Chapter 1: Meet Momma

Long before Momma trusted me, I knew exactly who she was.

She was the thin orange cat who always seemed to be watching from a distance.

While many of the colony cats would gather when food arrived, Momma stayed back. She wasn't rude, and she wasn't aggressive. She was cautious. She had learned that life on the streets required her to be careful.

When I first started feeding the feral cat colony in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Momma would wait until I stepped away from the food. She would rush in, take a few bites, and disappear almost as quickly as she had arrived.

That was our relationship in the beginning.

I fed her.

She wanted to eat.  

Over time, things slowly changed.  She began lingering a little longer after meals. Instead of immediately running away, she would sit nearby and watch me. We developed an understanding. I respected her boundaries, and she rewarded me with a little more trust each time I visited.

Momma's rules were very clear.

No sudden movements.

No reaching toward her.

No touching.

No exceptions.

The more I watched her, the more I realized that she was carrying a burden that many people never noticed.

Every time I returned to my villa, Momma seemed to have kittens by her side.

And every time she had kittens by her side, she appeared to be pregnant again.

She was constantly nursing.

Constantly searching for food.

Constantly trying to survive.

That is how she earned her name.

Momma.

As you'll see from these photos, Momma was painfully thin. Her body was working overtime to keep herself alive while feeding litter after litter of kittens. Her eyes were often irritated, at times crusty. A fungal infection had developed on her nose. Most people would have assumed she was sick.

The truth was both simpler and sadder.

Momma was exhausted.

She was hungry.

And she had spent her life putting her babies before herself.

I thought the best thing I could do for Momma was make sure she never went hungry.

I had no idea that one cautious orange cat would eventually change my life forever.

Stay tuned for Chapter 2.  The rescue work featured in this story is funded in part through purchases from Whiskers & Wags Designs.