Adia, Bakhri, Pendo, Raha and Zuri

Why or how the 5 siblings ended up at a dangerous construction site in St. Louis, no one knows. Thankfully, someone at the location knew this was no place for these 5 little babies to be living, especially when their mother kept disappearing. The feral cat was showing a decreasing interest in being a mom.

The Center for Animal Rescue and Enrichment (CARE) was contacted. They came out and got the kittens and set a trap for the mother. The cat which was caught ended up not being the mom though, but at least there will be one less feral now able to be a parent. Since CARE is not equipped for the round-the-clock needs of bottle-fed kittens, they reached out to SNUGGLE Pet Rescue. We received the kittens on June 18th when they were just over two-weeks old.

From day one, these 5, whose names are Adia, Bakhri, Pendo, Raha and Zuri, have been a handful. Their first feeding was really interesting because they seemed way more interested in hissing and spitting at their Foster Care Volunteer then sucking formula out of a bottle. But they eventually figured out that if they quit fighting, they'd get some food in their bellies.

When not being fed, all 5 kittens make their presence known by screaming loudly or purring louder than normal. Most kittens their size, when you open the carrier door you have to reach in for them. Not these guys. They are right there hoping to escape.

What we're seeing these kittens do makes us think they are starting to take on the behaviors of their mother. Thankfully, kittens born to a feral can be socialized if it's done early. The best time to try and convince them to be friendly is between 2 and 7 weeks. We are in that window, so our patient Foster Care Volunteer is not only focused on meeting the kitten's basic needs, but she is also socializing them. Taking them out of their carrier more than normal, one-by-one she spends time gently handling them to build trust. We're pleased to report she is winning them over.

No doubt these siblings will continue to be a handful. But we're not complaining. This just means they are strong and healthy, and soon to be very sweet, loveable kittens.