A pregnant stray cat was rescued from the streets in the nick of time, and brought to Oregon Friends of Shelter Animal. She was in rough shape and diagnosed with feline calicivirus.

Her condition quickly deteriorated and she was admitted to the emergency vet for a few days. Shortly after she arrived, she gave birth to a litter of kittens.

“Even though she was very sick herself, she was so caring to her kittens,” Angela Su, a foster volunteer of the shelter, told Love Meow.

The cat mom named Mocha was incredibly attentive and gave the babies her undivided attention from the start.

“When I brought Mocha and her 4-day-old kittens home to foster, she had mostly recovered but unfortunately, her kittens also had the same illness—calicivirus causes upper respiratory issues (sneezing, congestion, and discharge) and sometimes tongue ulcers.”

The odds were stacked up against the kittens as they were vulnerable at their age. Angela along with two other foster volunteers, Christy and Mads, worked as a team to provide critical care, trying everything they could to save the litter.

“The kittens were given supportive care around the clock—nebulizer treatment, tube-feeding, supplemental feedings, eyedrops, and so on,” Angela shared with Love Meow.

Despite their very best efforts to save them all, two of the four kittens sadly didn’t make it, but the remaining two, Peppermint and Cocoa, bounced back as they put up an incredible fight.

Once they were healthy enough, they were brought back to be with their mom. “These two miraculously pulled through against all odds. They are both such strong little fighters.”

Mocha was so thrilled to have her kittens back by her side. She washed their faces and toe beans, and spent her day and night nursing and caring for them as if to make up for lost time.

She showers them with love and makes sure they are fed and clean.

“Mocha is very loving and affectionate with Cocoa and Peppermint. She is always close-by and watching whenever I’m weighing or supplemental feeding her kittens,” Angela told Love Meow.

She often wraps her arms around her babies when they nap or gives them the sweetest bear hug for an extra dose of affection. “Mocha immediately checks in on her kittens whenever they cry out for her. She is seriously such a special mama cat.”

Peppermint and Cocoa are three weeks old now and are starting to find their feet and waddle.

“Their favorite things to do is rolling around on their backs or batting their paws at each other,” Angela shared with Love Meow.

“They have improved so much over the past few weeks. It was a rough start for this little family, but things are finally looking better.”

Mama Mocha is always on the sideline watching over her kittens as they reach one milestone (taking their first steps) after another (learning to play).