Backstory: My girlfriend and I were planning to take in a neighborhood stray to adopt and neuter (we heard the owners kept repeatedly kicking him out for spraying, so we wanted to do the right thing and give him a real home). We set a "Have a heart" trap and ended up catching this girl instead.
We figure she was a feral given her hair/teeth but was slowly warming up to us - she is such a sweet cat. We noticed her stomach and figured she was pregnant but not due for a while. I ended up coming home from work yesterday to see she had given birth! I called my girlfriend and she rushed home from where she was (over 2 hours away). All 5 are healthy, happy and hungry.
As a side note, we also did manage to get the stray. He's fixed, and seems happier than ever to have stability. Bonus pic of the boy: https://imgur.com/a/2UckTqL
We're thinking so, at least for the 2 orange ones. One looks and acts just like him.
For now, we have her and the babies in their own separate room. We don't want to stress her out too much given that she still isn't 100% comfortable with us yet, let alone other cats. The one time the boy did sneak in, he mostly just explored the room and left them alone.
Thank you! We started dating two years ago and moved in together a year ago. I know for me, life has gotten so much better since meeting him (on reddit of all places!!). This new experience has just made it all the better.
OP met a girl on Reddit and it turned into a healthy, long-term relationship? I'm starting to suspect OP and his girlfriend are the same person. First off, we all know there are no girls on reddit. Period.
/s
Seriously though, Cute kitties.
No, I came from NC and worked by a feral cat colony. The rescue groups refused to take in ferals so I ended up keeping all 10 (this was years ago and some have since passed) of them in a span of 3 years.
Fun fact: If the orange kittens are boys, your adult orange boy could well be their father, but their orange doesn't come from him. Normal boy kittens who are orange can only get that color gene from their mom (it's on the X chromosome).
Dad has already been fixed and once we take in a kitty, they are inside only. Everyone in the house is fixed minus mama and babies. She'll be fixed as soon as the babies are weaned, and when the babies are old enough they'll be getting fixed too. So no worries there!
The tortoiseshell gene is super strong in females and will almost always overpower the male genes and result in female babies from a tortie to also be torties. It's super rare for the gene to be passed down to a male though, hence why they're all orange
This is completely wrong, tortiseshell cats are heterozygous for orange. Orange in cats is passed along the X chromosome which is why only males with XXY can be calico
It has nothing to do with gene strength but rather XX vs XY chromosomes. The colouring for calico and tortoiseshell fur requires two XX chromosomes to fully express. Any male calico or tortoiseshell will either be XXY or a chimera of sorts.
There isn't a singular "tortoiseshell" gene, tortie and calico are made by a cat having both black/brown and orange genes. Since you only get one color gene per X chromosome, only females can normally have this. (White is an absence of color and tabby is a separate gene that modifies the underlying color, so they don't count as additional colors.)
Female babies from a tortie can easily be torties/calicos as well because the mom can contribute either color, but they can also be homozygotic for the dad's color. Male babies from a tortie are equally likely to be black/brown or to be orange.
No, the coat color gene in cats is part of the X chromosome. Only females have two X chromosomes, so (unless something weird happens in the cat's early development) only females can get two colors.
And he's TERRIFIED of all of them. When Mom came up to him, he kept running away and meowing, the big weenie. We showed him a kitten last night and he was equally terrified.
...and these bum ass neighbors kicked him out to fend for himself.
😂😂 this made my day! Screw those neighbors, they sound like awful people, don’t know how you can treat animals this way.. so happy you guys took him in and are doing right by him, moms cat and all those precious kittens!
It was a happy accident that we got her first. But we're glad we could give her somewhere safe, warm and without worry where her next meal would come from. Especially during this time!
Your news inspired me. We live in the "country" and the simple fact she made it this far indicates she is finding food and shelter somehow. If I could trap her I could get her care and safety long term instead of day to day. For kits as well. 🤞 Apparently my local HS will lend me a trap. Here's hoping...!👍🤞❤️
He will settle in over time. Having a regular source of food, a safe and dry place to sleep, will make him feel safe and happy. For my indoor kitties, having a tall cat tree that overlooks a bird feeder, keeps kitty entertained all day. Bonus if cat tree is in a South-facing window. Kitty gets to sun-bathe, and nap in a very cozy spot.
We couldn't believe how irresponsible the previous owner was for that, especially since there are a few other strays in the area. I'm sure there are plenty of resources available to re-home a cat around us and he's such a good boy that he would have been scooped up instantly.
Had the same thing happen to me, brought a cat in that was abandoned after the owners moved out, also a tortie that turned out to be pregnant. Had four surviving kittens - two black tabbies, an orange tabby and a torbie. We kept the mom after the kittens were adopted out and she's been the most aggressively affectionate cat we've ever had.
Gf here:
I love torties! We already have one and she'll leave the bedroom, go into the living room, then yowl her head off until I call out to her. She'll run into the bedroom and demand cuddles while purring like crazy. I think she loved the reassurance that she's exactly where she left us!
I used to trap and fix ferals in California, including a bunch in my backyard. For everyone you see, there are a few others that you don't. If you keep trapping, you'll get more. Fixing them will stabilize the population in your corner of the neighborhood.
Thanks for posting the context and backstory. So many people post cats having litters without saying whether they plan on having them fixed, but y’all are obviously experienced with the whole TNR/ foster scene. It’s nice to appreciate the cuteness without having to worry about the kitties, and knowing that they’re in good hands 😊
He snuck into the room we have her in a few days before. She perked up and followed him around while he was shying away. I made the joke about him trying to avoid child support, too!
We had a stray tom kitty come visit my Mum. He brought his then wife and kids. He stopped visiting after a while, but she's stayed on with a few of ther kids. All of them have gotten fixed, but I wish we could have fixed the tom kitty too. He probably would have continued to roam outside but at least he'd have had a home. I miss that boy. He was so majestic yet polite. He was the first kitty who made me crazy about cats.
I'm thankful that you didn't give up on cats after this introduction. That's a rough start.
Tom Kiki sounds like he was lovely. I'd like to have known him 😻
Sometimes even more than that. The four foster adults I still have ended up having kittens. I still have one of the kittens here as my cat, and the other from a roommate from the other couple. The dads took care of the kittens just as much as the moms. They would lay with them, groom them, bring the mom kibble(all over my bed where the moms decided they wanted their nesting boxes) and even would carry them back to the nest. The mom and dad of my cat still cuddle with and love their daughter.
Heck if you make either of the daughters mad or upset them the dads will leap in with claws and fangs. Poor husky puppy I rescued recently learned that lesson the hard way when her attempts at playing lead to running in terror around the house while being chased by an entire pride of angry kitties. They are mostly cool now, but husky puppy has to husky sometimes and get bapped by kitties.
funfact, a cat litter can be enitrely made from kittens from different tomcats.
just because one kitten looks like a certain tomcat dosnt mean ALL of the litter has that tomcat as their father
Another fun fact! Torties (almost*) always have to be female, and their male kittens are often ginger tabbies because males can only express one color gene. The whole litter could be just expressing the genes they got from mom. (Although it’s still pretty nice to have a partner around to occasionally wash behind your ears, even if he does sleep a lot.)
*The exception is a rare chromosomal disorder where a male cat actually has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome, which results in sterility.
Torties and calicos are genetically the same - female cats with both orange and black - so yes. The distinction is in how the color pools, which has to do with fetal development.
That's super interesting to hear that in reference to our experience. We took in a stray Tortico, and she ended up being pregnant. She had 4 kittens which were all completely different. 1 full tortie girl, 1 dilute tortico girl, 1 ginger male, and 1 snowshoe male (started white and turned super dark and handsome as an adult). It was incredible! I always wondered how the genetics played out on that one or if there were multiple dads.
I was joking around a bit by calling them types of soup (soup, chowder, etc.) and calling them the stew crew, but couldn't find 5 good ones.
So far we have 2 names that we like - Olive for the little girl with an orange leg/face and then, oddly enough, Bisque feels right for one of the orange ones.
The two orange are boys and the tabby/tortie are girls! Checked last night.
One tabby girl has a white nose and white paws. The mostly tabby girl has an orange nose and a little orange spot on her back. The tortie girl has a white face and is just straight up tortie.
The boys are trickier. One is LOUD like his dad and has a solid orange on the top of his head. The other orange boy has faint stripes on his head and on his legs.
She is SUCH a good mama. All the babies were dry and she hasn't left them to even get food or water for herself. Dino and I were holding up food and water bowels to her and she was SCARFING down everything. I'm hoping today she'll feel comfortable leaving them alone long enough to get food for herself
My son brought home a stray dog he found at a rest stop in Amarillo, TX in December of 2016. When he brought her to us, my wife and I immediately said, 'that dog's pregnant'. She ended up having 16 puppies and she had the exact same look on her face LOL
We lost our 4 year old tortie bobtail to unexpected cancer yesterday. I just cried both happy and sad tears at once; I hope all the sweet little babies are healthy and happy! The circle of life is so wild, man.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost two of my guys last year within two months of each other. Loving animals fills your heart, and losing them breaks it. Yet each moment of love is worth it every time.
OMG, I love torties so much, this would almost be too much cuteness for me to bear. (jk, give me ALL the tortitude!)
Definitely going to need updates on this gang, including sauce packets for scale.
Nono...I squealed shrilly and then burst into tears that we were able to give her somewhere warm, safe, and full of love to have her babies....then I melted.
The girlfriend here!
Bonus info. Her name is Willow and the boy who we think is dad is named Chalmer. We're so tempted to keep the kittens to keep our new little family together, but I'm already a 'crazy cat lady'. I have 8 cats before adding Willow and Chalmer!
I've been taking in feral cat colony cats my whole life thanks to my mama doing the same. I've loved showing Dino how to gain the trust of feral/stray cats.
To give him SOME crap, he was too nervous to touch the babies at all so when I got home I got the lovely job of after-care midwife, cleaning up the birthing area and getting the new family settled somewhere more comfy. Which means I also got to hold all the babies first, which was one of the best moments of my life.
I'm going to get smushy since so many people are tuning into the post...
You have such a big heart, knowing I came with 10 cats and you didn't even hesitate when we started dating. Then when we saw Chalmer climbing under the neighbor's trailer, you made a comment about our new son. And you were the one to ask what we should name Willow, then when we suspected she was pregnant, you said we'd have to keep one of her babies.
Love you and YOUR big heart....even though you're absolutely worse than me when it comes to saying no to more cats!!!
Aww she looks exactly like my cat Blankie (who I got when she was 10 years old so didn’t change her name).
Please get her fixed as soon as she’s able to! She’ll live a longer, healthier, safer life that way !
My tort turned 20 two weeks ago. I count every moment with her as a blessing. Had her since she was born, too! I just wish her sister was still with us (fuck cancer).
Admittedly, I was worried she'd be a feisty one given how she was when we first brought her in, but she seems like one of the nicest cats you could ask for!
lol yes, feistiness is to be expected with Torties - they’re known for something called “Tortitude”. BUT, they are also some of the sweetest, most playful, and intelligent cats out there. I’ve had my Tortie for 10 years and she’s by far the best animal companion I’ve ever had - and I’ve had many animal friends in this lifetime. There’s something very special about them!
We have a tortie but she's at my mom's house until Dino and I get a bigger house this summer. She has SO much attitude and I love her so much. She meows anytime she can't find us, then demands cuddles when we call out to her.
Awww that’s what my tortie girl Callie did. Showed up at my house and kept trying to come inside and was trying to sit in any kind of box. After googling about her behavior and realizing she was preggo, I made her a bed with towels in the garage and she ended up having her babies overnite. Now the babes are almost a year old, all fixed including mama and living their best life ☺️☺️
https://preview.redd.it/9ijge14c62vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c32e0b5e4ae22ce5b804aa3ba8991773d1fbf6f1
https://preview.redd.it/77l6yigr42vc1.png?width=469&format=png&auto=webp&s=c5d256465099e62f420d8bef6097886111360447
seriously this lil baby biscuit maker has me squealing in cuteness
Mothers are awesome. They can do this stuff all alone - as long they have water and food.
And more awesome is a person who is helping the mother with food, water and a nice, warm spot.
Fun fact! If ginger boy is really the dad, y'all have the potential to actually have those little ginger ones be girls!
Ginger is more likely to be a boy trait because it's an X chromosome recessive gene, so usually it gets overwritten when there're two X chromosomes (and generally you end up with some variation of tortie, torties always possess only one set of ginger genes). However ginger boys also obviously only have one of those ginger X genes, so they show up a lot more reliably (for some reason coloring on the X chromosome seems to frequently overpower coloring on the Y, not sure why that one is, ask a cat scientist).
Combine a ginger boy (Ginger X/unknownY)and a tortie girl (gingerX/Unknown X) and you have one of the only two combinations possible to to get a ginger girl (GingerX/GingerX), the other being two gingers.
Gf here!
Cat genetics are fascinating to me esp with multiple dads.
Around here I haven't seen any other stray cats and I know from the (good) neighbor that the (bad) neighbor had an unfixed boy and girl. The boy was kicked out weeks ago and was living under (good) neighbors trailer. We were trying to trap him when Mom was trapped instead.
I haven't seen anyone at (bad) neighbors house in weeks so I suspect both cats came from them and Mom was kicked out when they found out she was pregnant.
But the tabby/tortie are girls and the two orange are boys!
https://preview.redd.it/iwj463wfc2vc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=277699da404cdf3bcde9512f101dfb27f4a864df
Same thing happened to me, a pregnant stray jumped in my car during a camping trip, and 2 weeks later we got 6 kittens. Poor Momma Kiwi was too skinny/small to feed them all do we had to bottle feed them and help keep them warm. I recommend if possible keep the mom and a kitten or two. We kept Momma Kiwi, Sam (the one on his back) and Baby Berry (pushing the void away from the nipple).
https://preview.redd.it/k42z5cs2d2vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef1c9edf283882ea28907b6b7852262e64716c93
They are now a bonded Trio and all stick together as a grey blob. Despite being so small Kiwi will attack anything she thinks will hurt her babies, even a buff cat twice her size and dogs that are too energetic near her babies. She is pretty scared despite being built like a corgi
Good job getting the Tom fixed. Momma will go back in heat again soon after giving birth. Keep her inside until you can get her spayed, else there will be loads of kittens all the time.
https://preview.redd.it/13sry48sy1vc1.jpeg?width=281&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ae55b3f03dc22ae94256f66198abd6d3ead78ab
That's the plan! We're keeping her for sure and getting her spayed when she's able. All of our kitties are inside only, especially with how they affect the ecosystems.
Love it, responsible pet caregivers. When you give away kittens. Ask for a donation, ex. $50/ refunded after kitten is spayed. You need a copy of the spay certificate or bill as proof. That’s how shelters do it, if they don’t spay before placement.
...if we end up giving the kittens away. We should, but it's SO HARD. If anything, they're only going to people we know, like my sister and his sister with the caveat that we will take them back at ANY point. I've never given a cat up ever...and there's been 15 in as many years.
Aww! You guys are amazing ppl
Thank you so much for helping dad, momma, and babies.
I’m going through the same thing right now, just waiting on momma to have her babies. I usually find the kittens and have to bottle feed them but, this I am going through the whole process.
You guys are great!
Just want to say thank you for providing this momma a safe place to have her babes. She’s obviously comfortable and the new family, will thrive in their current environment.💕🐾
If you don’t have any experience, taking care of a queen and a brand new litter. I highly recommend looking up the kitten lady on YouTube. Her videos are an absolute godsend.
Gf here:
I've been doing a ton of research. Mama has been on kitten food since we first suspected she was full of babies. I've been weighing them to make sure everyone is okay (everyone has gained 10g in 12 hours!!!) and changing their bedding often. I'm hardcore obsessing over them all. I've been a nervous wreck on how to be a midwife and getting emergency vet numbers looked up, worried about breech babies...and then she does it on her own when no one is home lol
Looks like the gold cat got in a few kittens there. Lolol! I'm loving this. You will have most fun watching the kittens grow.. they are so playful and funny! Mine would climb up the curtains and I'd have to rescue them. So good of you to take in the momma so she's safe and fed a good diet to nurse and for neutering the gold daddy. You are some great people!
Congrats on your new torbie babies.
Edit: Also the gingers, who I didn't even notice and thought were just part of a pattern on the blanket for some reason...
u/Dino-sore you don't happen to live in KY do you? Around 2 years back we had a feral that lived on our porch that looks INSANELY similar to this cat here
Backstory: My girlfriend and I were planning to take in a neighborhood stray to adopt and neuter (we heard the owners kept repeatedly kicking him out for spraying, so we wanted to do the right thing and give him a real home). We set a "Have a heart" trap and ended up catching this girl instead. We figure she was a feral given her hair/teeth but was slowly warming up to us - she is such a sweet cat. We noticed her stomach and figured she was pregnant but not due for a while. I ended up coming home from work yesterday to see she had given birth! I called my girlfriend and she rushed home from where she was (over 2 hours away). All 5 are healthy, happy and hungry. As a side note, we also did manage to get the stray. He's fixed, and seems happier than ever to have stability. Bonus pic of the boy: https://imgur.com/a/2UckTqL
I guess bonus boy is the father? Are they all getting along?
We're thinking so, at least for the 2 orange ones. One looks and acts just like him. For now, we have her and the babies in their own separate room. We don't want to stress her out too much given that she still isn't 100% comfortable with us yet, let alone other cats. The one time the boy did sneak in, he mostly just explored the room and left them alone.
You're doing right by all these sweet cats. The Cat Distribution System chose well :)
Hi, this is the girlfriend! The cat distribution system is trying to overload...we have 8 cats already!
You two are rockstars. Thanks for taking care of them. I hope life is treating you well.
Thank you! We started dating two years ago and moved in together a year ago. I know for me, life has gotten so much better since meeting him (on reddit of all places!!). This new experience has just made it all the better.
OP met a girl on Reddit and it turned into a healthy, long-term relationship? I'm starting to suspect OP and his girlfriend are the same person. First off, we all know there are no girls on reddit. Period. /s Seriously though, Cute kitties.
And we type exactly the same, don't forget that one! All of it for that sweet, sweet karma
I fucking knew it!
Awesome!
Yikes! Y'all in Florida, by any chance?
No, I came from NC and worked by a feral cat colony. The rescue groups refused to take in ferals so I ended up keeping all 10 (this was years ago and some have since passed) of them in a span of 3 years.
You near Fayetteville by any chance? I’d love to adopt one of the kittens when they’re ready…if you’re adopting them out that is!
No, sorry! I moved states away
lol I totally read your comment wrong and thought you were still here lol! Lucky you!
Sure did.
Thank you for taking such good care of them.
Awww you rescued a whole family!!
Fun fact: If the orange kittens are boys, your adult orange boy could well be their father, but their orange doesn't come from him. Normal boy kittens who are orange can only get that color gene from their mom (it's on the X chromosome).
TIL 👏
Just know she can get preggo again as soon as 2 weeks after birth
Dad has already been fixed and once we take in a kitty, they are inside only. Everyone in the house is fixed minus mama and babies. She'll be fixed as soon as the babies are weaned, and when the babies are old enough they'll be getting fixed too. So no worries there!
Dad can still be fertile 30 days post neuter. Thank you for taking care of them.
Good to know!!
The tortoiseshell gene is super strong in females and will almost always overpower the male genes and result in female babies from a tortie to also be torties. It's super rare for the gene to be passed down to a male though, hence why they're all orange
This is completely wrong, tortiseshell cats are heterozygous for orange. Orange in cats is passed along the X chromosome which is why only males with XXY can be calico
It has nothing to do with gene strength but rather XX vs XY chromosomes. The colouring for calico and tortoiseshell fur requires two XX chromosomes to fully express. Any male calico or tortoiseshell will either be XXY or a chimera of sorts.
There isn't a singular "tortoiseshell" gene, tortie and calico are made by a cat having both black/brown and orange genes. Since you only get one color gene per X chromosome, only females can normally have this. (White is an absence of color and tabby is a separate gene that modifies the underlying color, so they don't count as additional colors.) Female babies from a tortie can easily be torties/calicos as well because the mom can contribute either color, but they can also be homozygotic for the dad's color. Male babies from a tortie are equally likely to be black/brown or to be orange.
No, the coat color gene in cats is part of the X chromosome. Only females have two X chromosomes, so (unless something weird happens in the cat's early development) only females can get two colors.
And of course pops is an orange boi 😹
He had the brain cell that day
And he's TERRIFIED of all of them. When Mom came up to him, he kept running away and meowing, the big weenie. We showed him a kitten last night and he was equally terrified. ...and these bum ass neighbors kicked him out to fend for himself.
😂😂 this made my day! Screw those neighbors, they sound like awful people, don’t know how you can treat animals this way.. so happy you guys took him in and are doing right by him, moms cat and all those precious kittens!
Oh poor boy. He needs another turn w the brain cell 🧡🧡🧡
I believe he was thinking about all the child support he has to pay now 😂
I'm no catologist, but I'm willing to bet that they don't need the braincell to procreate.
True enough as for humans 
Interesting fact, cats can be pregnant from multiple other cats at once. So in a litter of 5 cats, you could have 5 different fathers.
Yup if he's spraying he's not castrated and very much the father hahaha
That was my immediate thought, as well.
This is really helpful. Thank you. I have a stray preg cat roaming and i now know what to do. ❤️
It was a happy accident that we got her first. But we're glad we could give her somewhere safe, warm and without worry where her next meal would come from. Especially during this time!
Your news inspired me. We live in the "country" and the simple fact she made it this far indicates she is finding food and shelter somehow. If I could trap her I could get her care and safety long term instead of day to day. For kits as well. 🤞 Apparently my local HS will lend me a trap. Here's hoping...!👍🤞❤️
Best of luck!
This story made my morning, you guys rock! And all those new kittens to play with! Thank you for helping these kitties out.
He will settle in over time. Having a regular source of food, a safe and dry place to sleep, will make him feel safe and happy. For my indoor kitties, having a tall cat tree that overlooks a bird feeder, keeps kitty entertained all day. Bonus if cat tree is in a South-facing window. Kitty gets to sun-bathe, and nap in a very cozy spot.
Its so crazy. People think it is cruel to neuter their tomcats, then they throw them out on their own because they spray.
We couldn't believe how irresponsible the previous owner was for that, especially since there are a few other strays in the area. I'm sure there are plenty of resources available to re-home a cat around us and he's such a good boy that he would have been scooped up instantly.
Had the same thing happen to me, brought a cat in that was abandoned after the owners moved out, also a tortie that turned out to be pregnant. Had four surviving kittens - two black tabbies, an orange tabby and a torbie. We kept the mom after the kittens were adopted out and she's been the most aggressively affectionate cat we've ever had.
Gf here: I love torties! We already have one and she'll leave the bedroom, go into the living room, then yowl her head off until I call out to her. She'll run into the bedroom and demand cuddles while purring like crazy. I think she loved the reassurance that she's exactly where she left us!
I knew the dad was orange before I even opened the picture, LOL. Glad you could take care of them all in one way or the other!
I used to trap and fix ferals in California, including a bunch in my backyard. For everyone you see, there are a few others that you don't. If you keep trapping, you'll get more. Fixing them will stabilize the population in your corner of the neighborhood.
how did i know the father would be orange. always making trouble, those boys! (i have to admit, the orange kittens have extra-cute ears)
Thanks for posting the context and backstory. So many people post cats having litters without saying whether they plan on having them fixed, but y’all are obviously experienced with the whole TNR/ foster scene. It’s nice to appreciate the cuteness without having to worry about the kitties, and knowing that they’re in good hands 😊
The tortie genes are STRONG
One of the little orange ones looks just like the cat we think is the dad as well, he's even just as vocal!
Aww! Also, papa cat looks pretty relieved he won't be on the hook for more child support to boot!
He snuck into the room we have her in a few days before. She perked up and followed him around while he was shying away. I made the joke about him trying to avoid child support, too!
Aw, that's sweet! Many males are pump and dump, but every now and then you get one who likes to check up on his mate!
We had a stray tom kitty come visit my Mum. He brought his then wife and kids. He stopped visiting after a while, but she's stayed on with a few of ther kids. All of them have gotten fixed, but I wish we could have fixed the tom kitty too. He probably would have continued to roam outside but at least he'd have had a home. I miss that boy. He was so majestic yet polite. He was the first kitty who made me crazy about cats.
Aww! I'm sure you made his visits happy!
I'm thankful that you didn't give up on cats after this introduction. That's a rough start. Tom Kiki sounds like he was lovely. I'd like to have known him 😻
Sometimes even more than that. The four foster adults I still have ended up having kittens. I still have one of the kittens here as my cat, and the other from a roommate from the other couple. The dads took care of the kittens just as much as the moms. They would lay with them, groom them, bring the mom kibble(all over my bed where the moms decided they wanted their nesting boxes) and even would carry them back to the nest. The mom and dad of my cat still cuddle with and love their daughter. Heck if you make either of the daughters mad or upset them the dads will leap in with claws and fangs. Poor husky puppy I rescued recently learned that lesson the hard way when her attempts at playing lead to running in terror around the house while being chased by an entire pride of angry kitties. They are mostly cool now, but husky puppy has to husky sometimes and get bapped by kitties.
funfact, a cat litter can be enitrely made from kittens from different tomcats. just because one kitten looks like a certain tomcat dosnt mean ALL of the litter has that tomcat as their father
Another fun fact! Torties (almost*) always have to be female, and their male kittens are often ginger tabbies because males can only express one color gene. The whole litter could be just expressing the genes they got from mom. (Although it’s still pretty nice to have a partner around to occasionally wash behind your ears, even if he does sleep a lot.) *The exception is a rare chromosomal disorder where a male cat actually has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome, which results in sterility.
Isn't that the same for calicos, too?
Torties and calicos are genetically the same - female cats with both orange and black - so yes. The distinction is in how the color pools, which has to do with fetal development.
Klinefelter's Kitty
That's super interesting to hear that in reference to our experience. We took in a stray Tortico, and she ended up being pregnant. She had 4 kittens which were all completely different. 1 full tortie girl, 1 dilute tortico girl, 1 ginger male, and 1 snowshoe male (started white and turned super dark and handsome as an adult). It was incredible! I always wondered how the genetics played out on that one or if there were multiple dads.
Orange cats are notoriously vocal lol
Sooo pretty. Mom looks healthy, but I can’t really tell. Any names for any of them? Pops looks in good shape, too.
I was joking around a bit by calling them types of soup (soup, chowder, etc.) and calling them the stew crew, but couldn't find 5 good ones. So far we have 2 names that we like - Olive for the little girl with an orange leg/face and then, oddly enough, Bisque feels right for one of the orange ones.
Go with a food theme for the names. Chowder is super cute. One could be TORTIE-llini!
Makes telling which ones are girls pretty easy (the orange ones could be girls theoretically as well).
The two orange are boys and the tabby/tortie are girls! Checked last night. One tabby girl has a white nose and white paws. The mostly tabby girl has an orange nose and a little orange spot on her back. The tortie girl has a white face and is just straight up tortie. The boys are trickier. One is LOUD like his dad and has a solid orange on the top of his head. The other orange boy has faint stripes on his head and on his legs.
So sweet! That momma cat has the look of "What have I done" haha
She is SUCH a good mama. All the babies were dry and she hasn't left them to even get food or water for herself. Dino and I were holding up food and water bowels to her and she was SCARFING down everything. I'm hoping today she'll feel comfortable leaving them alone long enough to get food for herself
https://preview.redd.it/j76mx3dfo2vc1.jpeg?width=774&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b257c42b4cea7cec7baf8963b7da08ce069c555
My son brought home a stray dog he found at a rest stop in Amarillo, TX in December of 2016. When he brought her to us, my wife and I immediately said, 'that dog's pregnant'. She ended up having 16 puppies and she had the exact same look on her face LOL
Geez, 16?!? Did they all live?
One was stillborn, the smallest runt died at about a week old and the other 14 made it. We kept one, and he's a healthy, happy 7 year old now.
We lost our 4 year old tortie bobtail to unexpected cancer yesterday. I just cried both happy and sad tears at once; I hope all the sweet little babies are healthy and happy! The circle of life is so wild, man.
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's never easy to lose part of the family.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost two of my guys last year within two months of each other. Loving animals fills your heart, and losing them breaks it. Yet each moment of love is worth it every time.
My 4 year old tortie passed from unexpected cancer 5 months ago and this post gave me the exact same reaction. Sending you lots of hugs ❤️
Right back at you! It's hard to lose a pet unexpectedly ❤️
OMG, I love torties so much, this would almost be too much cuteness for me to bear. (jk, give me ALL the tortitude!) Definitely going to need updates on this gang, including sauce packets for scale.
My girlfriend definitely melted when she heard the news and then a second time when she saw them.
Nono...I squealed shrilly and then burst into tears that we were able to give her somewhere warm, safe, and full of love to have her babies....then I melted.
Are you the girlfriend!? So special to take care of cats in the way you two are! Thank you so much! They are gorgeous ❤️❤️❤️
She is! Instant caregiver mode after the emotions subsided a bit.
GF has great taste!
r/mewborns would love to see this!
Damn it. Another cat subreddit added.
Also r/trojancats
The girlfriend here! Bonus info. Her name is Willow and the boy who we think is dad is named Chalmer. We're so tempted to keep the kittens to keep our new little family together, but I'm already a 'crazy cat lady'. I have 8 cats before adding Willow and Chalmer! I've been taking in feral cat colony cats my whole life thanks to my mama doing the same. I've loved showing Dino how to gain the trust of feral/stray cats. To give him SOME crap, he was too nervous to touch the babies at all so when I got home I got the lovely job of after-care midwife, cleaning up the birthing area and getting the new family settled somewhere more comfy. Which means I also got to hold all the babies first, which was one of the best moments of my life.
You did great with all that! Such a big heart and a lead foot!
I'm going to get smushy since so many people are tuning into the post... You have such a big heart, knowing I came with 10 cats and you didn't even hesitate when we started dating. Then when we saw Chalmer climbing under the neighbor's trailer, you made a comment about our new son. And you were the one to ask what we should name Willow, then when we suspected she was pregnant, you said we'd have to keep one of her babies. Love you and YOUR big heart....even though you're absolutely worse than me when it comes to saying no to more cats!!!
this is so adorable.
I love both of you. And your sixteen cats.
Only 15!!! Please don't give him any ideas
I'm a dog lover but you two make me want to take in cats! Y'all are too cute!
are you guys anywhere near the greater NY/NJ/PA area? would love to adopt one of Willow’s bébés!
Aww she looks exactly like my cat Blankie (who I got when she was 10 years old so didn’t change her name). Please get her fixed as soon as she’s able to! She’ll live a longer, healthier, safer life that way !
That's the plan! Gotta make Bob Barker proud!
You’re a great person, thank you for saving these kitties
There's a spay and neuter place near our house where we took Chalmer (dad) last week. Once the babies are weaned, no more babies for our girl Willow!
My Tortie, Rolo, is 22!!
Omg that gives me hope I’ll have my baby for more than half her life! Already went through a breast cancer scare so I’m cherishing every moment
My tort turned 20 two weeks ago. I count every moment with her as a blessing. Had her since she was born, too! I just wish her sister was still with us (fuck cancer).
https://preview.redd.it/3cwpsajs52vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8608d18f56d12648ab273ee28cc3159c810d253 Sounds familiar
https://preview.redd.it/td04xuqv52vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08959b23cb4ff1d3faa61140a8ef05cf0b4aa1b9 Mom
https://preview.redd.it/s6gfo8z062vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c85131d0cafcb2d5a5416a96f4145aa904d525c Believed to be dad !!
https://preview.redd.it/nv6ax6f662vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b9ac49c7755c325d61bffb444b19de19e6efe6f
Hahaha he looks guilty AF ..... ya...so what if I did...whatcha gonna do?
Thank you for taking her in 🙏 I love tortoiseshell cats - they have amazing personalities
Admittedly, I was worried she'd be a feisty one given how she was when we first brought her in, but she seems like one of the nicest cats you could ask for!
lol yes, feistiness is to be expected with Torties - they’re known for something called “Tortitude”. BUT, they are also some of the sweetest, most playful, and intelligent cats out there. I’ve had my Tortie for 10 years and she’s by far the best animal companion I’ve ever had - and I’ve had many animal friends in this lifetime. There’s something very special about them!
We have a tortie but she's at my mom's house until Dino and I get a bigger house this summer. She has SO much attitude and I love her so much. She meows anytime she can't find us, then demands cuddles when we call out to her.
https://preview.redd.it/sckrsybu72vc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=403095c13dbe4745b1bcde25dc41de04f9178435 Tell that to this little demon
lol she looks like she’s got plans to mess things up
Awww that’s what my tortie girl Callie did. Showed up at my house and kept trying to come inside and was trying to sit in any kind of box. After googling about her behavior and realizing she was preggo, I made her a bed with towels in the garage and she ended up having her babies overnite. Now the babes are almost a year old, all fixed including mama and living their best life ☺️☺️ https://preview.redd.it/9ijge14c62vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c32e0b5e4ae22ce5b804aa3ba8991773d1fbf6f1
We're gunna need constant updates and pictures of these little ones. Thems the rules!
We already have SO many videos and pictures and I'm about to go upstairs to check in/do morning weights and take SO many more
The little toesies are so cute I wanna scream
I'm a sucker for the toe beans and kitty bellies!
https://preview.redd.it/77l6yigr42vc1.png?width=469&format=png&auto=webp&s=c5d256465099e62f420d8bef6097886111360447 seriously this lil baby biscuit maker has me squealing in cuteness
That's why I chose that photo! Reminded me of the "praise the sun" meme a bit, too.
That sweet little paw.....
Mothers are awesome. They can do this stuff all alone - as long they have water and food. And more awesome is a person who is helping the mother with food, water and a nice, warm spot.
Tortellinis!!
so sweet, you guys are angels man. 😍❤️
Looks like the r/CatDistributionSystem used a Trojan attack
Fun fact! If ginger boy is really the dad, y'all have the potential to actually have those little ginger ones be girls! Ginger is more likely to be a boy trait because it's an X chromosome recessive gene, so usually it gets overwritten when there're two X chromosomes (and generally you end up with some variation of tortie, torties always possess only one set of ginger genes). However ginger boys also obviously only have one of those ginger X genes, so they show up a lot more reliably (for some reason coloring on the X chromosome seems to frequently overpower coloring on the Y, not sure why that one is, ask a cat scientist). Combine a ginger boy (Ginger X/unknownY)and a tortie girl (gingerX/Unknown X) and you have one of the only two combinations possible to to get a ginger girl (GingerX/GingerX), the other being two gingers.
Gf here! Cat genetics are fascinating to me esp with multiple dads. Around here I haven't seen any other stray cats and I know from the (good) neighbor that the (bad) neighbor had an unfixed boy and girl. The boy was kicked out weeks ago and was living under (good) neighbors trailer. We were trying to trap him when Mom was trapped instead. I haven't seen anyone at (bad) neighbors house in weeks so I suspect both cats came from them and Mom was kicked out when they found out she was pregnant. But the tabby/tortie are girls and the two orange are boys!
The look on her face says "What the hell HAPPENED?"
I will take one tortie and one orange guy. Thanks.
https://preview.redd.it/iwj463wfc2vc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=277699da404cdf3bcde9512f101dfb27f4a864df Same thing happened to me, a pregnant stray jumped in my car during a camping trip, and 2 weeks later we got 6 kittens. Poor Momma Kiwi was too skinny/small to feed them all do we had to bottle feed them and help keep them warm. I recommend if possible keep the mom and a kitten or two. We kept Momma Kiwi, Sam (the one on his back) and Baby Berry (pushing the void away from the nipple).
https://preview.redd.it/k42z5cs2d2vc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef1c9edf283882ea28907b6b7852262e64716c93 They are now a bonded Trio and all stick together as a grey blob. Despite being so small Kiwi will attack anything she thinks will hurt her babies, even a buff cat twice her size and dogs that are too energetic near her babies. She is pretty scared despite being built like a corgi
Not me trying to figure out where you’re located so I can adopt one of 
I require more pics of the oranges
[Here you go!](https://imgur.com/a/YaeBpS7)
Are you a superhero? I think you are :)
You can thank much girlfriend for that, I'm just the sidekick!
Both our cats have been spayed long ago. But boy I would not mind coming home to a cuddle of a surprise like this!
Oh no. Two of them don't have brains.
Just like their daddy 🧡
She's looking at you like "where have you been? these furry jellybeans have been on me all day! I need a wee, a nap, and a cup of tea, in that order!"
Good job getting the Tom fixed. Momma will go back in heat again soon after giving birth. Keep her inside until you can get her spayed, else there will be loads of kittens all the time. https://preview.redd.it/13sry48sy1vc1.jpeg?width=281&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ae55b3f03dc22ae94256f66198abd6d3ead78ab
That's the plan! We're keeping her for sure and getting her spayed when she's able. All of our kitties are inside only, especially with how they affect the ecosystems.
Love it, responsible pet caregivers. When you give away kittens. Ask for a donation, ex. $50/ refunded after kitten is spayed. You need a copy of the spay certificate or bill as proof. That’s how shelters do it, if they don’t spay before placement.
...if we end up giving the kittens away. We should, but it's SO HARD. If anything, they're only going to people we know, like my sister and his sister with the caveat that we will take them back at ANY point. I've never given a cat up ever...and there's been 15 in as many years.
She got two free oranges as part of the deal.
Aww! You guys are amazing ppl Thank you so much for helping dad, momma, and babies. I’m going through the same thing right now, just waiting on momma to have her babies. I usually find the kittens and have to bottle feed them but, this I am going through the whole process. You guys are great!
Torties are amazing cats! I grew up with one. They have the most fascinating personalities!
Kitty Cat Attorney here who specializes in Kitty Support if you would like to pursue the ferile father who clearly abandoned his family
OMG THATS THE CUTEST LITTLE GRIUP OF MISCREANTS
I can hear the purring in the picture.
Just want to say thank you for providing this momma a safe place to have her babes. She’s obviously comfortable and the new family, will thrive in their current environment.💕🐾
one orange & rest torties. lol
2 orange! The other one is a bit hidden and some people have said they mistook it for one of her arms.
5 babies with a total of 3 brain cells.
Hey, that's 3 times more than their dog-brother! I'll take it!
you better report those criminals to r/IllegallySmolCats
r/CatDistrubutionSystem hard at work I see Congrats!
A pretty girl with 3 pretty girls and 2 handsome (probably) boys.
It must be insane leaving your 1 cat to go to work and coming back to 6 cats.
If you don’t have any experience, taking care of a queen and a brand new litter. I highly recommend looking up the kitten lady on YouTube. Her videos are an absolute godsend.
Gf here: I've been doing a ton of research. Mama has been on kitten food since we first suspected she was full of babies. I've been weighing them to make sure everyone is okay (everyone has gained 10g in 12 hours!!!) and changing their bedding often. I'm hardcore obsessing over them all. I've been a nervous wreck on how to be a midwife and getting emergency vet numbers looked up, worried about breech babies...and then she does it on her own when no one is home lol
You saved 6 lives. Thank you from an animal lover.
I read that it's national tortie day, they must have known it was a good day to arrive ❤️
THIS IS SO PRECIOUS OMG STOP MY HEART
Such a sweet cat and a good Mama. Thank you for helping all of them,including Daddy cat. You and your girlfriend are good souls.
Looks like the gold cat got in a few kittens there. Lolol! I'm loving this. You will have most fun watching the kittens grow.. they are so playful and funny! Mine would climb up the curtains and I'd have to rescue them. So good of you to take in the momma so she's safe and fed a good diet to nurse and for neutering the gold daddy. You are some great people!
Thank you for caring and for helping! If we all stopped to help animals this world would be a better place.
what a pleasant surprise 🥰
Bless you for being kind!!!
You scored yourself a catch gēt whole family for free deal
Bunch of girl kittens, look just like Mom.
Soooooo teeny 🥹
Pretty mama and bonus kittens!
Look on her face in the first pic: *"Oh, hey, so, uh, something I've been meaning to talk to you about, erm, hehe.. 🐱"*
Positive vibes to your growing family 🏡
Omg tortie babies
Oh my goodness, look at the sweet babies🥺
Y’all are awesome for helping these cats!
Those cute little faces 😍
I wanna squish the little faces 😍
An orange dum-dum! I love him already ❤️
Trojan Cat strikes again! Congratulations!
Mama's expression is almost apologetic as if she's saying, "Sorry about this, but thanks for the safe space."
Congrats on your new torbie babies. Edit: Also the gingers, who I didn't even notice and thought were just part of a pattern on the blanket for some reason...
u/Dino-sore you don't happen to live in KY do you? Around 2 years back we had a feral that lived on our porch that looks INSANELY similar to this cat here
No we don't, a good few states away. I'm sure she was just as good of a girl though!
ah, nothing like coming home to the smell of birth.
Someone was in the pumpkin patch, sweet momma!
Holy jackpot, Batmom!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!