Raven’s Story

Raven’s mother was a neglected cat whose owners said they would ‘drown the kittens as they did with their other cat.’ I befriended the mother (who I called Rook) and convinced the owners to let me take her for vet visits to ensure her pregnancy went well. They agreed as long as I was paying and said I could keep the kittens but not the mother. Rook went into labor on the neighbor’s property and ran into my potbelly pig’s barn with a kitten in her mouth, and one partially birthed hanging out of her. Sure enough, the owner was walking towards where she must have started giving birth with a five-gallon water-filled bucket. I grabbed Rook and her kitten, rushing them inside to safety. Three kittens were born, and I named them Raven, Wren, and Crow.

I had Rook fixed and cared for in my house for eight weeks until the kittens were weaned. Then, the owner’s little girl came by to ask for her cat. It was hard to let Rook go, but clearly, the little girl loved her, and there would be no more kittens.

Heartbreakingly, both Wren and Crow passed away. But in their limited time on this earth, they were deeply loved and only knew happiness. Raven remains the princess of the sanctuary and is a sassy little treat beggar who loves to hide behind a corner and jump out to scare our other resident cats.