Tails Linked In Solidarity, Bonded Cats Pair Up & Raise Their 8 Kittens Together

By: Kelli Brinegar
For more than five years, Kelli Brinegar has been using her ability to write and her passion for research to tell the tale of what cats are thinking and why. She has provided care to more than 30 cats in her lifetime.Read more
| November 15, 2021

How do you know when a pair of cats share a bond? Cats who develop a bond want to do everything together. You’ll see them enjoying each other’s company during a meal or curling up for dual napping. Bonded cats also enjoy grooming each other and rubbing their faces together for kitty kisses. Even the play between two bonded felines is gentler.

And, if they’re like sisters Xeno and Ripley, a pair of bonded cats might do something super cute, like twining their tails together while they walk around the shelter!

When it comes to bonded cats, Xeno and Ripley serve as purrfect examples. Assumed to be together since the beginning of their lives, these sweet sisters even raised their litters of kittens as one big happy family. The two moms and their eight kittens are so close, the staff and volunteers of Exploits Valley SPCA aren’t even sure which kittens belong to which mom!

Moms Bond Together

When Xeno and Ripley came to the Exploits Valley SPCA in the Grand Falls area of Newfoundland, Canada, the sisters weren’t even a year old, each of them weighing in at less than four pounds. And between the two of them, they had eight kittens. That’s a big family!

SPCA Volunteer Sarah MacLeod told The Dodo, “Their babies needed a few extra weeks to grow, so we’ve had them in a room to themselves and have been constantly entertained by them.”

“This family is extra small in size but not personality,” shared the SPCA. “The kittens and moms are all super tiny, vocal, friendly and fun.”

Barely out of their baby days themselves, Xeno and Ripley decided it takes a village to raise that many kittens, so the two moms used their bond to create one big happy family.

“They share the kittens completely — one minute all eight could be nursing from either mom,” said Sarah.

Twined Together

This pair of kitty moms usually have their paws full with the kittens, but they still stick together when they get a minute away.

“Xeno & Ripley are so inseparable, they even walk with their tails linked!”

And all twined together, these adorable cats head to the window of their room, because as Sarah said, “They love looking out the glass door into the hallway.”

“They adore people and attention!”

While Xeno and Ripley haven’t found their forever home quite yet, it looks like it won’t be long until they do. According to the SPCA, applications are coming in from all over, including the US. It’s no wonder. Just look at those big, round eyes and tall ears. Xeno and Ripley are two times the cute!

H/T: www.thedodo.com
Feature Image: Exploits Valley SPCA Adoptables/Facebook