Lauren Maners has always enjoyed fostering animals, but when she was getting ready to give birth to her daughter, Kylie, she decided to take a break.
“I had a long history of fostering and rehabilitating animals,” Maners told The Dodo, “but as I got closer to the end of my pregnancy, I decided it was time to take a break from all of that because the animals I usually fostered/rehabilitated were usually sickly and required a lot of attention, which I would not have time for once the baby arrived.”
Until she met Dove, she was sure about her decision.
Maners and her husband were going home after eating breakfast the same morning she made her “no more fostering for now” decision when they came across an injured cat in an empty parking lot on the side of the road. She had her husband pull over to see if the cat was okay, and it was then that she noticed the animal was not only hurt but also pregnant.
“I knew she was in poor health, and I also felt a connection to her since we were both extremely pregnant,” Maners explained. “I caught her by enticing her up to me with our leftover food and wrapped her in my jacket, and we took her to the veterinarian.”
The couple brought the cat, subsequently called Dove, home after she was treated at the vet and made her feel at ease. Instead of finding out if she had a family seeking for her, they learned from the locals that she had been a stray for much of her life. Maners chose to break her own rule and care for a pregnant mom and her prospective kittens, finally assisting them all in finding homes. Maners decided to break her own rule and foster her pregnant friend and her future kittens, finally assisting them in finding their forever homes.
It didn’t take Dove long to settle into her new surroundings, and it was apparent that this was the place where she was supposed to have her children. The two expectant women immediately became friends and enjoyed spending time together as they neared the conclusion of their pregnancies.
“She liked sitting outside with me in the mornings in our fenced-in area and letting me stroke her tummy while we ate breakfast together,” Maners added.
It was finally time for Maners to meet her daughter, Kylie, and when she got home from the hospital, she learned that Dove had given birth to her own children.
“They may have been born at the same time,” Maners said.
Dove gave birth to six gorgeous kittens, and Maners couldn’t believe they’d both given birth at the same time. Kylie grew along with the kittens, and the kids of both parents were able to play together as they grew older and learned more about the world.
“When my daughter was 5 weeks old, she started noticing the kittens when I carried her in there with them to help me feed them and give them some attention,” Maners explained. “The kittens were also quite interested in my daughter.”
Maners and her family found all seven of the beautiful little family the finest forever homes after months of fostering them. While they were disappointed that they couldn’t keep any of them, none of them live far away, so Maners and Kylie may still see their greatest pals on occasion.
“Fortunately, the mother cat went to live with a friend of mine, so I can still get updates on her, and some of the kids went to individuals I know, so I’ve even been able to see them,” Maners explained.
Maners broke her rule of “no more fostering while pregnant” by fostering a pregnant mom cat who gave birth at the same time as her, and she and her daughter, Kylie, would not swap the experience for anything.
