To most Americans, Canada is a frigid country filled with igloos, bears, and Justin Trudeau— and to be fair, they’re not completely wrong. As a Canadian, I can assure you that the temperatures here do get mighty frosty. In fact, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where this story takes place, it’s not rare for temperatures to fall below -30°C (-22°F).
Earlier this month, in the midst of the dreaded Canadian winter, a man came across a cardboard box that had been left in an alley. When he got closer, he was shocked to see 8 baby kittens inside.
“[I have] No idea of where or how they came to be in the alley,” Collen Kapell, a foster for SCAT Street Cat Rescue said in an e-mail to our staff.
The kittens were hypothermic and lethargic, and the man knew he needed to help. The man scooped up the box and proceeded to contact SCAT Street Cat Rescue, a facility devoted to kitten neo-natal care.
“It’s not unusual for our rescue group to receive abandoned litters of kittens,” Colleen said.
“Thankfully, it does not often happen in extreme cold, but newborns can readily become hypothermic in spring and summer.”
Oddly, the 8 kittens were not from the same litter. Half of them were 5-weeks-old while the other half were 14-days-old.
Leslie, a SCAT volunteer who is currently fostering the oldest batch, said, “The kittens look similar so it is possible they share the same father (sister wives!) or that their moms are related, or both!”
Luckily, the eight kittens weren’t too hypothermic; however, it did take the younger ones longer to come around and feed.
“The older ones were friendly and in good spirits, however, they were very skinny,” Leslie explained. “They were weighed every day to make sure they were gaining weight.”
Colleen and Leslie each fostered one batch of kittens. Colleen took the four younger babies and named them India, Isra, Ireland, and Ili.
Leslie fostered the older babies— Ingrid Berman, Isaac Newton, Indiana Jones, and Inigo Montoya.
“The littler ones are just developing their personalities,” said Colleen. “Little India who has only one eye is a survivor.”
“The two boys are incorrigible and a little cheeky. All are social and snuggly.”
“The little ones are very endearing and caring for them is quite rewarding,” she said. “Especially when they cuddle in and purr, gazing up with their trusting eyes.”
Leslie, who is currently fostering the older kittens, wrote, “They older kittens are very active and love climbing on people. When you go into their room, they rush over and cling like burrs.”
“Inigo is very sweet and seems to prefer cuddles over play time.”
“Indiana is a bit of a lovable goon. He is very rambunctious but also sweet.”
“Isaac has the loudest purr and loves to make biscuits when you pet him.”
“Ingrid is sweet and loves to be picked up. She can fall asleep almost anywhere.”
Right now, Leslie and Colleen’s main focus is getting the kittens big and strong. Still, as you can probably guess, there are plenty of interested adopters!
“We have lots of applications in already!” Leslie said.
“We do have many more kittens in foster care as kitten season is beginning, so hopefully the people that cannot have one of these kittens may open their home to one of the other kittens in need.”
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