ROY, Wash. — A mother cat and her four kittens are looking for new homes after they were rescued from a mailbox in Roy, according to rescue volunteers.
Volunteers told KIRO 7 it happened earlier this month outside a post office.
A young female cat was found with her four babies, who were only a few weeks old.
“Can you imagine to be just dumped in a box like that, blackness, and not know where you are and be with your brand new babies?” said Brianne Kelley, who is fostering the cats with her organization Friends of Ralphie Foster.
The rescue and care is being overseen by the Eatonville Kitten Mission, a group that specializes in rescue and rehabilitation.
The kittens have been aptly named as Address (Addy), Posty, Shippy and Zippy. Their mom has been named Envelope (Envy).
Donations have already poured in to help, guaranteeing that each of the kittens and their mother can be spayed and neutered before being adopted. All of them are still looking for forever homes.
“It takes a village,” said Kay Herron with the rescue. “The more people that help, the better work we can do.”
Herron said the rescue is currently caring for more than 30 cats, which is an “overwhelming amount” for the small group.
“We would love to find more fosters,” Herron said.
Kelley’s organization, Friends of Ralphie Foster, is fostering several too on behalf of area rescues.
“Even if you think you can’t foster because, ‘Oh, I could never give them up. I could never give them away, I’d fall in love.’ You are the type of person that should foster,” Kelley said.
Both organizations are seeing an influx of animals coming in, as surrenders increase after the pandemic and people fail to spay and neuter their cats.
“Cats can have eight to 10 babies in a single litter,” Herron said. “One cat can result in 122 cats in a single year.”
“People are desperate to find shelters that’ll take them,” Kelley said. “Everyone is full.”
Both groups could use help with fosters, donations of cat food and litter, and monetary help, too.
You can learn more about adopting the cats or about foster opportunities through Eatonville Kitten Mission’s social media here. You can donate to them on Venmo here.
You can also donate to Friends of Ralphie Foster, or sign up for kitten socialization time (donations appreciated, but not required). More information can be found here.
©2025 Cox Media Group
