In April, a young tabby cat was rescued from the streets of Nuuk, Greenland.
The little feline was brought to a nearby shelter called Dyrenes Venner, which translates to “Protector of Animals in Greenland.”
“Stray and lost cats have a really tough time during the winters up here,” Dyrenes Venner board member Inunnguaq Christiansen shared. “With freezing temperatures and frequent storms, they often have to seek shelter in the basements of older buildings.”
Volunteers named the cat Ulla. She immediately made herself at home in the shelter and would cozy up to her rescuers, as well as the other cats, dogs, and guinea pigs.
At just over a year old, Ulla’s motherly nature hinted to rescuers that there was something unusual about her. As the weeks passed, the once-thin cat appeared to be putting on weight in one specific spot.
“One of the volunteers came with the comment that Ulla was pretty big,” Inunnguaq said. “Upon closer inspection, it was only around the belly area, and her nipples were getting pretty stiff.”
Ulla was taken to the only veterinary facility in Greenland and given an Ultrasound.
Sure enough, they found out that the young tabby was about to be a mom.
The news wasn’t just a shock to her rescuers, but to Ulla as well!
Tone Frank, a board member at the shelter, snapped a photo of Ulla getting her ultrasound and captured the cat’s wide-eyed reaction.
Tone shared the photos with her fellow board members. It eventually ended up on Reddit, where it instantly went viral.
“The pictures were so funny I decided to post them on /r/aww during my lunch break to see if a couple of people would share my amusement,” Inunnguaq shared.
“A few hours later and the post was exploding with 90,000 upvotes and over 900 comments. I spend the entire evening trying to reply to people… We got some really sweet PMs (private messages) from people thanking us for our efforts; it really lifted the mood for the volunteers at the shelter.”
Ulla’s reactions not only shot her to internet fame, it also helped find her a real home.
“She’s been living at a foster family since Thursday on a trial period, and they really want to keep her and all her kittens,” Inunnguaq shared. “With any luck, it’s going to work out for them.”