A cat found himself a crew of kittens that followed him around, and they wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Jasper, an orange tabby cat, has a soft spot for kittens in need. Ever since he found his forever home with Kelsey Minier (who fostered and adopted him), he’s been assisting with kitten management every time Kelsey brings new fosters home.
He welcomed six newcomers into his home for the weekend. To his surprise, these young tabbies didn’t require much warming up or any introductions. They decided to march up to Jasper and immediately vied for his attention and love. Within seconds, Jasper was swarmed by a clowder of kittens following him around everywhere he went.
It’s hard to fathom that just a few weeks prior, these kittens were so timid and scared that they would all cower in a carrier.
The litter of six came to the Humane Society for Hamilton County (in Indiana) last month, for a chance at a better life. They arrived at their foster home with Jennifer at New Kittens on the Block, as they had a lot of socialization to do.
After they got a taste of the cushy indoor life, all six of them (Wally, Mac, Cashew, Pistachio, Almond, and Hazelnut) slowly came out of their shells and started to play.
“While I’ve noticed the kittens feed off each other’s fear, they also feed off each other’s bravery. It only took one to start eating while I was in the pen for them all to realize it was okay and join. It’s been the same with playtime,” Jennifer shared.
Over the next few days, the kittens grew bolder, more curious, playful and eager to be doted on. When Cashew the kitten took the leap of faith to approach Bodie the resident cat, the rest of the crew followed suit.
Soon, Jennifer saw all six kittens trailing behind her cats, begging for their attention. They would crawl under their bellies or tail-hug them from the sides, getting as up-close and personal as possible.
When Jennifer was out of town over the weekend, the kitty crew went to stay over at Kelsey’s and met her trusty foster extraordinaire, Jasper. Needless to say, the tabbies were thrilled when they realized there was a cat in the house.
Upon arrival, the littles collectively took refuge under a dresser until Jasper (aka Mr. Manager) made his entrance into the room.
“Jasper realized there were kittens in the room, so he sniffed them out from under the dresser. They all immediately emerged and were rubbing all over him,” Kelsey told us.
In no time, Jasper was sandwiched between two or more kittens while they desperately tried to get his attention.
“He was definitely overwhelmed at first since there were six of them. He ended up showing them that the best place in the room was the wood cube in front of the window.”
Jasper positioned himself on a higher platform so the kittens could come to him, one at a time, while the others had to wait for their turn.
The kittens instantly switched on their purr motor as Jasper wrapped his arms around them and washed their faces.
“He perched up there and watched over them, and they individually would come and try to get his attention,” Kelsey shared with us. “Jasper would groom them if they came over one at a time.”
Mr. Manager enjoyed having the kittens as long as they didn’t flock to him all at once.
He would walk them to the food station, bathe them, show them his favorite feline entertainment (Bird TV by the window), and provide as much affection as he felinely could.
Jasper had a very busy weekend babysitting the demanding six. He was glad to have a breather after they returned to their foster home today.
With some rest, he will be refreshed and ready to welcome another batch of kitties that need some of his magic.
With two foster homes and three resident cats, these kittens are growing in confidence each day. They are almost ready to find their forever loving homes.
