When Mary MacIsaac welcomed two mama cats and their seven kittens into her home, she expected to provide a safe place for them to grow and thrive.
What she didn’t expect was to witness one of the most extraordinary foster experiences of her life.
“Fostering Clo and Tiny Dancer was the loveliest, happiest experience I’ve had with fostering with the Nova Scotia SPCA – and that’s saying something because there have been sooo many,” smiled Mary.
As a volunteer with the Colchester SPCA Shelter and a foster parent to more than 150 pets, Mary has seen a lot over the years. But there was something special about Tiny Dancer, a three-year-old tabby, and Clo, a young tortoiseshell cat who was only about a year old. Barely out of kittenhood herself, Clo was already raising babies of her own.
The pair arrived at the shelter with their combined litter of seven babies and needed a foster home right away. Within hours, Mary had opened both her home and her heart to them.
From the moment they arrived, it was clear that Tiny Dancer and Clo weren’t just sharing space… they were sharing motherhood.
“I had prepared two nursing boxes, thinking the mummies would appreciate some space, but I needn’t have bothered,” Mary recalled. “All nine of them were in the same box immediately.”
And that was only the beginning.
The two cats co-nursed the kittens, co-parented them, and rarely left each other’s side. There was no competition, no territorial behaviour, and no concern over whose kitten was whose. Instead, they functioned as one big happy family.
“These mummies never seemed to need or want space from the commotion,” explained Mary. “They were inseparable. While nursing, the mums would groom each other. They would take turns eating and coming up onto the bed with me for a stretch and pats, which made it nearly impossible to drag myself out of the room.”
For the next 80 days, Mary had a front-row seat to a beautiful display of trust, teamwork, and unconditional love.
“They loved me and any other human that came to see them,” Mary grinned. “They had no anxiety about new faces, even with seven babies to protect. The babies thrived with their mummies. I remember how they loved being cuddled from early on, which I’m sure is due to their confident, peaceful mums.”
Soon, the entire family had relocated their nursery to Mary’s bed.
“As the babies grew and started trying to navigate, the first place they did was climb up onto the bed with me,” laughed Mary. “The girls weren’t at all anxious about the littles getting out and would relocate their nursery up on the bed with me. I often dozed off to the purring and biscuit-making times nine. The first time a baby toddled off the end of the bed, Clo looked at me as if to say, ‘Are you going to get him or am I?’”
Looking back, it wasn’t just the cute kittens that made the experience memorable. It was the relationship between the two mothers. Watching them nurture, comfort, and support one another while raising their babies together was something Mary will never forget.
“I’ll always remember that perfect time,” Mary gushed. “Once in the kitten room, anything that was on your mind would evaporate.”
For foster volunteers, moments like these are one of the many rewards. And the benefits don’t stop there. Fostering gives pets like Clo, Tiny Dancer, and their babies the opportunity to thrive in a family setting, while helping ensure shelters can focus their specialized care on pets who need it most.
Eventually, the kittens were weaned, and it was time for Tiny Dancer and Clo to begin their next chapter.
After only two days on the adoption floor, they found a loving home. Together. For Mary, and the entire team at the Nova Scotia SPCA, there could have been no better ending.
“They were inseparable, which makes it so special that some wonderful person was able to take them together,” Mary shared. “It was a gift to be able to be part of that little family for a little while.”
That wonderful couple was Murray and Beth.
“Dancer and Cloey have been a blessing and just what we were searching for,” Murray said. “They are part of our everyday life and provide a lot of joy and companionship. Where you find one you are bound to find the other.”
Looking back, it’s hard not to think of the old saying: it takes a village.
The shelter provided support. Donors provided medical care and supplies. Mary provided a home. Murray and Beth provided a future.
Each played a different role, but together they became a village that changed nine lives.