3 Young Mama Cats Still Waiting After Kittens Adopted: Huntington Adoptable Pet Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Cookie, Sarabi and Miel have already helped eight kittens find forever homes. Now, the three young mother cats are waiting for families of their own.

The three cats are this week’s Huntington adoptable pets of the week through Grateful Paw Cat Shelter.

“There is something bittersweet about watching a mama cat raise her babies,” the shelter said. “She gives them everything she has — her warmth, her protection, her love — and then, one by one, they leave for the forever homes she helped prepare them for.”

Between Cookie, Sarabi and Miel, all eight of their kittens have been adopted, the shelter said.

“Eight little lives have found families, beds to sleep in and people to love them forever,” Grateful Paw said. “And now, somehow, the three mamas who made it all possible are the ones still waiting.”

The three cats arrived at the shelter with different stories. One was rescued from a backyard just before a snowstorm. One had been left outside after apparently once belonging to a family. One was barely more than a kitten herself when she was found raising five babies.

“They have done their jobs as mothers,” the shelter said. “They have loved, nurtured and raised their babies. Now they deserve the chance to discover what it feels like to be someone’s baby.”

Cookie, a dark tiger cat with black tufts of fur on her ears and glittering yellow eyes, arrived at Grateful Paw in March with her two kittens, Cupcake and Sprinkles.

Before coming to the shelter, Cookie had been living in a Good Samaritan’s backyard in Wyandanch, according to Grateful Paw. When a snowstorm was looming, the family brought her inside, and Cookie gave birth to her two kittens there.

Once the babies arrived, the family did not know what to do and reached out to the shelter for help. Cookie and her kittens were checked by Grateful Paw’s veterinarian and placed into foster care until they were ready to come to the shelter.

Cupcake and Sprinkles quickly found forever homes.

Cookie remained.

Now, for the first time, Cookie is getting the chance to simply be a young cat, the shelter said.

She has adjusted well to shelter life and gets along with everyone, according to Grateful Paw. Cookie can be reserved at first, but once she relaxes, she seeks affection and attention.

Chin scratches, head rubs and back scratches are the fastest way to win her over, the shelter said.

Cookie also loves lounging on top of the cat condos, watching the world outside, curling up for cozy naps and chasing a fishing pole toy with a little worm attached.

“She never seems to get tired of chasing it,” the shelter said.

Sarabi, a soft muted calico with soulful eyes, arrived at the shelter in April with her last remaining kitten. Two of her other kittens had already been adopted before Grateful Paw was able to step in, the shelter said.

The shelter believes Sarabi once belonged to a family and was later turned outside.

“Her life had not always been kind or stable,” Grateful Paw said.

Despite that, Sarabi loves people.

She greets visitors with cheerful chatter when they walk into the room, the shelter said. If someone bends over to pick something up, Sarabi may jump onto their back to supervise.

As a mother, Sarabi was exceptional, according to Grateful Paw. After being checked by the shelter’s veterinarian, she and her little boy went into foster care until they were ready for adoption.

About two months after arriving at the shelter, Sarabi’s son was adopted.

Sarabi is still waiting.

Sarabi is playful, affectionate and photogenic, the shelter said. She loves the red laser toy and adores attention from people.

Grateful Paw said Sarabi would prefer to be the only cat in a home, where she can receive all the love and attention she deserves. The shelter said “the jury is still out” on her interactions with the other cats in the room.

Then there is Miel, a soft brown tabby with “mesmerizing eyes,” the shelter said.

Miel was only 1 year old when she arrived at Grateful Paw in April with five babies who were just 15 days old.

She had been living in a cat colony when a compassionate feeder recognized how young and vulnerable she was, the shelter said. The feeder brought Miel into her home, but with other animals already in her care, she became overwhelmed.

Grateful Paw stepped in to give Miel and her babies the care they needed.

Miel and her five kittens went into foster care, where the young mother did “an absolutely amazing job” raising her babies, the shelter said.

One by one, all five kittens found forever homes.

Miel is still waiting.

“It’s hard to understand how this beautiful girl keeps getting overlooked because she looks like a kitten herself,” the shelter said.

Miel loves being petted, having her face rubbed and being brushed. She is gentle, affectionate and chatty, according to Grateful Paw.

She also loves to play and can bat toys around the room with her special paws. Miel is polydactyl, with 22 toes.

Miel gets along well with other cats and has peacefully coexisted with dogs, the shelter said.

Grateful Paw said Cookie, Sarabi and Miel are all less than a year and a half old, and may surprise visitors with how small they are.

“They look like kittens themselves — because in so many ways, they still are,” the shelter said.

The shelter said the three cats should not have to spend their youth waiting after their babies have all gone home.

“They deserve a soft place to sleep,” Grateful Paw said. “They deserve someone to call their own. They deserve to be spoiled, adored and loved for the rest of their lives.”

All three cats have tested negative for FeLV and FIV, tested negative for parasites, had their eyes, ears and hearts checked by the shelter’s veterinarian, are litter-box trained, up to date on vaccines, spayed and microchipped.

Those interested in meeting Cookie, Sarabi or Miel can call Grateful Paw Cat Shelter at 631-757-4517 or email cats@laphuntington.org. People can also follow the shelter on Facebook or visit in person.

The shelter is located at 3 Verleye Ave. in East Northport and is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., with Thursday evening visits from 7 to 9 p.m. by appointment.

“Maybe the family who walks through our doors next will be the family who finally says, ‘You’re the one we’ve been waiting for,’” the shelter said. "Cookie, Sarabi and Miel are still waiting for their own happily-ever-after."