"Mamacat aka Jessie is a lovely stray in my neighborhood. She was pregnant when I moved in April 2005 but never brought the babies around. The neighbor cat lady and I watched sadly when she went into heat again. But this time, when her belly started to grow, we made a plan," said Stacey T., rescuer and volunteer for No Paw Left Behind.

When Jessie was big enough, they went to catch cat momma and bring her into Stacey's bedroom. "Luckily, we got the litter routine down in the week and a half before the babies came. On July 23, they arrived and I got to help." The kittens stayed with their mom until they were big enough to be put up for adoption via a local shelter and Jessie the Mamacat was fixed after the kittens were weaned. "And we cat ladies of Fillmore Street breathed a sigh of relief."

When the kittens were about 11 days old, their eyes started to open and they also started to get some strength in their little paws. "They cried like banshees when I took them away from the nest, but when I tried to put them back down, they were on me like velcro. Amazing to see all these survival instincts taking place in a blanket-lined planter in my bedroom," said Stacey.

This lovely rescue story ended on a good note. All the kitties have found their forever loving homes.

Photos courtesy of ©Stacey Chen, (flickr: estacey). See more pictures of the kitties and their cat momma here.