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By Liz O'Connell
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A woman moving into her first apartment finally could adopt a fur baby, but what she ended up getting a month later was more than she bargained for.
Caroline, who runs the TikTok account @toulouse.and.pintobean, told Newsweek via email that she first brought home her ragdoll cat, Toulouse, in November 2023. She wanted to find an ethical way to acquire this popular cat breed and found one breeder who was retiring her cats. Toulouse instantly caught her eye. But about a month after welcoming her home, Toulouse began to gain weight.
"I noticed her belly looking round, and she also seemed to be vomiting more frequently than normal for a cat," she said. "Once she kept gaining weight, I started to think about plausible causes."
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Knowing she came from a breeder, Caroline reached out to ask if pregnancy could be a possibility. The breeder said she tried to keep the males and females separate, but it wasn't impossible. A gut feeling came over Caroline; Toulouse had to be pregnant, and a vet visit confirmed it.
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In her October 20 TikTok video under the account @toulouse.and.pintobean, Caroline documented the journey from bringing Toulouse home to the arrival of her four kittens. She went from moving into her first apartment post-graduation to becoming a fur grandparent in the blink of an eye.
"I was so surprised but also so excited!" Caroline said. "I knew I was in for quite the experience, but I was ready."
Caring for a pregnant cat and her babies requires attention to details. These moms-to-be should have a quiet, comfortable spot in the home, filled with cat blankets, towels, old sheets lining a cardboard box or a covered cat bed, according to an article on PetMD. They will need a high-calorie diet to help develop the babies.
After the birth, dry the kittens and ensure their noses and mouths are clear. Healthy kittens will need minimal assistance in finding their first meal, but monitor them and the mother cat to ensure she's following normal nursing behaviors.
Caroline had the kittens for about 12 weeks. She said it was a "surreal" experience having five cats at once, but Toulouse was an excellent mom, caring for each baby almost entirely by herself, until they could start walking and eating on their own.
She gave the kittens to her close friends to ensure they would be in good hands. Plus, she wanted to see the babies from time to time.
"But, I did keep one, of course!" she said.
Viewer Reactions
The TikTok video instantly went viral, reaching more than 4.7 million views, 993,330 likes and 6,321 comments as of Friday. Jealousy crept in for some users, as they wished this had happened to them. A few said they would've kept them all. However, others wondered how the pregnancy occurred.
"Oh, so she was semi-retired! One last shift!" wrote a viewer, while a second added: "You became a mom and a grandma so quickly."
Someone else wondered: "I’m just confused why the breeder did not have her spayed before retiring her. I fear that is common practice to ensure their cats are not used for more breeding."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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