When a volunteer from Be Their Voice Animal Rescue (BTV) went to pick up a cat, another friendly stray came around the corner and walked right up to her.
“She could tell that the cat was pregnant and very skinny,” Aimee, COO for BTV, shared with Love Meow. With no home to call her own, the volunteer scooped her up and took her for her first vet visit.
“We thought she was going to deliver pretty soon, so we were on baby watch.”
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The sweet “house panther,” named Jazz, inspected her new room, pausing only to rub against the furniture. Finding everything to her liking, she weaved around her foster mom’s legs and purred her thanks.
Though very underweight, Jazz was in good spirits and grateful for her endless supply of food. She took her time to feast and regain strength, making up for those hungry and weary days on the streets.
“She ended up finally delivering sometime in the middle of the night, and unfortunately, she didn’t know what she was doing.”
Jazz had comfortable nesting boxes to choose from but decided to have her eight kittens in the litter box. Thankfully, her foster family quickly acted, cleaning the babies one by one and making sure they were all latching.
Despite their best efforts to save them all, they sadly lost two kittens. The remaining six began to thrive as Jazz’s maternal instincts kicked in. “There were three boys and three girls, and we gave them all jazz-related names – Duke, Miles, Billie, Elliot, Clara, and Lena.”
“Jazz didn’t know what to do at first, but she eventually got the hang of things and became a helicopter mom.”
Having an entire litter of “void” kittens, Aimee jokingly said that Jazz just hit copy-paste a bunch of times.
Over the next few weeks, the kittens grew by leaps and bounds, reaching many milestones, discovering their penchant for mischief-making, and romping around with boisterous energy.
When the kittens were weaned and became more independent, Jazz began spending more time doing what she loved. “She’s ready to be done with her mothering experience.”
Jazz ended up needing more care than anticipated when she started having breathing issues. With proper treatment, she was nursed back to health while her babies flourished under the loving care of her foster family.
All the “voids” have grown into beautiful house panthers, just like their mother. They tear through the place, darting in and out of sight like ninjas.
Once worn out from playing, they nestle into a cuddle puddle by the window, basking in the warm sunlight.
“Jazz knows she did a great job raising her babies (her last litter). These days, she enjoys exploring her foster home and meeting the resident cats,” Foster Mom Jenn shared with Love Meow.
“Miles has the makings of a Velcro kitty and is as equally playful as he is cuddly. Duke will keep you on your toes with his antics. Billie is the smallest and bravest, the alpha of her litter.”
“Lena can get rowdy with the best of them and is a bit of a ham. Clara is the beauty queen of the group. Elliot is the biggest and quite the goofy guy.”
They are finally ready for their next chapter: forever homes.
With the help of many compassionate volunteers, Jazz and her kittens are enjoying the good life filled with love, play, and happy days ahead.
