Mama cat experiencing tragic loss steps in to help motherless kittens at SC shelter

A mama cat experiencing her own tragic loss stepped in to help motherless kittens, a South Carolina shelter said.

“We decided to introduce our sweet Polly to the (newborn) kittens to see if she would nurse them and ‘adopt’ them as her own,” Berkeley Animal Center wrote May 22 on Facebook. “She quickly took them in and has added them to her litter, now having 4 kittens to nurse and love.”

The heartwarming moments came after Polly endured personal hardship. She was found as a stray, and one of her kittens died before she arrived at the shelter.

Polly and her surviving kitten — Pocket — made it to the facility the day before the three babies came in without a mom. The shelter introduced the little ones to Polly, leading to the touching new bond.

“She is a very loving mama cat and we are thrilled that she will help these 3 littles to thrive into healthy kittens,” the shelter told McClatchy News in an email.

A photo shared on Facebook shows Polly with one of the adorable babies she “adopted.” The shelter said their names were Gouda, Mozzarella and Swiss.

“Polly and her babies are in a foster home and the kittens won’t be available for adoption until they are weaned off of mama and then get fixed at 8 weeks old,” the shelter said, adding that Polly will need a new owner after she’s spayed.

The shelter is in the Berkeley County town of Moncks Corner, a roughly 30-mile drive northwest from Charleston.

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