Marvel and the Ironman Kittens: A Rescue Story

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By Karen Harrison Binette

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The Great Walmart Rescue of 2013: Marvel and the Ironman Kitens

Reddit user Leyley904  told the story of the rescue of a kitty family, a feral Mama cat and her litter of 5 black kittens.  Leyley904 rescued Mama and her babies, card for them, treated the kittens for ringworm, found Mama safe placement on a farm and, with the help of a rescue group,  got the kittens adopted into loving homes.

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Here is the story, as told by Leyley904 and accompanied by a set of photos:

This story starts with a long chain of events involving 18 other foster cats and kittens… But I’ll skip those bits for now!

Last April, I was tipped off about a potentially pregnant cat living around my local Walmart. I go check it out, not expecting to find anything since it’s been storming all day. Just as I’m about to leave I hear some squeaky little meows coming from the corner. I climb past some shelves to find a cat with her newborn kittens in a half-inch-deep puddle in the dark recesses of the Garden Center, scared out of her mind. She was hungry enough that I was able to catch her (and therefore her kittens) with the help of some canned cat food and a concerned employee.

I bring her home and clean up her 5 perfect little black kittens. I name the momma cat Marvel and the kittens Stark, Rhodey, Jarvis, Pepper, and Happy, and they become the Iron Man Kittens!

The kittens are less than a day old, and once Marvel’s belly is full, she becomes a pissed off feral cat. Not only that, but over the next few days, the kittens show with the most awful ringworm that I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. I can tell this is going to be a lovely experience. I end up having to modify a “Grab and Reach” tool in order to gently slide the kittens away from Marvel so that I can treat their ringworm, socialize them, and eventually help wean them. It was interesting, to say the least.

Eight weeks later, Marvel’s reaction to my presence is beginning to influence the kittens. She’s still lunging and hissing at me, and has completely destroyed my bathroom. The kittens are fully weaned, so I separate her from them, set a box trap, and bring her to be spayed. She goes live at a lovely farm with several other cats where she is well cared for but not cooped up in a house.

Meanwhile, the little superheroes just keep growing and growing…

With the help of a local cat rescue that I volunteer with, I get all of the kittens fixed, vaccinated, and microchipped. This takes several more weeks because they are on the small side for kittens their age, and I have to wait for a certain spay/neuter event to come around. They eventually are able to go stay at the rescue’s amazing adoption center at about 6.5 months old, in order to get maximum exposure. Though they are initially passed over in favor of the colorful, “prettier” kittens, they all get adopted within a few weeks by wonderful families!

(P.S. Many people are afraid to foster cats, dogs, kittens, or puppies for their local animal rescue because they are worried that it will be too painful to give them up to their new families. I can tell you that I was sad to see the Iron Man kittens go, but it was infinitely easier than living with myself had I not taken them home that day, knowing what would have most likely happened. Even if you are not directly rescuing the animal(s) off the street, by fostering for a rescue, you are enabling them to do just that and save more lives!)

Where Marvel and her kittens were found.
Where Marvel and her kittens were found.

 

Calming down...
Calming down…

 

All cleaned up!
All cleaned up!

 

Settling in (check out that tongue!)
Settling in (check out that tongue!)

 

Eyes are open!
Eyes are open!

 

Trying some big kid food.
Trying some big kid food.

 

They're getting so big!
They’re getting so big!

 

Rhodey always looks a little worried.
Rhodey always looks a little worried.

 

Jarvis got dem worms... Kidding, I know what ringworm is.
Jarvis got dem worms… Kidding, I know what ringworm is.

 

Marvel about to go into the vet to be spayed.
Marvel about to go into the vet to be spayed.

 

Marvel's new home!
Marvel’s new home!

 

LVle85K

 

Begging for attention at 6 months old.
Begging for attention at 6 months old.

 

Pepper being a weirdo.
Pepper being a weirdo.

 

Helping me cram for my test.
Helping me cram for my test.

 

3 Iron Man Kittens with 2 friends at the adoption house.</em.
3 Iron Man Kittens with 2 friends at the adoption house.

 

Jarvis' unique fur.
Jarvis’ unique fur.

 

Happy posing for the camera.
Happy posing for the camera.

 

Stark and Pepper's Christmas photo shoot.
Stark and Pepper’s Christmas photo shoot.

 

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 If you like what you’ve read and seen here you may wish to give Leyley904’s post an upvote at Reddit.

 

Imgur slideshow of the photos, embedded from their original source:

 

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1 thought on “Marvel and the Ironman Kittens: A Rescue Story”

  1. Beautiful babies! I also have rescued ferals at my local Walmart and they were also black. They got fantastic homes and of course one never left my home!

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