One big happy family

This is Oatmeal, who I call O.T. for short. She used to be so aloof but when we moved to a bigger house she seemed to be more comfortable and came out of her shell. She follows me wherever I go and seeks constant attention.

Her mother's name is Rainbow, she's a feral cat who came around the house every mealtime. She was very wary of humans. After some time, she began to trust us. We could pat her head and touch her. She became pregnant and gave birth somewhere only she knew. One night she came to the house carrying a little black and white kitten. She laid the little furball on our doorstep. So I said Oookay, I'll take care of your baby. I brought her kitten to the vet to check her overall condition. When we got back, there was another kitten by the door. A few hours later, there was another one. When morning came there were four of them. Since they were so small, we put them in a big cage so they wouldn't go to the garage. At this time, we were sharing a common garage and it was not safe for them. Rainbow would come by the house during mealtimes, she would eat and then she would go to the opening of the cage prompting us to open it and she would go in to nurse her babies. After some time, she would meow to be let out. This became our routine. The neighbors later told us that they saw her climbing the gate carrying a kitten at a time. Up to now it still amazes me how trusting she was.

I was planning to have her spayed but since she was still nursing, I waited for awhile. I was too late, she became pregnant again. This time she gave birth at our doorstep. I was doing my reports and going outside to check her progress. She gave birth to 5 kittens. This time, we helped her nurse. I would feed her babies with a syringe. She would also ask for some milk and then she would climb up my lap and nurse her babies there. I had her second batch of kittens adopted except for one. After that she was spayed. When we moved to a different house, though still near the former one, I couldn't find her. She must have been spooked with all the moving of the furniture. I never found her. Sometimes I would drive by our old house but still no sign of her.

5 of her kittens are now my babies, they are Munchkin, Kahlua, Creampuff, Maki and of course Oatmeal. Oatmeal reminds me so much of her, she looks so much like her mom.