Cats are truly amazing and never cease to surprise us. Take Musya for instance, who almost gave a heart attack to her owner... twice! She managed to surprise not only her owner but a whole team of vets! She shocked everyone when she was found in her bed, nursing her babies.
The favorite resident of the Sadgorod Zoo in Russia was Musya the cat. She turned one year old and had been acting strangely before, but this time she was pregnant and everyone was making sure Musya felt safe before giving birth. It all started when she went missing.
Musya Disappeared
Although she waddled around the petting zoo, Musya was always around someone. Now, the staff was anxious because she disappeared.
At the zoo, there were more than raccoons, geese and chicken. There were also tigers, lions, bears, monkeys and other animals that may put Musya’s life in danger… They began searching for her.
Musya Became a Resident of the Zoo By Mistake
She was found by zookeeper Alice when she got to work. During a cold winter morning, Alice noticed something black moving among the snow.
At first, she didn't pay attention, thinking that it was just a small pile of dirt, and kept walking but then out of a sudden, it started moving.
It Wasn’t a Small Pile of Dirt!
It was a tiny black kitty, almost frozen! Icicles stuck on her nose and barely moving. Alice realized she had to act immediately and did the right thing.
She decided to help. This adorable kitty challenged the vets at the zoo those first few days…
A Tiny Baby
Alice took the kitty in her jacket and ran inside, looking for the vets. They did everything to keep the tiny cat alive, but only time would tell if she would make it.
To everyone’s surprise, the tiny kitty made it through the first night, and then as days passed, she grew stronger. The keepers kept Musya in the staff room and always came inside to check on her and cuddle the tiny ball of fur.
She Was One Of Them
Musya was the beloved cat of the whole staff at the zoo and she slowly got strong to run around every day. But the staff realized she was in danger!
All cats want to explore, and Musya managed to take a peek outside the staff room and look through the window. She was wild animals afar, on the other side of the window… One day, Musya slipped out when the door was opened…
Walking Out
Alice had taken Musya out on short walks on a leash, fearing she may slip in the wrong enclosure. They’ve managed to do that for nearly a year.
But now that she was out, everyone wondered what would happen to her. Two days of searching for Musya, Alice looked in different enclosures, hoping the cat didn’t reach the crocodiles.
They Had No Idea What Musya Was Up To
Remember that Musya was pregnant. This made the zookeepers increasingly worried as if Musya gave birth without their supervision, her life would be at risk.
Little did they know Musya would give them the surprise of their lives.
A Warning
Everyone at the zoo hoped Musya was safe, but had known she was going to be in danger. Alice had been warned that Musya may not return, but she still had hope.
Sometimes, it’s good to have faith. Alice continued her search and Musya was indeed back at the zoo!
Back Home
Eventually, Musya came back home two days later and pawed at the glass door to enter the staff room. Alice cried when she saw the beloved cat safe and sound. But that's when things started to get weird.
She even considered finding a home for the cat, but saying goodbye was difficult so Musya remained at the zoo. Soon enough, Alice would learn that Musya was not exactly the same…
She Changed
A few weeks after getting back at the zoo, Musya changed. She got cranky and lethargic, and it was weird. Alice was spending a lot of time by her side trying to realize what was up.
Before leaving the zoo, the cat was playful and always up to no good. Now it seemed like she was just lazy and didn’t even want to go outside the room when Alice opened the door. What was happening?
A Different Cat
Musya was like a totally different cat. When she decided to go out, she just lied on the ground. Something had changed, and Alice noticed it but couldn’t find an explanation for this new behavior.
Her sweet playful cat was ‘broken.’ It was as if Musya lost interest in the outside world. Nobody could have guessed the reason why she acted like this.
Musya Was Missing, Again!
One day, after Alice returned to the staff room to have a hot cup of tea, she looked for Musya to cuddle her. Calling her cat, Alice realized that the room was completely empty!
Musya was again missing and the weather outside was terrible! Rain started to fall heavier than usual. Then, Alice hear the thunder!
Searching For the Cat
This time, Alice and the other keepers knew that Musya needed to be brought back inside. They took flashlights and started searching for her.
Looking through every nook and cranny at the zoo, the keepers kept silent, waiting to hear a meow. They were sure that Musya was around there somewhere…
In The Woods
Outside the zoo, there were cars and some parking spaces, so Musya couldn’t have found a place to hide. She had to be at the zoo, thought Alice. Then, she heard a cry.
Just past the lion enclosure, in the wood area, Alice and some of the keepers heard noises coming from a bush. A pair of eyes could be seen when Alice pointed the flashlight at the bush. There she was!
She Was Not Alone
Deep in that brush, Musya sat peacefully, but she wasn’t all alone. Something crawled on her chest! Alice took a better look and couldn’t believe her eyes!
Musya had always been fluffy so nobody noticed that the cat was actually pregnant! With her, there were four newborn kittens meowing. But here’s what shocked the keepers…
Surprising Everyone
However, aside from Musya stunning everyone when they saw her kittens, what really amazed everyone was that something else crawled up her chest!
Those were baby hedgehogs! Alice and the keepers had no idea what to do next, but they knew they couldn’t leave them there…
Getting a Box
One of the keepers went back to get a box and a blanket to get Musya and her furry and spikey babies to safety. One by one, Alice placed them in the box and headed to the vet room.
Now everyone had more questions than before starting to look for the cat!
A Mom
Alice put the box of babies and brought Musya to the vet and when he looked at the box, he frowned a little and then started laughing.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said and started looking at Musya and her babies. He decided to separate the kittens from the hedgehogs and left the room to talk to Alice.
She Wanted To Be With Them
But once Musya was left alone with the two boxes, she decided to get her kittens and move them into the box with the hedgehog babies.
She sat with them all and purred, letting all the babies suckle and cuddle with her for heat. Alice came back and saw the group once again huddled together and that’s when she realized it…
Adoptive Mom
Musya decided to become a mom to all eight hedgehog babies! Alice was amazed but worried that the kittens may not be safe around the pricks of the baby hedgehogs.
She separated them again and tried bottle feed the hedgehogs. However, they refused and Alice realized she had to return them to Musya.
Together Again
Although Alice believed the baby hedgehogs were not exactly safe for Musya and her kittens, the cat wanted to nurse and take care of them all.
Later, Alice found out the origin of the hedgehogs. It seems their mom may have gotten in an accident at the zoo. She did recall that tragic lawnmower incident…
Starving
The baby hedgehogs had been alone for a few days before Musya found them. They must have been starving before she claimed them as her own.
Nobody knew whether she had rescued them before or after she gave birth to her kittens. So what happened to this odd “cat” family?
Raising Hedgehogs
Not even once had Musya been stung by her baby hedgehogs! She raised them like her own and Alice helped her as much as she could.
The staff helped her set up an enclosure for the new family just outside the staff room and when Musya’s story went online, it went viral!
People Were Speechless
Sharing all these cute photos of Musya nursing her prickly babies had stunned plenty of people. Cat lovers around the world were praising Musya and dog-lovers agreed that she was a very gentle mom.
Without knowing, Muysa has showed the same kindness Alice did when she saved her from the freezing weather a year earlier.
A Big Family
Now, the baby hedgehogs are adults and Musya guards them every day, showing up at their enclosure and making sure they’re all right.
This has been quite a story! What would you have done if you had discovered your cat decided to adopt eight hedgehogs?