Tampa Bay Strays is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization located in the Tampa area of Florida.
01/30/2025
What a morning!! This gorgeous little British Shorthair mix with the big, sweet eyes came to us a few days ago very heavily pregnant. It was determined she was too far along for TNR, so she was placed with a foster, where she made herself at home, ate everything in sight, and got her little nest ready. When foster checked on her this morning, she heard tiny meows and it appeared our sweet mama was giving birth to her fourth kitten!
We were all excited for her, but we could quickly tell something was very wrong. The fourth kitten appeared to be stuck in the birth canal and was not showing any signs of life. 😢 Mama was pushing and pushing with no luck. We put the whole family in a carrier and down to our friends at Gulf Coast Veterinary Center of Tampa we drove as quickly as possible!
Dr. Hamilton sedated mom and safely removed the deceased kitten. His quick actions saved mama’s life and upon waking, she immediately began chirping for her remaining babies, purring and nuzzling them.
What a strong, brave mama cat she is!
She is incredibly fortunate to have found her way to us before giving birth; before all this happened outside, where there was no one to help. It likely would have meant death not only for her, but for her surviving newborns, when their mama got sick with infection and was unable to care for them. As it is, she’ll be on antibiotics for a few weeks but is expected to make a full recovery! As for the 3 surviving kittens? They’re already more loved by their brave mama and all of us than we can put into words. ❤️ Updates and pics to come. They are healthy and beautiful!
Thank you Dr. Hamilton and everyone at Gulfcoast Vet for all you do to support us!
