Jackie Reitsma and her family are seeing spots.

But, as cute as those spots are — that is, white kittens with gray patches on their heads — she would like to find homes for the four babies and their surrogate mom.

“We call them the Spot Family,” she said, referring to Big Spot, Fuzzy Spot, Ghost and Spook. (There was a fifth kitten, Little Spot, who has found a home.)

Reitsma already had four cats and three dogs when she took in the Spot Family and, before that, a calico who nursed the kittens.

How did she end up with the four kittens and an adult (who’s not related to them)?

Reitsma, a volunteer at the Vermilion County Animal Shelter, was working there in September when Connie Farrar asked her to foster a pregnant calico, Cassy. It would be less stressful for the cat to give birth in a home, rather than a cage.

However, Cassy was practically a kitten herself, being less than a year old, and her four kittens died, one by one.

“She was so upset when they died,” Reitsma said. “She just looked for her babies.”

When the last one died, Cassy wouldn’t let Reitsma remove the kitten.

It was heart-breaking the way the calico mourned her kittens, she said. Both she and Farrar said they had never seen a cat so distraught over the loss of her babies.

Meanwhile, at the animal shelter, a young white cat, Vanilla Bean, had kittens, but couldn’t produce enough milk to feed them.

Reitsma was asked to bring Cassy back to the shelter to see if she would feed the five white kittens.

Cassy knew those weren’t her kittens, but, Reitsma said, “She started licking them and rounded them up into a ball. In 15 minutes, she had all of them lined up.”

Cassy hissed a bit at the kittens, but she was never aggressive toward them, and she allowed them to nurse. Even as they grew, she’s been gentle with them and lets them eat first.

Reitsma brought Cassy home, along with the kittens. Three have gray spots on their heads. One is long-haired and fluffy, and the others have medium-length hair; all have gold eyes.

Reitsma’s granddaughter, Lexxi, 10, named the kittens, and she has first dibs on Ghost (if she gets her dad, Nate, to agree). If she takes Ghost, that leaves three little ones who need homes.

The kittens have the run of the house, and love to cuddle with Reitsma.

“They’re so sociable,” she said. “They crave attention.”

As much fun as they are, however, Reitsma hopes to find good homes for them and their surrogate mom, Cassy.

The cat and kittens can be seen at the Village Mall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Both dogs and cats are up for adoption in a room next to the Hallmark store.

CAT MAGNET

Reitsma said cats are drawn to her. Three of her four cats had rocky starts in life.

Ely II, a yellow tabby, is 10 months old. He was found on the railroad tracks near Henning, and was so starved that he weighed just 1 pound. Reitsma nursed him to health.

Reuben, now 3, was a black kitten who was born in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. Reitsma was shopping in the store when an employee asked her if she knew how to bottle feed a kitten. Reitsma ended up taking up the kitten home and saving his life.

Oliver, a gray tabby, is 10 years old. He was born behind Teepak, but employees noticed his mother digging a hole and preparing to cover up the kitten with dirt. Reitsma’s brother-in-law brought the kitten to her, and she saved his life, too.

Her fourth cat is Beckon, now 8, a white Himalayan. He was a kitten at Pet World; when he saw Reitsma, he peered through the cage and “begged” her to take him home.

She also has three dogs: Bella, a 6-year-old collie; Klancey, 4, who is Bella’s son; and Chester, 3, a Pomeranian.

And, there’s a three-legged turtle, named Harry Plodder.

With all these critters in the household, Reitsma had just one request at Christmas: All she wanted was dog and cat food, and cat litter.

Her family and friends complied, and have been good about helping her out, she said.

Reitsma is a big proponent of the county’s foster program. It socializes the animals and gets them into a home environment. It also gives people a chance to see if they’d like to have a dog or cat.

It’s good to hear that Cassy’s story had a happy ending when she found a new litter of kitties to nurse. Now, let’s hope the happy ending continues — when she and the babies find loving homes.

TO HELP

If you’re interested in adopting the mother cat, Cassy, or any of the foster kittens, call Connie Farrar at 799-8858. Farrar is in charge of the Vermilion County Animal Shelter’s foster program, and also is looking for people to foster cats and dogs to help socialize them.

The kittens and Cassy, who is spayed, also will be up for adoption from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at the Village Mall. Volunteers from the county shelter will be on hand.

If you would like to have your pet featured in this column, contact Mary Wicoff at 477-5161, send an e-mail to mwicoff@dancomnews.com or write to Commercial-News, 17 W. North, Danville, IL 61832.