A litter of kittens arrives at an animal shelter in Warren County, VA, in need of foster care. Arlington’s Animal Welfare Federation offered to assist and arrange a foster home for the animals.
Penny Richards, a volunteer of the rescue, steps up to help. When she received the kittens, she noticed that they were crawling with fleas and were in dire need of a bath. They have to bathe their fleas twice and brush their coats continuously for the first week to make sure I remove any fleas from them safely. The kittens instantly become a group of cuddles and suckers toward each other to form a cuddly puddle.
After bathing clean and full, they curled up in a pile of purrs and fell into a sound sleep. Over the next few weeks, the orange kitten and its four siblings survived and thrived thanks to round-the-clock care from their devoted foster family. They are named after the “cookie and milk” theme, and the only orange tabby, Shortbread, becomes the most talkative animal.
Shortbread and her siblings, Oatly, Silk, Almond Breeze and Elmhurst, would snuggle up and wrap their arms and legs around each other while napping.
Once they figure out their feet and how to grapple, there’s loads of commotion and rumbling in the foster room. As soon as the kittens mastered the art of running, they began to “roam around the room and chase each other”. When they are free to roam around the house, they prefer to stay close to the room and snuggle up in a cozy blanket. They became braver as they inched their way down the stairs.
The kittens have developed into large personalities with a fondness for being hugged.
Penny said: “Oatly loves to explore and find new toys, but what he loves more than anything is being held close to his face. He will snuggle right in my face if he can.”
“Almond Breeze is one of the bravest to date, along with her sister Shortbread. She gets hugged a lot on the couch when she’s sleepy.”
Shortbread was the first to enter the kitchen when Penny was around. She likes to share many of her stories in soft meows while overseeing her people. Silk loves her brothers and sisters and gives them all the caresses in the world.
The kittens have grown tremendously and are ready for their next chapter in life. On Monday, they will begin a new journey and head towards their permanent home for the holiday season.