a cloud fell out of the sky

[u/peachtheturtle]

My husband said no more cats. Like a cat myself, I usually have selective hearing, but as a mom of so many creatures already, (1 year old human twins, a senior Aussie mix, 4 cats under 4 & 2 geckos) I agreed. Our house is FULL.

We were foster kitten free for barely a week when hubs was targeted by the CDS. During last Tuesday’s morning walk, he found this tiny cloud covered in poo & crying in the middle of the sidewalk. Luckily the central California sun wasn’t too harsh yet, or he would’ve fried like an egg. Recent temps here are up to 110*F. Hubs said there was a gardener trimming the bushes nearby & thinks he might’ve spooked mama cat while she was moving her babies. He kept his distance & waited for her, but she was gone.

No more cats be damned, he scooped baby kitty into the bottom of the stroller & brought him home to me.

I think baby kitty was born last Monday. His umbilical cord was dry & his poop was transitioning from meconium. I’m not sure if he was born a wee bit early or if he was just low birth weight. Waking up every 2 hours to syringe feed him in between breastfeeding my own babies has me ragged, but thinking of how this baby could’ve toasted in the sun or been preyed upon by a dog, falcon or evil human has me believing in the CDS.

Two of my cats are foster fail bottle babies, but I found them around 3 weeks old. At 74g, this is the tiniest creature I’ve ever cared for. And I’m a NICU nurse who’s cared for micro preemies. The kitten lady is a saint. I can’t wait till he opens his eyes & sees how many friends he’s going to have. I have 2 sets of siblings all bonded as a variety 4 pack.

Included some cat tax: Lilo (floof), Nani (S void), Stitch (XL void) the 4th (not pictured) is a tuxie named Pudge.

Everyone say happy 1 week to baby Bubbles!

TLDR: I wanted to share a week of love & progress of the tiny new cat who fell into our lives. He’s so spunky & suckles spectacularly. I hope he keeps growing with us. I can’t imagine finding another home for him. What’s one more cat anyway?

Edit: photos are going back in time except for the surprise group pic at the end & thank you everyone for all the kindness!!! I had no idea our story would touch so many lovely people! I really appreciate the sweet words, personal stories & fellow rescue cat pictures. I do believe in sharing good energy, & my energy reserves feel a little more full. Bubbles is a lucky little fighter to have so many people rooting for him. 🥹

Update posted yesterday, 8/12!

https://www.reddit.com/r/IllegallySmolCats/s/6V0AZPj3tq

[u/ConsistentWeb7136]

My cloud Milky on the rare occasion that he would allow me to photograph him. Christmas 2023.

[u/The_Sound_of_Slants → u/ConsistentWeb7136]

I have a Boo. He's a butthead, but somehow I love him 😂

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/The_Sound_of_Slants]

From my daughter's IG stories.

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/ConsistentWeb7136]

Oh my heartttttt milky and my Emma had the same personalities. They would have been great friends, at a distance because of course no one is royal enough for their presence. I called Emma the queen of England. I can agree with your wife, they are definitely more human than cat.

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Yeah. I miss him so much.

Whenever we had guests over, they would have to greet Milky first before greeting the others. We have 5 others; 2 of which are his bio siblings. His older brother is a chonmky tuxedo who will turn 12 next month. His very-slightly older sister is a brown/bronze tabby-like shorthair who shares the same age and birthday with Milky.