Zoey Chelf’s rescue cat Gracie is a show-off. Gracie will even drag her mom out of bed to show Chelf her proudest accomplishments. And for Gracie, that’s her litter of newborns.
Gracie, an 11-month-old rescue, started grabbing mom’s hand in her mouth and pulling her when she was pregnant. She wanted to ensure that Chelf was ready for “go-time” when her babies came.
Gracie was halfway through her pregnancy when Chelf took her in. Before that, Grace lived in a storm drain.
Come and see
When the day finally came for Gracie to give birth, she nibbled at mom’s toes and pulled her blanket off to tell her it was time. Gracie didn’t want to go it alone.
She wanted her human mom to be by her side. Chelf tried to give Gracie some privacy to give birth naturally.
But Gracie didn’t want it that way. She would just follow Chelf around. So, Chelf finally decided to sit and stay with her so Gracie would be relaxed while giving birth.
Gracie gave birth to eight healthy kittens who all looked just like her. There were four boys and four girls. Now she can’t stop showing them off to Chelf.
“She pulls me to see them often,” Chelf told The Dodo. “She comes to me throughout the day and will meow or nibble me to follow her to check them out. She likes me to sit with her and pet her while she nurses.”
And Gracie doesn’t care what mom is doing. Mom could be sleeping, and Gracie will just pull mom out of bed so that she can come and see her babies.
“She has been an amazing mother to all of [her babies],” Chelf said. “Her entire birth was very smooth and incredible to watch. Gracie is a fantastic mom,” Chelf said. “She stays with [her kittens] the majority of the day. And when she’s not with them, she’s lying with me. She snuggles with them and it is the cutest thing!”
Mommy and her grey babies
Chelf said she was overjoyed to be able to give Gracie a new home and a safe place to give birth. Once the kittens are old enough, they will be adopted and given forever homes. But Gracie is staying with her.
“She has been an incredible addition to our family,” Chelf said. “She’s made me laugh, gives me a sense of purpose caring for her and her kittens, she snuggles with me when she hears me cry. She’s honestly a perfect cat, and I couldn’t be more thankful. I definitely think our paths crossed for a reason.”
You can get updates on Gracie and her babies on Chefl’s TikTok page @vettechtalkwithzoey.