I want to introduce you to Penelope, and her story is one that will break your heart before it warms it.

I received a call from a friend about a cat who had been seen outside an apartment building for about six days. During that time, someone had been throwing rocks at her and had allowed their dog to try and chase her off-leash. Despite all of that, Penelope kept coming back, waiting at the door of the building, day after day.

She was sweet. She was friendly. And she had nowhere else to go.

When Penelope was finally rescued, it was suspected she might be pregnant. After a vet visit, the truth was more heartbreaking: Penelope wasn’t pregnant, she had already had her kittens, roughly five weeks earlier, and was still actively lactating.

That meant her babies were out there somewhere.

A team of six dedicated volunteers and kind humans spent two days searching the area around that apartment building, covering every corner, pipe and bush they could find. They came up empty. Penelope was even put on a harness to see if she could lead them to the kittens but with no luck. The kittens have not been located.

Here’s what we believe happened.

Penelope’s demeanor tells the story. She is gentle, trusting, and comfortable around people, all signs that she was someone’s pet, not a stray who had been surviving on her own. Our best guess, based on everything we know: someone took her in, allowed her to get pregnant, let her have her kittens, and then, once the kittens were four weeks old and could survive without her, they dumped Penelope outside and kept the babies.

We wish we could say this is rare. It isn’t.

This kind of abandonment happens more often than most people realize, and it is devastating every single time. A mother cat, who did nothing wrong was discarded like she no longer had value the moment her kittens no longer needed her.

The man who was seen throwing rocks at Penelope and unleashing dogs on her has been reported to the building. We want to be clear about something: when you witness animal cruelty, please do not look away. Report it. Say something. Do something. It matters.

As for Penelope, this sweet, resilient mama is now safe, and she is getting the second chance she deserves. We are holding out hope that wherever her kittens are, they are being cared for.

If you would like to adopt Penelope, please reach out to us and we will put you in touch with the foster and rescue.

Penelope waited at that door for six days. The least we can do is open it.