Penny Richards, a caregiver from Arlington, Virginia, heard about two four-week-old kittens discovered on the side of the road. One of them had a birth abnormality and was in serious condition, while the other, a female, was always clinging to her brother.
Penny recalls, “She hung on to him from the minute they were found as if she knew he was in pain and needed comfort.”
The brother did not survive despite all human attempts, and the daughter was left alone that night. “When her brother died, I gave her the Hawaiian name Koa, which means warrior or valiant.”
For a couple of weeks, Koa stayed with her caregiver’s family, demanding attention and affection all the time.
“She was very energetic and friendly, the physical examination showed that she was healthy. She became very attached to us and to people in general, ”Penny shares.
“As soon as we placed her in the nursery for older children, she displayed a bold side and began to rush everything despite her diminutive frame.”
Koa approached Maggie, the black and white, and demonstrated that she was in command.
The ginger kitten Hugh was twice as big as Koa, but she didn’t pay any attention to it. She is fully able to stand up for herself in wrestling or cooperative games.
Koa happily rushes around the room wreaking havoc, but never runs too far away from her nanny’s knees.
Even as she was playing, she kept whirling around my legs and sliding her little daggers up and down my legs. She bolted away to catch up with someone, then dashed back onto my lap.
Penny was seeking a friend her size since she knew how much Koa would benefit from having a constant companion.
“My husband was working at a construction site around three weeks after Koa joined us when he heard a cat meow with his coworkers,” Penny recalls.
They finally found a little kitten hiding beneath a garbage can after a long hunt. The kitty refused to leave despite repeated requests to do so, hiding behind the rubbish until he fell into the sewage line, further complicating the problem.
“My husband and his colleagues dismantled the sewer, climbed inside and were able to grab the kitten. They carefully put him in a box, and my husband went to work with me, where I had to take care of the kitten and take it home.”
The baby, named Kasper, was about six weeks old and was wary of people. But behind the fearful exterior was a soft soul, thirsting for love.
“He was a really shy youngster, and as soon as we entered the room, he bolted and hid.” He finally learnt to enjoy people and grew to be really attractive.”
Kasper was treated for his cold and placed in a nursery, where he met Koa for the first time.
“Their ages are roughly a week apart. Koa and Kasper hit it up right away and became fast friends. This bond got stronger week after week, and they became inseparable,” Penny adds.
“It melts my heart to watch her find comfort in a new brother following the death of her biological sibling.”
Penny knew they had to stick together when it was time to extend their wings and fly away.
“At the age of four months, they were adopted together, and now they will live happily ever after!”
“Koa lost her brother, but gained a new one in Kasper.”
