Meet Sky.

Sky is an approximately 4-year-old mama cat who was reportedly dropped off in this area about three years ago—pregnant and left to fend for herself.

I recently moved to the area, and my neighbors told me that Sky's kittens from that pregnancy eventually took up with residents farther down the road, but no one was ever able to catch Sky. She remained outside and continued living largely on her own.

When I arrived, I started feeding her and slowly trying to earn her trust.

And then something happened that I wasn't expecting.

Sky brought me her babies.

When her four kittens were about five weeks old, she brought them to me. I can't really describe what that meant to me. This little cat who had survived outside for years and had learned to be cautious around people trusted me enough to bring her babies somewhere she apparently believed they would be safe.

From that point on, I couldn't turn my back on them.

I converted an old dog kennel into a makeshift catio so I could keep Sky and her kittens protected. It also allowed me to keep Sky separated from male cats while I work toward getting her spayed so she never has to go through another pregnancy.

Her four kittens are now about 9 weeks old. They have been weaned and separated from their mama into a second catio, which means even more food, supplies, cleaning and daily care.

But Sky and her babies aren't the only cats I'm helping.

I'm also feeding three approximately 6-month-old juvenile males who are quite feral. They are fed twice every day, and I'm slowly working on earning their trust so that hopefully I can eventually get them the care they need and have them neutered as well.

And then there is an approximately 3-year-old male cat who had belonged to an elderly neighbor who could no longer care for him and let him outside. He now depends on me for care too.

That brings the total to 9 cats.

I didn't move here planning to take on a little cat rescue. But these animals were already here, and once they began depending on me, I couldn't simply look the other way.

I've been paying for their food, shelter and care myself, but caring for nine cats has started to become a genuine financial hardship. I'm asking for some help so that I can continue doing this responsibly.

Donations will help provide food, flea and parasite prevention, vaccinations, veterinary care, and most importantly, spaying and neutering. Getting these cats fixed is one of my biggest priorities because I don't just want to feed the cats who are here today—I want to help stop the cycle that created this situation in the first place.

My immediate goal is to get Sky spayed and get all of these cats on the path toward being healthy, vaccinated and spayed or neutered.

I'm not a rescue organization. I'm simply one person who found herself in a situation where some animals needed help, and I'm doing the best I can for them.

If you can donate—even $5, $10 or the cost of a bag of cat food—it will help. And if donating isn't possible, simply sharing this fundraiser could help tremendously.

Every dollar raised will go toward the care of these cats.

Sky trusted me with her babies.

I'm going to do everything I can to live up to that trust. ❤️