3-week-old kittens were left in shoebox. Then came an adoption that was ‘meant to be’
Tiny kittens were left in a shoebox without their mother — then came a heartwarming adoption.
The three kittens went into a home, where their foster mom formed a “special bond” with one of the babies. She adopted him, kicking off their new chapter together, according to a North Carolina shelter.
“Every adoption is exciting,” the Asheville Humane Society told McClatchy News in a Dec. 13 email. “We love and care for the animals as if they were our own. Watching them go home with people who are clearly enamored is an incredible feeling.”
The other two kittens also were adopted, ending a journey that started in mid-October. Weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Western North Carolina, the shelter spotted the group of little ones at its door.
The 3-week-old cats were found in a shoebox, so it was fitting that they got shoe-related names: Serra, Ugg and Timberland.
“The kittens were too young to be separated from mom and, without her, required lots and lots of care from our team,” the humane society wrote Nov. 1 in a social media post. “Well, these teensy tiny fuzzballs also came with even teensier unwanted visitors — lots and lots of fleas.”
Photos show the kittens needed to be bottle fed, and workers helped them bathe with potable water in the aftermath of the hurricane. The babies landed in a home with a foster mom, who had been “devastated” after the death of another pet.
“She walked around crying for weeks,” the shelter wrote in a Dec. 10 post. “But she wasn’t alone. Little Timberland would crawl onto her lap whenever she sat down and would cling to her leg when she stood.”
Timberland also spent time cuddling with the woman, only identified as Laurie, while the other two kittens played. Then, when the woman went to the shelter to return all of the kittens, she reportedly “couldn’t do it.”
“We are elated to report that Ugg and Serra both found home — happy, healthy, and loved,” the shelter said. “Timberland? He is home too — right with Laurie. Where he was meant to be.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM with the headline "3-week-old kittens were left in shoebox. Then came an adoption that was ‘meant to be’."
