'Calm, Mellow' Porsche: Huntington Adoptable Pet Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Porsche, a 1-year-old mother feline, is the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter's Huntington Pet of the Week.

"Once upon a time there was a beautiful grey striped kitten born outside in a neighborhood where there were a lot of cats who were only fed, but not spayed or neutered," said Debbi Larkin, president of the shelter. "And unfortunately, that is how the cat overpopulation cycle usually starts. This little girl (we are calling her Porsche) never left one specific yard. We are assuming that she felt comfortable there because there was always food and others to play with. But before the family could get her spayed she managed to get herself pregnant!"

A day or two before she gave birth, Porsche decided that the back stoop of this one yard was where she was going to get the help she needed.

"Because of course she is a baby herself, and what does she know about having babies?" Larkin said. "A good Samaritan decided that the way to help her was to make a whelping box so she would at least have a safe place to give birth…but the box was left outside for her....and of course that was the week we had several days of rain. So, the box was moved into a car where it was warm and dry."

Porsche had three kittens with "seemingly no issues," Larkin said, but the fourth one did not make it.

"There are a million reasons why that happened, but nobody knows for sure considering the circumstances," Larkin said. "The good thing is, the others appear to be doing well (they are still unnamed because they are too young to determine the genders but we will be going with a "car theme") and Porsche has been an excellent mom with them."

Porsche is a "stunning" grey-striped kitten with blue-green eyes that "tell quite a story," Larkin said. She will be checked by the shelter's in-house veterinarian this week and then go into foster care.

"She will be with one of our experienced foster moms who will make sure all three babies are thriving," Larkin said.

Since Porsche is a nursing mom, the rescue will only be able to test her for FELV and FIV and give her first dose of worming medicine for parasites, according to Larkin.

"She appears healthy, although tiny, so we feel she should be OK. She will also have her eyes, ears and heart checked with the first visit. She will receive her first set of vaccines in about 6 weeks. We like to wait until the babies have stopped nursing, and that is usually the time frame for the kittens to start taste testing other foods. Once the babies are eating on their own, we will separate her to allow her time to rest and get spayed. Then she will be eligible to come into the shelter for adoption."

Porsche has such a "calm, mellow demeanor," Larkin said.

"She allows you to handle her with no issues and also allows handling of her precious cargo. She will watch intently as you pick them up, and even if they try to cry, she sits there patiently until you are finished. The minute you put them back in the bed with her she gathers them all around so she can
start nursing them again, even if they ate five minutes ago!"

One of the babies is a dark tabby, another is solid grey and the last one looks just like Porsche: a grey tiger.

"Can’t wait to see what color their eyes will be since Porsche’s are so unusual," Larkin said.

Porsche should be joining the rest of the crew at the shelter at the end of June, Larkin estimates.

If you are interested in meeting Porsche, you may call the shelter at 631-757-4517, email cats@laphuntington.org, visit the Facebook page or visit at the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter.

The rescue is at 3 Verleye Ave., East Northport, and visiting hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The shelter is also open from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday nights only for those who cannot make it during the daytime hours.

"Porsche deserves only the best that life has to offer her," Larkin said. "She started off on rocky grounds just by being born outside, but she needs to know that she is safe and never has to scurry for food or shelter again. The logo for the Porsche car has elements that convey agility, elegance and power. The fact that she was agile enough to have her babies in a box in a car, enough power to do this herself and the fact that her looks are so elegant and regal even when she has her three babies clamoring for food, speaks volumes about her. Won’t you follow her journey until she arrives and then come in to meet her? She may be the perfect addition to your family, you just don’t know that yet!"