In late March, we fostered a feral mama cat and her five kittens. At two weeks old, they were teeny tiny. Especially the runt, who we called Rio or Ri Ri for short. He weighed in at half a pound. I was told he did not have a good chance. That worried me and put the Jewish mama into high alert to make sure I helped him have a fighting chance. Every 2-3 hours, every day for weeks, I would make his formula, put it in his little bottle and go out and feed him. It did not take long for him to get used to my voice. I'd come into the room and he wiggle out of his kitty pile, meow and crawl towards me. I was the milk person and the cuddle person. His mama did not pay too much attention (she nursed the others but I don't think she nursed him) and I soon became the surrogate.
Within several weeks, he got bigger (not by much) and stronger. He'd play with his siblings, cause mischief and nurse his milk in my lap until he fell asleep. By this time, I was a goner for Rio Ri Ri. I knew there was only a slim chance I would be able to let someone else claim him. So when the time came for his siblings to be put up for adoption, I started introducing him to the house and the other cats. He took to us all immediately and it felt like he felt he belonged with us all along. He explored, he played and mostly he would purr and purr when he held and cuddled him. Still a tiny thing, I knew that I could not let him go when the thought of that caused me to began bawling. That all said, Rio Rio Rio is now part of the Davi-Coughlin household. He loves Kai and the other cats, he loves us and we are head over heels with him. Welcome to the family Rio!
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