In the bustling streets of The Bronx, New York, a local animal rescuer named Daniel stumbled upon a tiny ball of orange fluff in a crowded precinct parking lot.
Curious, Daniel took a few steps in the direction of the fluff ball when, to his surprise, the orange cat popped up and ran straight towards him.
Overwhelmed with love for the little kitty, Daniel quickly contacted his rescue partner, Suzy, founder of the Saving Belladonna rescue group.
“He called and said, ‘There’s this really skinny, incredibly friendly ginger cat,’” Suzy told The Dodo. “So I drove over to get her.”
When Suzy arrived at the busy one-way street, she didn’t even realize the orange fluff ball was a cat at first.
“I thought she was a bird because she was so skinny,” Suzy said. She then whistled to the cat and, to her amazement, the kitty ran towards her, just like she had done with Daniel.
“She came running up to everyone on the street like that,” Suzy said. “She was begging to be rescued.”
The orange cat quickly warmed up to Suzy and started rubbing against her legs.
Suzy grabbed her cat carrier and set it down next to the cat. She tried to put the cat in the carrier herself, but her attempts spooked the cat, causing her to run off.
To Suzy’s surprise, the cat came right back just a few moments later.
Suzy then put a bit of wet cat food in the back of the carrier and patiently waited for the cat to go inside. Finally, the cat made her way into the crate and settled down long enough for Suzy to close the door behind her.
Suzy brought the cat to a foster home that same day, where she was placed in a big, sunny bathroom for quarantine. She showered the cat with love and cuddles, then gave her a name: Flamingo.
“I named her Flamingo because her nose is such a unique pink color,” Suzy said. “She reminds me of the color of a flamingo.”
Flamingo was too skinny to be spayed immediately, so Suzy put her on a strict feeding schedule to help her gain weight before undergoing anesthesia.
But one night, a few days after her rescue, Flamingo’s foster mom reached out to Suzy with shocking news: “I think she’s pregnant!”
The next day, Suzy went to check on Flamingo and, sure enough, she was expecting. Flamingo remained small for a pregnant cat and Suzy thought she would only have 2-3 kittens.
But to their surprise, Flamingo gave birth to six healthy kittens!
Flamingo and her babies are thriving in their foster home. While Flamingo is still on a feeding schedule to help her gain weight, her progress has been slowed due to nursing her babies.
Once her kittens are weaned off of her and her weight goals are reached, Flamingo will be spayed and then placed for adoption.
“She’s a top-notch cat,” Suzy said. “She’s really friendly and loves to have full-on conversations with you. She’s going to make someone so happy.”
Flamingo’s kittens will also be available for adoption in about two months. They will be vaccinated and fully vetted before going to their forever homes.
Flamingo and her babies are enjoying their time together in a warm and safe home. Suzy and Flamingo’s foster mom are grateful that Flamingo and her kittens are safe and happy, but in Suzy’s opinion, they’re not the only ones who feel that way.
“Flamingo is so grateful,” Suzy said. “She’s just so grateful and happy.”
