A foster cat who was taken in by a Michigan-based rescue has recently received heartbreaking news about her pregnancy.
Maliha the cat, who is only about 2 or 3 years old, was surrendered by her owner. Erin Moore of Animal House of SE MI told Newsweek that the previous owner did not spay her or give her any veterinary care. They decided when Maliha got pregnant that they did not want her to have babies in their home and kicked her out into the streets.
Thankfully, a local dog rescue picked her up and reached out to Moore and her rescue center to take Maliha in. Moore said she was specifically asked to give the cat a home as she has previous experience working at an emergency vet. She has also dealt with pregnancies and special-needs cats and kittens.
However, in her March 7 TikTok video posted to the account @emookitkats, Moore took Maliha to the vet, knowing in her heart something was wrong with the cat and her pregnancy.
@emookitkats/TikTok
Moore started noticing unusual pregnancy signs within two days of taking Maliha in. She wasn’t as food-motivated, and her belly started to feel soft.
“Around day five, she started slimming down and losing her belly while having some discharge,” Moore said. “That was when I knew my intuition was right and something was wrong.”
An X-ray at the vet’s confirmed to Moore the heartbreaking news that the cat had a miscarriage. These are relatively common in felines, according to Vet Explains Pets. It is estimated around 25 percent of cat pregnancies may end in miscarriage.
The following day, Moore made an appointment to get Maliha spayed, updated on vaccines and a microchip, and tested for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV).
Unfortunately, the test revealed that Maliha tested positive for FeLV. Although the cat tested positive, Moore said it is a feline-only virus that cannot be transmitted to humans. They can live for many years without serious symptoms, and a positive test result does not mean it should be a death sentence.
On Wednesday, Maliha got further tests to determine whether it was a progressive or regressive strain of the virus. Moore said that, if the test comes back as progressive, Maliha will remain FeLV antigen-positive and could potentially infect other cats through saliva and sharing food bowls. The regressive type does not typically spread to other cats. There could be a negative test in the future if it comes back as regressive.
However, for now, Maliha is getting much-needed belly rubs, love, and attention.
“She is in good spirits and hoping to find her forever home soon!” Moore said.
The heartbreaking TikTok clip was viewed over 12,900 times with more than 1,090 likes and 43 comments as of Friday.
“She’s so beautiful I’m sorry momma for the pain you had,” wrote one viewer.
Another added: “I’m so glad she had you to protect her! Thank you for advocating for her.”
A third person posted: “Aww beautiful girl. Glad she’s in good hands.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.