Two bonded kittens jumped on any empty lap they could find once indoors after being found in a box outside.
Two gray kittens were found in a box outside when they were a few weeks old. The mother cat was nowhere in sight, and the kittens desperately needed intervention.
Tails High, an all-volunteer rescue, took them in. After 2-3 weeks of care, their little bellies rounded out, and their energy levels improved.
The kittens, named Mike and Ike (as they were thought to be boys at first), hopped out of their carrier when they landed in a new foster home for socialization. In no time, they began seeking out empty laps to sit on.
“A lap never stays empty for long when you’re around Mike and Ike. They’ve been very friendly from the first day they arrived. They are the sweetest kittens and absolutely fearless,” Asa, their foster mom, shared with Love Meow.
Asa’s kitten-loving resident dogs heard the sound of the newcomers and wagged their tails, excited to greet them.
Usually, new kittens will hiss or be standoffish when they first meet the dogs, but not Mike and Ike. “These two ran up to my four fur kids (both cats and dogs) immediately.”
“They even ran towards the vacuum, which I’ve never seen an animal do. It was funny seeing these tiny 1.5-lb kittens running towards a big vacuum.”
While visiting the vet one day, Asa discovered that the kittens were girls, but their names stuck.
If they weren’t on a lap, they were nestled up with each other on their favorite blanket or atop the resident dog, Kona. Ike enjoyed making biscuits on Mike until they drifted off to sleep in a pile.
“Mike’s been the more ‘needy’ one; she had a lot of trouble gaining weight, and we had a few scary moments.”
For a week, Mike couldn’t keep food down and became severely underweight. “I thought she wasn’t going to make it, and I preemptively cried thinking about losing her.”
Later, Asa noticed something was off about Mike’s breathing and swallowing during mealtime. “I tried holding her head upright to see if it helped. It worked like a charm. Now, every time she eats, I ‘purrito’ her upright until she’s done digesting.”
While Mike was recuperating with her sister, Kona offered some motherly love. The kittens gravitated towards her and curled up on top of her for comfort.
Since then, Mike has been eating like a champ and gaining so much weight that she’s caught up to Ike.
“They spend most of their day running around and playing together, crawling all over me or napping on my lap as I work.”
When they were little, Kona would join them in a purr-pile on Asa’s lap. Now that the kittens are bigger, they nap through the day on their foster mom and demand to be held side by side.
Working from home has become a full-on kitten snuggle experience.
“How do I ever get anything done? I ask myself the same question every single day.”
“These two were identical when they were itty bitties, but they look more and more different as they get bigger. It’s always bittersweet watching fosters grow up because it means we’re that much closer to them being ready for adoption.”
Ike has officially joined the 3-lb club, and her sister, Mike, is not far behind. They are thriving, growing, and hogging their foster mom’s lap day and night.
