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Buddy, the motherly male cat
Buddy, a gray domestic long hair cat, has spent his time at Orphans of the Storm taking in and caring for such young cats. | Contributed photo
Updated: July 22, 2012 7:54PM
During kitten season, which has begun at Orphans of the Storm, many kittens may arrive without their siblings and even without their mothers.
A stray mother cat may leave her litter alone for hours while hunting for food. An animal control warden or a concerned citizen may come across the hungry, unattended litter and gather them up, getting them out of the elements and to safety, where they will have a better chance at the life ahead of them.
While every effort is made to catch the stray mother cat, she may be feral — too wild to be socialized as a family pet — or too smart to be cornered and caught.
Kittens too young to be away from their mother may go home with a foster family to be bottle-fed, hand-raised and socialized until, at around 8 weeks of age, they may be put up for adoption. Other kittens that arrive with their mother will spend time growing and putting on weight in the safety of the isolation room until they are ready to be adopted.
Other kittens may be old enough and big enough for adoption, but are a bit needy without a mother. They may be taken in by an adult male cat while they wait to be adopted. Strange but true, it has been documented that there are male cats who seem to act out motherly roles. Buddy is such a cat.
At 3-4 years old, this gray domestic long hair cat has spent his time at the shelter taking in and caring for such young cats. In many cases, the adult male will not only groom and clean the kittens, but will let the kittens play nurse and watch over their litter box habits.
Buddy is a beautiful big gray male cat who is easy going, patient, sweet and talkative. He resides in the cat hall, usually with kittens climbing over and about him, while hoping to attract the attention of a prospective adopter. So far, no one is paying him any attention. Now that kitten season has begun, it will be more difficult for him to turn heads away from all of the adorable kittens that arrive each week.
Orphans of the Storm, 2200 Riverwoods Road in Riverwoods (Deerfield) is open for adoptions every day from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone us at (847) 945-0235. Visit our website at www.orphansofthestorm.org or follow us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/orphansofthestorm.
The adoption fee is $90 and includes spay/neuter. Depending on the dog or cat that you select, there will be additional fees to bring them current on all shots and microchipping. Please help us continue our work with these deserving pets. Adopt if you have the space in your home and your heart, contribute financially when you are able, and whenever you have a chance, spread the word.
Orphans of the Storm is a not-for-profit, non-government subsidized, section 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
