‘This Was My Cue’: New Canaan Woman Adopts Two of Pregnant Stray’s Kittens

After losing her beloved cat Mimi at nearly 15 years old last March, Marian Murphy knew her house needed cats.

She’d had cats since moving to New Canaan more than 40 years ago, but planned to travel overseas in 2021 and wanted to wait to find her next one.

Here’s Elsa before she was secured by neighbors and taken in by Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue. Photo courtesy of New Canaan Police Animal Control

Then the delta variant of COVID-19 virus emerged, making travel difficult.
Murphy read about a pregnant stray cat in New Canaan that gave birth to five healthy kittens—a feline named “Elsa,” since she was discovered on Cross Street at the time the tropical storm of that name that struck Connecticut—and “knew this was my cue.”

“Not only would I be able to get two kittens back to New Canaan where they were conceived but more importantly, my mother’s name had been Elsa also,” Murphy told NewCanaanite.com in an email. “She had passed away in April 2019 and I have not had a chance to see the family since then. Thus in my mind, Elsa’s kittens would create a bridge between my life here and what I had left behind.”

Elsa is up for adoption. Photo courtesy of Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue

She contacted Warren-based Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue, which had taken in Elsa, and for several weeks kept track of the growing litter, eventually adopting a male (whom she named Tigger) and a female (Piccola).

“I am thoroughly enjoying their company, always wondering what mischief they have gotten into when I was not looking,” Murphy said. “They are and will remain indoor cats and maybe when they are bigger, I can take them for walks in my garden on the leash as I had done with Mimi. In the meantime, with the bird feeder right outside the window, they enjoy their in-flight entertainment and they always have each other to chase around the house.”

Their mom, Elsa, remains adoptable through Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue (here on Facebook). The nonprofit organization said Elsa is “a force of nature.”

“Bold, beautiful, playful, and a true love,” the organization says in a description on its website. “You can carry her like a baby or let her come nestle beside you. She loves to be with you, around you, near you. ‘Purrfect’ kitty to curl up with to read or scroll through your phone. ‘Purrfect’ kitty to keep you company whether working from home or relaxing. Independent, confident, friendly, and playful.”

Elsa is up for adoption. Photo courtesy of Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue

It adds: “Because of her food allergies, she mustn’t have access to other cats’ or dogs’ food; so if you free feed, she may not be the right cat for you. She is curious about other animals, but would do absolutely wonderfully on her own.”

Elsa was about one month pregnant when the residents of the Cross and Summer Street area contacted police about her in June. She survived the tropical storm, then the following month was finally caught and rescued by Sophia L’Orange. 

According to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm, Elsa had been in a “desperate position” while at the town’s shelter “because she was self mutilating.”

“Banging head door and damaging her nose,” Halm recalled. “This group came on a Sunday, rode an hour-and-a-half to get her and she was in trouble, there’s no way to fix that. That was for me the real saving grace for the cat.”

Murphy also praised Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue, saying it’s “a wonderful organization if anybody is looking for a kitten or cat.”

Elsa is up for adoption. Photo courtesy of Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue

“Elsa has not been adopted yet and would love to find a forever home, she was such a good mother and is very friendly and affectionate,” Murphy said. “The kittens got so much love and attention while they were being fostered and have developed wonderful characters.”

Sophia L’Orange Kitten Rescue runs solely off fostering, adoption fees, and monetary donations to provide vet care, food, litter and other foster supplies for kittens in residence. The organization can be reached at sophialorangekittenrescue@gmail.com.