The landscape of Croatia provides picturesque views for its residents, and every day, cat dad Dino enjoys it on a walk with friends. One of their favorite places to take in the scenery is an old church sitting high atop a hill. Just past the church’s graveyard, one can take in a view of the whole town and the mountains that stand sentinel over it. A river runs through the area to complete the stunning sight. It’s no wonder Dino and his friends take this route.
But on one pass through the graveyard, Dino’s daily walk was halted by the sounds of tiny meows. He and his friends looked around but assumed the sound was from a nearby house. Coming back from the hilltop vista, Dino heard the cries again. So, he decided to search the graveyard, following the tiny pleas for help to an open grave. There, he found evidence of cruelty.
Rescued From the Grave
Looking down into the near 10-foot drop of the open grave, Dino spied three tiny kittens cowering together in a corner. Some cruel soul had dumped the babies in the unfinished grave. And southern winds promised rain on the way, which meant the grave would soon fill with water and drown the kittens.
As Dino shared on Reddit, “I get it that some people don’t want more cats, but this is not a way to get rid of them.”
A cat lover to his core, Dino hurried down the ladder left in the deep pit and tucked the kittens into his shirt pocket. Up the ladder and out of the grave, Dino took the kittens home, cleaned them up, and fed them some kitten formula. Soon, he had three grateful kittens waddling around his home.
Inspired by the cartoon Duck Tales, a favorite from his youth, Dino named the furry trio Vlaja, Zlaja, and Raja. (BTW, those ‘j’s are pronounced as a ‘y’ sound. Example, Vlaja is said as Vla-ya.) Sadly though, Raja, which means ‘heaven’ in Croatian, passed away despite Dino and his veterinarian’s doting care. The ordeal had just been too much for the little kitten.
But, brother and sister, Vlaja and Zlaja, were quickly taking over Dino’s house. And his cat, Nera, wasn’t so pleased about the new additions, with Dino telling iHeartCats, “She hates that kittens are taking her place because I call her my Empress, and my house is her empire, and she treats it like that.”
The Empress Keeps an Eye Out
Nera keeps to high perches to keep an eye on the interlopers, but Dino will try to encourage everybody to hang out every once in a while. The kittens are eager for time with Nera, thinking she could provide them a good meal, but she just saunters away. At a year old, the Empress has no time for kittens!
“When I put the kittens next to her, she will lick them for max 30 seconds,” Dino told iHeartCats. “IMO, it’s not because she likes them but because they are contaminating her bed.”
Ah, the persnickety whims of cats!
But, with little Vlaja living up to his name, who could blame Nera for her aloofness?
As Dino explained, “Vlaj means something like a hillbilly or a villager, basically, we say it to someone in Croatia when they are unpleasant, constantly yelling, being loud.”
And this description fits the wild boy well as Dino reports the mini-chonker is “constantly looking to eat more, he meows the loudest out of all, and constantly bites his sister and my cat.” He even once looked Dino straight in the face and made a big, stinky pile on the carpet!
On the other hand, sister Zlaja is a “nice, cute little girl that’s always looking to cuddle and be petted.”
But if this golden-spotted girl doesn’t get her cuddles, “she throws a tantrum and meows angrily.” She’s a purrfect diva!
Empress Nera may not be their biggest fan, but Dino sure cares for the little ones. He plans on keeping them around the house. Thanks to Dino’s kindness, these cute kittens are getting their chance at forever!
Feature Image Courtesy of Dino and his feline friends