Special Delivery: Santa Barbara Humane Receives a Feline Surprise

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It’s not unusual for staff at Santa Barbara Humane to find packages at the shelter when they arrive in the morning. Generous donors frequently leave blankets, pet food, and other supplies near the door to help animals in need. But one sunny July day, staff at the Santa Maria campus were greeted by a different kind of unexpected surprise: a cat left abandoned in a cardboard box. 

It quickly became apparent that the orange tabby, now known as Tesla, had more surprises in store. Veterinary staff discovered that the sweet and shy one-year-old cat was pregnant. And sure enough, as the animal care team did their closing walk-through a few days later, they saw Tesla was in labor. 

Thankfully, pregnant cats, often referred to as ‘queens,’ are very capable of delivering without assistance, so the staff only needed to keep Tesla comfortable and ensure she had plenty of food and water. 

A few hours later, kittens Galaxy, Comet, Nebula, and Eclipse were born. Once Tesla and her kittens had received a thorough veterinary examination, a foster volunteer welcomed them into her home where they could thrive in a quiet and stress-free environment. To keep the mama and kittens happy and healthy, Santa Barbara Humane provided all the supplies the foster volunteer might need, including food, kitty litter and a box, medical care, and even a digital scale to monitor the kittens’ growth. 

Seven weeks later, Tesla and her kittens returned to Santa Barbara Humane to be spayed/neutered. The kittens were quickly adopted, but beautiful Tesla, now happily relieved of her motherhood duties for life, still awaits a family to love. 

Tesla’s profile can be viewed at Santa Barbara Humane’s website: sbhumane.org. She is currently available for adoption at the Santa Barbara location. Anyone interested in adopting Tesla is encouraged to come to Santa Barbara Humane’s cat and kitten walk-in adoption hours Friday-Sunday from 12-4 PM. If you cannot make it during those hours, please email Adopt@sbhumane.org or call (805) 964-4777 to make an adoption appointment.