’d be able to only volunteer randomly.”
“It’s changed my life dramatically.”
When Ellen got the mother cat and kitten, the first thing she did was change the mother’s name. The kitty had originally been named Hela, after the villain from Marvel’s Thor. But she deserved a new name for her brand-new start— and ‘Harmony’ seemed to suit her perfectly.
When Ellen got the fluffy pair, she noticed they didn’t interact like the other mothers and babies she had fostered. “I noticed the baby crying and crying, and Harmony would just ‘bear hug’ her.”
“The normal response of a mama cat, in my experience, is to guide the baby to the nipple area and lay back to expose the nipples better. Harmony was doing none of that!”
Poor Mama Harmony didn’t know how to nurse little Haven! But Ellen made sure the kitty was producing milk and did her best to latch little Haven on herself. Finally, “after many tries, it worked.”
Harmony still wasn’t too sure about the whole nursing thing, though. She just wanted to hug and cuddle Haven. Why all this boring feeding stuff?
“Harmony fought me all the way, but soon trusted me to position her. She just wanted to hug the baby.”
“I’d push her back to expose her tummy, move Haven onto the nipple and keep Harmony’s legs and arms pinned out with both of my hands. It was crazy!”
With Ellen’s dedicated help, Haven finally started to grow. And after a few weeks, Harmony started figuring out the nursing thing herself.
As Haven grew older, the kitten became Harmony’s best friend and support.
But the young mama had been traumatized as a result of her ordeal. She refused to leave her baby’s side even to eat, and at one point, Ellen had no choice but to feed her by hand.
“Harmony had just been dumped at the shelter with her brother, also 10 months old, separated, and had given birth to two babies in a 24-hour period. What a traumatic event!”
“She clung to this baby like a security blanket. She was so afraid to leave its side for food or water, and held her bowel so she didn’t have to move.”
“All of this was less than 2 feet from her in the bathroom area.”
Harmony and Haven have an incredible bond. But as the kitten gets older, she’s started to become more independent— and Mama Harmony isn’t the biggest fan.
“Haven is just like a cute China doll, always looking around but sitting still.”
“She tries to be more independent and away from Harmony, which is making Harmony sad and lonely. I notice Harmony is clinging more to me as her baby gets older.”
Harmony and Haven are both waiting to be adopted into the purrfect forever home— but first, Ellen needs to figure out if they’re a bonded pair.
She explains, “Normally, Mamas tend to be indifferent once their kittens are weaned and are off playing in the room.”
“Our next steps are to move to a bigger foster room, this alone may show Harmony being indifferent. I’ll also introduce a playmate to Haven.”
“So many variables at this point to determine if they are truly bonded and if they must be adopted together.”
There’s still some mystery as to what Harmony and Haven’s futures hold— but, what is certain, is that they are happy, healthy, and loved.
If you’d like to follow Harmony and Haven’s journey, be sure to check out Ellen Richter’s Instagram page, @foster_kitten_tails.
See an (adorable) bonus video of Haven playing below!
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