Meet Valentine (fka Sweets). This gorgeous calico came to SAFe Rescue in February of 2021. Though she was almost a kitten herself, being only one year old, she had already given birth and arrived with her 3-month-old kittens in tow. When cats become pregnant at a young age, it’s common for them to remain petite themselves, since so much of their energy goes into their kittens, instead of growing. And Valentine was no exception, weighing in at a little under 6 lbs.
The whole family was sweet and social, and we expected that, as usual, the kittens would be adopted before their momma. But Valentine broke the mold and found her person after only two days (her babies were adopted just 3 days later)! There were no doubts that this lovely girl would settle in quickly, and we were so happy when her adopter reached out to give us an update.
He explained, “I decided to call her Valentine, as I adopted her on February 12th and wanted a name that still suggested her sweet nature. She spent most of the first few nights under my bed, but never seemed frightened and was immediately accepting of pets and attention. She escaped the bedroom a few days earlier than I intended, but quickly seemed comfortable in the apartment and quickly found herself a few good perches, and it took hardly any time before she was sleeping belly-up on the couch.”
Like all of the cats at the Rescue, Valentine had been spayed and given vaccines and dewormer prior to adoption, and at home her new dad kept a close eye on her. After treatment for a lingering tapeworm infection, “Her appetite seemed to increase and she has since attained what I think is a nice healthy weight.
While Valentine doesn’t seek attention very often, she’ll almost always accept it, and if I catch her at the right time she’ll crawl into my lap for pets (throat and chest rubs seem to be her favorite, and will occasionally elicit some slow-motion air kneading – I call it ‘going swimming’). She started sleeping in the bed with me pretty quickly, and now spends most of the night by my side.
She’s the most vocal cat I’ve ever known, and always lets me know when her food dish is empty. These are a few of her favorite things: strings (but not necessarily the toys attached to them), crumpled paper, sunny days, ‘morsels in gravy’ style wet food, bird watching, and hanging out in her tote bag. She’s a very photogenic kitty – that winged eyeliner! That serious little mouth! Overall she’s a wonderful little creature, and I’m glad I get to be her cat dad. I know I made the right decision adopting her!”
We couldn’t agree more – Valentine is the perfect little meow-del, and we’re so glad that she’s thriving and giving joy to her new favorite person. Good girl, Valentine!
