For nearly a year, Kate and her fiancé had been noticing a stray cat wandering around their Los Angeles neighborhood. Kate, who regularly fosters kittens, puppies and nursing moms with babies, always keeps an eye out for animals in need. But this particular cat stood out.
Kate started calling the cat The Mayor.
The Mayor was cautious and avoided people whenever possible. Still, Kate, her fiancé and one of their neighbors all became fond of the mysterious stray. Everyone assumed The Mayor was a male cat — until one day, they learned the truth in a very unexpected way.
Kate’s neighbor, who had been feeding The Mayor, sent her a surprising message: The Mayor had kittens on his roof.
Kate immediately became concerned. The kittens were tiny and exposed to the heat and weather, and she knew the little family needed to be moved somewhere safer.
Before anyone could come up with a full plan, The Mayor decided to handle things herself.
Kate heard meowing outside and soon saw the mama cat carrying one of her kittens away from the hot roof. The Mayor balanced along Kate’s fence as she tried to relocate her babies.
Then Kate heard a kitten crying in her backyard. She found The Mayor looking down at a pile of cinder blocks, where one of the kittens had fallen while the cat was trying to move him.
Kate quickly pulled the tiny kitten out from beneath the blocks and brought him to her neighbor, who was checking the roof for the rest of the litter. But the other kittens were already gone, and no one knew where The Mayor had taken them.
Kate and her neighbor realized the rescued kitten might be the only way to find the others. They returned him to The Mayor and carefully watched where she went.
Sure enough, The Mayor picked up the kitten and carried him over Kate’s fence into her yard. She then headed straight toward a shed and slipped underneath it.
That’s when Kate discovered that The Mayor had moved all of her kittens under the shed.
Kate was relieved the kittens were nearby, but she still knew they weren’t completely safe outside. With help from her neighbor, she carefully rescued the kittens from under the shed and brought the whole family, including The Mayor, inside her home.
At first, The Mayor remained very protective of her babies. Although she quickly began warming up to Kate and showing affection, she would not allow anyone to touch her kittens during the first few weeks.
With food, comfort and a safe place to rest, the little family began doing much better. The kittens had a few health challenges early on, including swimmer syndrome in one kitten and an eye infection in another, but they were finally in the right place to recover.
Now, the three kittens — Rigby, Mordecai and Margaret — are 8 weeks old and growing stronger every day.
Soon, they will be ready for forever homes. Kate is looking for the perfect families for them, while her neighbor has offered to adopt The Mayor and continues to check on her with love.
Kate and her fiancé may even keep one of the kittens themselves, but their main goal is to make sure each one ends up in the best possible home.
After everything, Kate is simply grateful that The Mayor trusted her enough to bring her babies close when they needed help most.