10/01/2026
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked out the window. A month earlier, my cat Mila lost her kittens. After that, she wasn’t the same. She barely ate, slept in short stretches, and spent hours outside, as if she was searching for something she couldn’t name. Then she disappeared. For several days, I looked everywhere. I barely slept. And then one quiet morning, I saw her in our yard — sitting perfectly still beside a large, heavy raccoon. They were close, almost touching. The raccoon couldn’t walk properly. They weren’t scared. They were waiting. I took the raccoon to the vet. That’s when we learned she was pregnant, and her front paw needed care. We made space for her in our garage. She gave birth there. Warm. Safe. When her paw healed and the babies were strong, we opened the gate. Mila watched them leave — and finally came home to rest.