Thumblelina was found all alone by herself as a newborn in a backyard in Bridgeport, PA in June of 2024. Luckily, her foster mom worked as a CSR at the vet in town, so when her finder called them, she (being a total sucker for newborn kittens) agreed to take her in and try to help her thrive.
It was me. I am the sucker.
My name is Jen and I'm the founder of Ohana Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, and, luckily for her, I was on the phones that night in June. Thumblelina crashed into my life that evening, and I will say - the impression she has made on me and my home since then has been larger than life.
I wont lie and say her beginning was easy. When she arrived to me her temperature barely read on the thermometer, and she was listless and lethargic. As a veteran bottle-feeding foster parent, I knew her odds were not good. But, hour by hour, she started to respond more and more, and by my second attempt a few hours later, she was up and eating. It was a small step in the right direction.
From there, she took off running.
Her baby days were spent commuting with me to work every day and being fed and loved on by everyone who met her at the vet practice where I work. Her tiny carrier eventually upgraded to a larger one with wheels. My coworker affectionately called it her "mobile home", and Thumblelina took that ownership literally. In fact, she took many things literally, especially when I called her the 'strongest kitten that ever was' because once she started eating on her own, she never looked back at the weakness that plagued her baby days.
Soon, tiny needle teeth started to erupt from her mouth, and we were the innocent bystanders of her wrath. She bit anything and everything that came within reach of her tiny jaws. She had every intention to be playful, but something Thumblelina is not very good at is measuring her strength.... so some of the 'playfulness' was most definitely felt by our poor fingers.
We dubbed her "Thumblelina the Vicious" and she continued to grow and play and attack and pounce on hands, legs, fingers, and toes with absolute kitten-glee.
As time wore on, we realized her appetite for flesh had to be curbed. We could not be adopting out a kitten to a family where she would then feast on their appendages. We needed a way to tame the wild beast.
Fortunately, because I am (see above) a sucker, a few weeks after Thumblelina came to me, I took in three little tabbies to eventually be her foster littermates. This crew was kept separate for several weeks to avoid any disease transmission, and once they were weaned onto regular kitten food, I introduced them to her.
The night we did this shall naught be forgotten.
The scream that came from Thumblelina upon first meeting her foster brothers and sisters is like nothing I have ever heard come from a kitten of only 8 weeks. It was like she was filled with the hatred of a thousand suns.
How DARE I invite more felines into HER space???
They were ursurpers!
They were REPROBATES!
They were BENEATH HER!
She was ANGRY!
....And they, understandably, were quite shocked at her fury.
The first week was rocky.
I'd put the tabby crew into a large pen, and Thumblelina would sit outside of the pen, growling, hissing, and throwing every cat-curse-word in the book at her hapless foster siblings. Luckily, they learned to ignore her. But this did not stop her endless complaining.
It took around 2.5 to 3 weeks for Thumblelina to finally acclimate to the tabby crew, and, because he was the largest and bravest of the litter, she set her laser-gun focus on Astro.
He was to be the sacrifical lamb to her nefarious intent to rule ALL CATS.
Astro and Thumblelina immediately started wrestling.
They did not stop until I unwrapped them from each other to go back to their pens at the end of the night.
When the tabbies were out, Astro and Thumblina were at war.
Why do I tell you the story of Astro and Thumbelina? Only as a warning to her very real and terrible power. This ridiculously cute kitten, all 2.5 pounds of her, managed to play so ferociously with her foster brother, that she bit him hard enough to create an abscess that soon made poor Astro look like the "Hunch-Neck Cat of Cat-er-dame".
Since Astro is a tough kitty, and we caught it early, the abscess was lanced, drained, and antibiotics were given that cleared the infection.
The site healed and you wouldn't know it ever happened.
But to be sure, Thumblelina made her power known.
Her sass is unmatched.
Her audacity is otherworldly.
She is, unforgettable... in all ways.
Can Thumblelina live with other cats?
Yes! In fact, she should.
Will she make it known how terrible it is that she must acclimate to a new 'servant' (not you, the other cat)?
Absolutely.
Another cat is the only thing that will redeem her ability to be the biggest cat-diva ever.
If you choose to take her on her own, you do so at your own risk.
If you adopt Thumblelina as a single cat, know that she will give you every reason to potentially regret it. (You'll love her though, because you are probably also a sucker).
It may involve broken keepsakes (You'll forgive her though, because again, sucker).
It may involve being pounced on at 3am (toes or head, she does not discriminate - which you will yell at her for, but then feel bad about because .... well you know).
It may involve you having various nicknames for her that are not to be mentioned amongst mixed company...(you'll also have a ton of GOOD names too, though)
It will most DEFINITELY involve some sedating drugs at vet appointments in the future (she already screams as if she's being flayed alive when she gets a simple vaccine - the lamentations she wallowed in after her spay surgery will go down in history in my house).
She has lived with my children, who are weathered pet owning kids of 11 and 9, respectively. They are incredibly cat-savvy. I very much encourage any interested adopters that have kids, to ensure that they are cat-savvy as well. Kids who understand boundaries will be the greatest match for her.
Those who don't wont last very long under her rule.
She has also lived with two large dogs.
She doesn't like them much at all.
However, they leave her be and we all coexist peacefully. If you have a dog that could leave her be, she would likely accept him or her as an additional servant in her royal entourage.
Lets be real. Thumblelina is not A queen, she is THE Queen.
She is the ONLY Queen.
She demands to be treated as such.
If you think you can handle it, I encourage you to reach out for an application.
She'll be waiting....
*All jokes aside, she does have a very sweet side. Shes probably 65% sass, 30% love, and 5% fury. She is a one-of-a-kind kitten who deserves a one-of-a-kind home. ♥
**Thumblelina will be spayed, microchipped, fully vaccinated, dewormed, and tested neg for felv/fiv prior to adoption. She is ready for her new home now, but exceptions will be made if she is adopted closer to Thanksgiving to ensure she goes home at a time when its calm and appropriate.
Application, screening, and adoption fee applies. Email
[email protected] to get started!!
