A guy planned to adopt a cat and a kitten but couldn’t leave the rest of the litter behind. So, he took them all.
Mark Dwyer
A tuxedo cat, named Fancy, arrived at the Exploits Valley SPCA earlier this year, along with a pair of kittens. Though her two were still at a tender age, she was pregnant yet again with a second litter.
Around that time, Fancy met a visitor, Mark Dwyer, and quickly made an impression on him. “She won me over with her general excitement for attention. She even grabbed my fingers with her teeth and pulled them back in for cuddles as I was going to leave,” Mark shared with Love Meow.
He marked the calendar so when Fancy was done raising her last litter, he would return to fulfill a promise of a lifetime.
Fancy the cat
Mark Dwyer
A while ago, Mark lost his beloved cat, Cuddles, of 19 years, and found Luna, a tortie, who is reminiscent of his late cat. Luna became a ray of sunshine that lit up the house, and Mark began to look for a friend that she could play and cuddle with.
“I noticed that many didn’t want to adopt the mothers at the SPCA, and decided I would rescue one of them,” Mark told Love Meow.
Mark Dwyer
“I had to wait some time before I could adopt Fancy, since she needed to raise and wean her kittens before she could come home.”
While Mark anticipated the joy of adoption, his heart swelled with the desire to bring home two instead of one. “I had decided that I would adopt her and one of her kittens.”
Fancy and Lilli
ExploitsValleySPCA
On the day Mark arrived at the shelter to be reunited with Fancy, the sweet mama greeted him with the same warmth and enthusiasm as if he had never left.
Upon first glance at the new litter, Mark was instantly smitten with the solid gray kitten, named Sage. Within seconds, another gray kitten, a tuxedo named Lilli, also caught his eye. “I couldn’t leave her there, and decided to take them both.” (The two from the previous litter had found homes.)
Mark decided to adopt the cat mom and all three kittens
ExploitsValleySPCA
Just when Mark was about to finalize the adoption, he noticed a third kitten, a black and white tuxedo, who was much smaller than the rest.
“She was eight weeks old but had only developed to what she should have been at four weeks.”
Sweet Pea and Lilli
Mark Dwyer
“I have always had a soft spot for the runts (all my previous cats were runts, including Cuddles). So I decided that I wasn’t going to leave her there either, and asked to take Fancy and all three.”
It was a joyous send-off from the shelter and a celebration of a new beginning.
Lilli, Sage and Sweet Pea
Mark Dwyer
The tiny tuxedo, named Sweet Pea, needed more care than anyone had anticipated. She lost her appetite to solid food, and the only nourishment she would accept was her mother’s milk.
Mark worked alongside Fancy to ensure that Sweet Pea could get her meal time in. He kept track of her weight, brought her to the vet and treated the entire family for a stomach bug.
Mark Dwyer
“After a few stressful days, the medication calmed her system down, and I got her to start eating again. She made it through and is now a little purr monster.”
Fancy and her kittens are loving their new life, full of good food, belly rubs and endless cuddles.
Mark Dwyer
They have accepted Luna into their crew, and they often snuggle with each other, sharing the big bed.
Luna took the kittens under her wing
Mark Dwyer
“What started out as a plan to adopt a mom and a baby turned into falling in love with them all and not being able to leave one behind,” the shelter shared.
One big happy family
Mark Dwyer
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