Rescue Cat Whose Kittens Died Finds “Rainbow Baby” in Adopted Family’s Toddler

A cat put on the euthanasia list when she became aggressive after the passing of her kittens has found comfort in her human “rainbow baby” after being adopted by a kindhearted family.

American shorthair tabby Callie was a very young mom at 11 months old and was discovered as a stray on the streets near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, unable to take care of her babies.

She was taken to a local shelter, but after her sick and malnourished kittens passed away shortly after their arrival, Callie became aggressive and visibly upset.

The feline would bite, scratch and hiss at her carers, which resulted in her being deemed unadoptable and placed on the euthanasia list.

But when her shelter put up a social media post about cats facing euthanasia, Callie was chosen as the cover photo – catching the interest of Julia Stuller, who lives near Milwaukee.

Julia had no cats or kids, so she offered to take care of Callie, who was still very aggressive.

Having heard about Callie’s backstory, Julia adopted a kitten, Mocha, for Callie, too, which began to change her attitude.

Callie would follow Julia everywhere and loved to cuddle – but when Julia became pregnant, she worried how Callie might react if Julia’s attention was focused on a child of her own.

But what transpired over the years that followed was quite remarkable, with Callie becoming instantly attached to Julia’s baby, Emma, responding to her cries, wanting to be near her crib, and following her to bed in the evenings.

Julia said she believes Callie saw Emma as her “rainbow baby” and shared a series of videos of the pair online.

In some of the clips, Emma can be seen petting Callie, while, in others, baby monitor footage shows the pair cuddling together.

Julia, who said the family now has eight cats, added: “Most cats won’t go near little kids, but Callie knows my daughter is her baby.

“We don’t let them sleep together for safety reasons.

“It makes me so happy Callie was able to overcome her grief and be a part of our big family of eight cats and a toddler.

“The response has been wonderful – so many people have reached out with their own stories of their cats and babies being together.

“My message behind this video is that animals deserve a second chance; they are too often misjudged, which can lead to euthanasia for the wrong reasons.

“I also think this video responds to the stigma of cats and babies being together as so many people think they need to be separated, or cats need to be out of the home when a baby comes through the door.

“A lot of people give up their cats when they have a baby – I don’t think that is right at all.

“Cats are empathetic and loving creatures with feelings like us.”