It's not uncommon for stray cats to approach their house, looking for food and shelter.
So, when they rescued a tortoiseshell cat who had come to shelter on their porch, they weren't surprised.
A very affectionate cat
They knew right away that the cat had been abandoned. She wasn't timid and clearly enjoyed human contact. Kathy and her husband soon realised the cat was pregnant, so they made a cosy little nest for her and her future kittens.
A few days later, the cat gave birth to five kittens: three black and two ginger. While checking to make sure the little ones were all right, Kathy's husband noticed something strange. He asked her how many kittens she had counted at birth, to which she replied, "Five". Kathy's husband then told her there weren't five kittens in the box with their mother, but six!
A tiny intruder
The couple were completely stunned. Looking more closely, they realised it wasn't a kitten at all, but a baby rabbit that had joined the litter. No one knows how the tiny bunny ended up among the kittens.
Kathy and her husband checked online and found that it's not unusual for mother cats to nurse other kittens, puppies, or even baby rabbits who have lost their own mothers.
The tortoiseshell mother cat welcomed the little rabbit as if it were one of her own, and the little one is thriving. To the bunny, the cat is its mum and the kittens are its littermates. For now, the babies are all too young to be separated from their mother, but the couple is looking for forever homes for them to go to in the future!