Send Polly's Kittens a Bag of Fuzzy Mice

Meet Polly and her kittens, my second pregnant rescue.

I first saw Polly on Facebook when she was about two weeks away from having kittens. It was winter, the weather was getting very cold, and someone had left her at an apartment complex. I’m very glad I got her when I did, because around the time her kittens were born, we had a very hard freeze for this area.

I picked her up from a resident, took her to the vet the next day, and learned that Polly has FIV.

Kittens cannot be reliably tested for FIV until they are around 7–8 months old, which is why this poor mama still has her kittens with her. Once they are old enough to be tested, we can look into adopting them out based on their FIV status.

Polly gets her name from the word polydactyl, which means having more than the normal number of toes. She has an extra digit on each foot—and one of her kittens, Mittens, inherited those extra toes too.

In the photo, starting at the far left and going clockwise, are Bonnie, the spotted tabby; Mittens, the dilute tortie and polydactyl like her mom; Clyde, the classic tabby; Uno, the tabby and white kitten who was also the firstborn; Polly herself by my leg; Decal, the dilute calico; and Callie, the calico.

Polly is one of the most loving cats I’ve ever had. Believe it or not, she is not bothered by the vacuum cleaner at all—she will just sit there and watch it.

Every dollar helps. Thank you!