Stray Cat Introduces Woman to Her Kittens After She Fed Her for a Year

A woman has been dubbed an "angel" by people on TikTok for feeding a stray cat for a year, then taking her in when she brought her new born kittens to her house.

In the video, which has been viewed over 2.8 million times, user Robbie Williams filmed as a black and white cat brought her four kittens to her door. Williams put the kittens on a soft bed and lured the mother cat in to the house, as "she doesn't really like soft beds" she said. The video then cuts to the mother cat all snug in a cardboard box with a towel in it, safe with her kittens as the OP explains that they will be here for eight weeks until the kittens are big enough to be rehomed.

"You Angel," commented one user.

According the Oklahoma based organization Advanced Care Veterinary Hospital, about 60 percent of all United States homes that have pets, which equates to approximately 85 million cats, and one-third of these cats are rescued or rehomed feral or stray cats.

In this case, it was very clear that the mother cat was asking for help from these humans, but in some cases, you may be doing more harm that good by stepping in.

Coryn Julien, director of communications for global cat advocacy organization Alley Cat Allies, told Newsweek: "When someone comes across a litter of kittens, it's tempting to pick them up out of a sense of compassion. However, Alley Cat Allies tells us the best approach is to leave them be! In nearly all cases, kittens outdoors don't need to be "rescued," and pulling them in from their outdoor homes can be harmful. You may not see their mother, but she's likely nearby, and her instincts make her the best caregiver.

Julien offered these top tips for how to deal with a litter of stray kittens:

• Watch and observe -stay back and watch, and you may see that mother returns to care for her kittens. Mother cats will sometimes leave for hours, so be mindful of that.
• Help with food and water - give mother the essentials. Be sure to follow best practices, like removing uneaten food within 30 minutes.
• Provide outdoor shelter - to give mother cat and kittens a safe place to rest, while enabling caregivers to monitor wellbeing and easier practice of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), which is the only humane and effective approach for outdoor cat populations.
• Peace and quiet - are important. Keep an eye on mother and kittens, but leave them be.
• Never take kittens or their mother to an animal shelter - Most shelters do not have programs to provide the care un-weaned kittens need to survive and thrive. As a result, there is a high risk that the kittens will be killed.

In a later update, the OP explained that the mother and the kittens were doing well, and that they had named them Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Moe and had found homes for all of them, including keeping one themselves, as well as the mother, affectionately called "baby cat."

Users in the comments were delighted by the video, with one writing: "Awwwe she is such a good mama. she knew she needed them to be safe." Another said: "This was sooo beautiful thank you for helping this baby and her babies congrats your a grandma now."

Newsweek has reached out to Robbie Williams via TikTok for comment.

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Update 4/21/23, 2:16 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.