Published Mar 20, 2025
Have you ever had an animal do something so sweet, you knew right then that you had to keep them? This is how Mayara Sousa felt when her foster cat crawled into her bed carrying her tiny kitten, then laid down to sleep beside her.
Fiona the cat’s life had been filled with hardship and loss up until that moment, when things finally changed for the better.
Six years on the streets
Though Fiona’s history is unknown, she likely lived the first six years of her life on the streets. During this time, she was accumulating untreated health problems.
When she was finally rescued, she had skin cancer, a bad leg, and rotten teeth. She was also pregnant.
Fiona had to have her ears amputated due to her cancer, and her bad teeth were removed as well.
Tragic losses
Mayara and her husband had been discussing adopting a pet, so she spent a lot of time scrolling Instagram, where she followed many shelters and rescues. This is how she found Fiona, who was pregnant and in bad shape. She needed a foster home urgently, so Mayara and her husband stepped up.
They expected to keep Fiona for a month. She gave birth before they took her in, tragically losing two of the kittens that same night. Another would pass a week later in Mayara’s home.
Finding hope
From the day she arrived in their home, Fiona wanted to stay close to Mayara. Since she and her kittens were so fragile, Mayara kept a careful eye on them, even sleeping on a mattress in her living room to watch over them at night.
After her third kitten died, Fiona brought her remaining baby–later named Taylor–onto the mattress so that the three could sleep together. Mayara says she knew then that she’d be keeping Fiona, and possibly even her kitten.
“These cats are mine now,” she said.
She thinks they chose her more than she chose them. She fondly remembers them crawling all over her and her husband, showering them with affection from the moment they met.
Getting to know the new cats
Mayara describes Fiona as even more rambunctious than her kitten, now that she’s healthy and not in pain. She says that it doesn’t always show on camera, but she’s a super loving cat.
Taylor the kitten, on the other hand, sleeps through the night while his mom stays up pouncing on the humans’ feet. During the day, he’s active and playful. He used to love to be picked up, held, and cuddled, but as he grew, he became a typical teenager–no longer wanting kisses from his human parents!
Mayara says that she always wants to be home with them and misses her cats while she’s gone. They, however, are unbothered when she’s out of the house. She comes home and they’re fast asleep!
If you’d like to see more of Fiona and Taylor, you can find them on Instagram.
