Dahlia The Winter Mother

The wind came first. It slithered through the broken boards of the old barn. Snow followed soon after. 

Curled up in a corner, Dahlia pressed her body tighter around her kittens. She had no name then, but once she might have. She might have had hands that fed her and voices that called her name.  But now, she was only what she needed to be: warmth, watchful and protective. 

Her newborn kittens, 6 total, but 2 had already passed, were small, blind to the harsh world beyong her warm fur and steady heartbeat. The squeaked softly, tiny sounds, their fragile bodies searcing for warmth that only she could give. 

Hunger gnawed at her-a deep, hollow ache that had not left her in days. She had not eaten since before the storm began. Her instincts told her to leave, to hunt, to find something-anything-to keep her strength up. But leaving her kittens mean cold, and risk.

Just then, a gentle hand reached out and petted her soft, tired head.  Someone had found them, and just in time.  These kind people did not have the means to take in and care for her and her kittens, but they did the next best thing.  They called the Webster City Vet Clinic, and brought them into safety.  From there, we at The Cat Hut recieved a call asking if we had a foster home that could take Dahlia and her 4 remaining kittens so they could have a nice quiet place to grow and thrive. We went right to work, and in a day we had Dahlia and her babies Bristol, Nagano, Arlequin, and Edison on their way to a foster home, and safety.