Sherilee Francis has been helping stray animals in Turkey for over 11 years now, and at this point, the cat distribution system always seems to know exactly where to find her. She was having a coffee at a local shopping center when she noticed a young cat going from table to table begging for food. The moment she saw Francis, she abandoned her efforts and jumped up onto her lap — which is when Francis discovered the cat had a secret.

She was very, very pregnant.

“I knew then I couldn't leave her,” Francis told The Dodo. “She was so young, around 5 months old, and it was the peak of summer. It was hot, and I knew she would struggle alone. I called the pet shop inside the shopping centre, not wanting to leave her, to ask them if they could lend me a cat box, which they did. I coaxed her into the box with some food, and off I went to get a taxi and took her home.”

The cat, later named Coral, was so excited to finally have somewhere safe and quiet to relax. Francis made sure she was well-fed before taking her to the vet to get her checked over and make sure she and her unborn babies were doing OK.

“The vet did the ultrasound, and she was completely relaxed throughout the whole process,” Francis said. “It was like she knew exactly what was going on, watching the babies on the screen.”

The vet estimated that Coral would give birth in about a week — and almost exactly a week later, she had five healthy kittens, four boys and a girl.

Right away, Coral was an attentive and doting mother to her five kittens and even helped raise a few orphaned kittens as well. She was so thrilled to have everything she needed and not have to beg for food anymore, and Francis made sure she never wanted for anything.

“I watched her bring them up, and I helped her through the process, feeding her anything she wanted on demand,” Francis said. “She would go through at least six packets of wet food a day, along with biscuits and other bits and bobs. I wanted to make sure she had enough milk, as she was very underweight once the baby belly had gone.”

Once her kittens were big enough, all five were adopted into loving homes. After that, it was just Coral waiting for a home once again — but luckily, she didn’t have to wait long. A family from the UK heard about Coral and knew she would fit in with them beautifully, and on January 12, she finally arrived at her forever home.

Coral didn’t have the easiest start in life, but when she saw Francis sitting having a coffee that day, she knew she would be the one to help her, and luckily she was right.