Bonding
Bachelor parties are known for being wild. They usually consist of a group of guys drinking, bonding, and having a good time together.
But when a group of friends decided to go to an isolated cabin in the woods for their friend's bachelor's party, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
Change Of Plans
As soon as they arrived at the cabin, one of the guys' dogs immediately started sniff around. Once the dog had picked up a scent, they all watched as she took off into the distance.
As they went to follow her, they found something that completely changed their plans for the weekend.
Strong Nose
Everyone knows that dogs have strong noses. One thing that worries a lot of dog owners is that once a dog picks up a scent, they will follow it for miles on end.
It's always best to keep up with them, and hope that they don't get into trouble before you can catch up to them.
Never Imagined
They didn't think any harm would come from bringing the dog along on their trip. They couldn't have known that it would change their entire weekend and all of their plans.
Even though things didn't go according to plan, they would never want to change a thing. So what did they find?
Ran Off
No one had any problems with their friend's dog joining them. But they were all surprised when suddenly rushed off into the woods as soon as they got there.
Her owner was confused, it was unlike her to just run off like that.
Catching Up
They lost her, but eventually they all caught up to her after minutes of calling her name. She was behaving differently.
She was fixated on a metal boat that was turned upside down. She seemed to be interested in what was underneath it. She refused to leave it alone.
Recovery
The men took a second to catch their breath before they tried pulling her away from the boat. They expected her to give in and to go back to the cabin with them so they could start their bachelor party.
But she refused to leave the boat.
All Her Attention
All her attention was on the boat, she completely ignored the guys. She was whining and circling around the boat. She was scratching at it and trying to life it with her snoot.
It was obvious that she wanted what was under the boat. But what was it?
Revealed
The men started to grow curious. They also wanted to see what was under the boat. The dog's owner approached the boat and began gently flipping it over.
That's when they found something that made them jump.
Strange Act
Under the boat were abandoned kittens. They couldn't believe the dog had smelled them from so far away and lead them all the way over to them.
She wanted the men to find the kittens.
Questions
But what had happened? How long the poor kittens had been stuck under the boat remained a mystery. And whether the tiny kittens had been abandoned by their mother or if their mother had passed away, it was impossible to tell.
But the group of men knew that they had to do something!
In Shape
The men dropped to their knees and inspected the kittens. No matter what the answers to the mysteries were, the good news was that the kittens were not only in good health but, thankfully, they seemed to be in good shape still.
In fact, the little balls of fluff seemed to be as healthy as kittens who lived in loving homes.
Cats And Dogs
Normally, when you think of cats and dogs together, you picture fights, chases, and general chaos. And, even more surprisingly, this particular dog had never met a cat before.
So the men were amazed to see that, instead of chasing them, the dog seemed to be absolutely crazy about their adorable and furry little rescues.
Mom Mode
The dog instantly began to fuss over the kittens. It was clear that her maternal instincts had kicked in and she was focused on caring for the kittens as if they had been her own pups.
On top of that, the kittens didn’t hesitate to walk up to the dog as if they were old friends.
Bath Time
Then, the dog started to lick and bathe the kittens, cleaning the dirt from their fur. When the men lifted up the boat, the kittens’ eyes widened in amazement as they saw the big forest around them.
The men knew that the dog that they had brought along for their trip had certainly saved them from a more unpleasant fate!
Taking Them Home
Now, the only question was what to do with the kittens. The men decided that since they had enough provisions, they would take them back to the cabin and give them a proper meal.
The dog walked proudly beside the men as if she knew the enormity of what she had done for the helpless kittens.
A Warm Meal
The group of friends had intended to make burgers and hotdogs for dinner, but they quickly realized that that was exactly what the kittens needed — meat. They prepared a huge bowl of hamburger meat for their little rescues and watched them happily tuck in.
The dog who had found them also received some meat scraps as a reward– after all, she had earned it!
Abandoned
After waiting around the spot where the kittens were found, the men quickly realized that the mother wasn’t coming back for her kittens. They had no choice but to take matters into their own hands.
It was decided that the first thing the men needed to do was take the kittens to a vet to make sure that there were no health issues.
A Checkup
The vet checked the kittens over and was astounded. He gave them a clean bill of health after numerous tests – just to be sure. The vet and the men were amazed that the kittens were in such good condition, especially given the circumstances and where they were found.
But there was more good news for these two lucky kittens…
Safe And Sound
Shortly after the trip to the vet, both kittens were adopted by two of the group! It was the perfect ending to an eventful weekend. Although the men had to change their plans, they were grateful that they were able to save two lives that day.
The men enjoyed each other’s company, celebrated a bachelor party, and went home with two brand-new family members! But none of the men ever expected their story to go viral.
Taking The Story To Reddit
One of the men uploaded the photos of the adorable kittens on a Reddit thread called “r/aww” with the title “A Boatload of Kittens.”
The Reddit user’s online moniker is “Starting_right_meow,” and most netizens generally thought the story was delightfully wholesome. However, a few thought the whole situation could have been handled better.
What About Their Mother?
‘Any idea about their mother?’ one concerned user asked. And another pointed out that the kittens looked too young to be separated from their mom.
‘Yes, are they somewhere where you could put them back but keep an eye on them in case their mother doesn't come back?’ the user asked, ‘They are so tiny, they could use having a mom around for at least a few more weeks I imagine.’ Had the men actually done the right thing?
Trap, Neuter, Release
One Reddit user pointed out that the men shouldn’t have taken the kittens away from their mother. Instead, they should have followed the TNR (trap, neuter, release) protocol – which is the system feral cat rescue groups use when they come across kittens without homes.
‘You should call a trap neuter release group. They'll use the kittens to get the mother to come back, trap her, let her nurse the kittens, spay her, and then release her. And then find homes for the kittens.’
The Mother Will Be Looking For Them
‘I know everyone here thinks it's great that those kittens are being "rescued", but the mother cat is certainly going to be looking for them (unless something has happened to her),’ the Redditor continued.
‘And the kittens look too young to be taken away from her. Plus that mom cat is going to go and make more babies, and just continue the cycle.’ It wasn’t long before more comments came flooding in to reprimand the men for taking the kittens in.
Online Judgement
Another user commented with disdain: ‘An adult wild cat would not approach you, especially if you have a dog with. Almost certainly, you just kitten-napped those things from a living mother. Oh humans, what a bunch of dumb ass***** we are.’
It wasn’t long before u/Starting_right_meow had to defend his position. But what is the right thing to do when you find abandoned kittens in the wild?
What To Do
According to the Alley Cat Allies’ blog, if you ever find kittens in the wild – no matter how tempting it may be to save them – you should ‘leave them be.’
According to the article, kittens who seem to be abandoned often have a mother who is out hunting nearby. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Exceptions
If the kittens are over eight weeks old, the best thing to do is to have them sterilized and return them to where they were found.
Alternatively, you can foster or adopt them. However, it’s important to make sure the mother is not coming back for her kittens - which is exactly what the men did. u/Starting_right_meow answered all the judgemental replies to defend his position.
Defending His Position
‘We waited around for the mother for quite a while. There was no sign of her. They were feral and we were worried that they might not make it through the cold weather and with winter just around the corner,’ u/Starting_right_meow replied.
‘We took them to a vet and are following instructions to make sure they are properly taken care of. I know it would have probably been better to leave them for the mother, we couldn't just leave them there with other things in mind. Try not to judge too harshly, I just wanted to try to help them.’
They Did The Right Thing
‘While people may think AWWW you're taking the babies away from the mom, the reality of the situation is the kittens need to be taken inside and get the care they need,’ another user with 20 years of experience in rescuing feral kittens replied in agreement.
‘Not to mention when nursing the mom expends a lot of energy just to care for them. hate to say it but she's probably better off just looking after herself. Left alone to grow the kittens will just contribute to the feral cat population anyway.’
What Any Kind-Hearted Person Would Have Done
‘Thank you! The problem with the situation is we were at my camp. It's in the middle of nowhere and we were only there for the weekend. I kept an eye out the whole time for her with no luck. I was worried about posting these pictures because I didn't want to upset anyone,’ u/Starting_right_meow replied.
‘I really just wanted to make sure these little guys had a chance and they would have been on my mind if we had left them. I dare anyone here to say they would have done differently. Look at how cute they are! You lie.’ In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.