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I was walking by a barn on our property when I heard a kitten cry. There are many cats in the area, and I figured one of them had a litter of kittens in the barn. I didn’t think much about it until I walked back by the barn and heard the cry, but more frantic.

PHOTO: PIXABAY / IHTARA heartwarming kitten story will lift anyone's blues away!

I climbed into the loft and found one lonely kitten, but I was reluctant to take it. I didn’t know if mom might have been in the process of moving them. I waited until near dark and it was getting cold. I couldn’t take it any longer. I didn’t know if the mom abandoned this one for some reason. I already had 12 cats that had been dropped off on my property and was in the process of having them fixed and released, I didn’t need another mouth to feed, but I knew she wouldn’t make it without me.

This little pitiful thing was no bigger than my hand and didn’t even have its eyes open. I had bought milk and a bottle in case the mom hadn’t come back... and she didn't. So I scooped the little thing up, took her inside and got her a bottle ready. The struggle was real. She hated the bottle and fought me tooth and claw every time I fed her, which was every two hours. She would bite and claw the bottle and try chewing the nipples off.

I had to learn quickly how to make a little kitten go poo, which was not fun! I had every intention of finding her a good home. That good home ended up being mine. After bottle feeding my little Rainy May, I just couldn’t let her go.

PHOTO: HEATHER FROM KINGSPORT, TN

Fast forward four years and I wouldn’t take anything for her. I didn’t really find her, she found me and I’m so very glad she did. She is now an indoor cat, and she makes me laugh at least 10 times a day. It was exhausting in the beginning, but she's worth every minute of it. I love my Rainy May!

Story submitted by Heather from Kingsport, Tennessee.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!