Not long after arriving at Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue, two employees and a volunteer noticed a box at the end of the driveway. It was cold out that morning, and the women rushed to retrieve the box and bring it inside. They had a feeling they
knew what was inside, and their suspicions were confirmed by a note written on the cardboard.
It said, “Mom cat 3 BBY kittens CANNOT AFFORD."
“We weren't initially sure what we were dealing with, and we didn't want to risk any of the cats jumping out or getting loose, so we brought the box inside to our Cat Haven before opening it,” Michelle Eastlake, operations manager at Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue, told The Dodo.
The employees opened the box and found exactly what the note had detailed: a beautiful white and brown mama cat and three tiny kittens. Everyone was worried that the family might be struggling from the cold, and there were also no air holes in the box. Thankfully, they were all perfectly OK and the kittens were still warm to the touch.
“We honestly believe whoever left them there may have been waiting for our morning staff and volunteers to arrive,” Eastlake said. “Based on how warm everyone still was when we found them, we're estimating they were outside for only about 20 minutes before we discovered them.”
The mama cat immediately started meowing at her rescuers, relieved to be out of the box and with people who could help her and her tiny family. They named her Croissant, and the babies became Scone, Tart and Macaroon. The kittens were a little scared but still let the staff handle and care for them. It seems they’d all been found just in time — especially considering what happened next.
“The very next day … a gentleman stopped by our rescue with a single kitten he had discovered in his backyard,” Eastlake said. “He hoped we might be able to take the little one in and give him a chance.”
The new kitten was around the same age as Croissant’s kittens. Without a mom to care for him, he would have needed around-the-clock attention from the rescue staff. Instead, they introduced him to Croissant — and she immediately claimed him as one of her own.
“It was one of the sweetest things we've ever witnessed,” Eastlake said. “No hesitation, no introduction period, just an instant acceptance.”
They named the extra kitten Strudel and watched as he began to thrive alongside his new siblings. The entire family is doing so well, and the staff can’t wait to watch them all grow.
