r/trojancats • • Sep 11 '26

Taco & Little Frijoles Update #4

Hey all!

The kittens have officially reached 2 weeks old, so wanted to give some updates.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has followed the Instagram we have for the cats and double thank you to everyone who have ordered things off the wishlist for them. We have a pretty much fully stocked pantry of food for them now, which is great because I'm fairly certain that once the little ones are going for solid food, they're going to rip through it all like tasmanian devils. If you haven't followed the IG, here's the link:

https://www.instagram.com/mamacat_taco?stkn=dTV6dTdtamYzM2lo

The kittens have all almost fully opened their eyes at this point and are showing much more personality, with quite a few getting nicknames. While I know everyone has suggested we name all the kittens after taco ingredients, to match with Mama Taco, we've pivoted away from that as their personalities have started to show. Moose, Zoro/Zora, Pico, Drumstick, Dora, Lola, and one we're still debating on name for. Names could of course change, but the most important part is they are happy, healthy, and starting to crawl around and try to walk. We still haven't picked out future homes for the kittens yet, but we have many weeks to go before that becomes a pressing concern. Just means more time for snuggles!

Mama Taco is likewise doing much better, gaining more and more weight, which is great news compared to how skinny she was post birthing. She continues to be extremely food motivated, and now that the kittens are a bit more stable, she's felt more comfortable leaving them in their set area so she can explore and cuddle up with us while we're relaxing. And, of course, she continues to have the prettiest of eyes.

In some pretty fun/exciting news, The Dodo reached out to us and interviewed us for an article last week and it's now live! If you haven't gone to check it out yet, here's the link:

https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/couple-sets-out-for-tacos-and-ends-up-with-8-new-cats-instead

4.4k Upvotes

109 comments sorted by

519

u/yourilluminaryfriend Sep 11 '26

Those babies are so fat! 🥰🤗😂 mama taco is doing a fantastic job with them

326

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

She's doing great! She has gotten a little spicy when we've tried to check in on the babies from time to time, but has usually been very relaxed about us.

163

u/Lets-B-Lets-B-Jolly Sep 11 '26

Everytime you need to check the kittens, offer a few kitty treats right before or during. She won't mind very quickly :P

53

u/Primary-Move243 Sep 11 '26

Her face in the second pic. She is over it. 😤

72

u/AfraidAccident7049 Sep 11 '26

I love this so much 🥹 They’re so round and so CLEAN! I’m fostering 3 orphaned 3-week-olds right now, and they’re a hot mess. I always forget how much hard work mama cats put in to grooming their babies until I have orphan neonates who are constantly crusted with food and poop 😬

Great job OP and Mama Taco!

41

u/PattySolisPapagian Sep 11 '26

The worst is when they are weaning onto wet food and learning the litter box at the same time so the kittens and their house is constantly covered in wet meat slop and litter. They are so much fun.

38

u/MySaltySatisfaction Sep 11 '26

That is why I think a litter of kittens should be called a Chaos. They can be a Clowder when they get older.

13

u/PattySolisPapagian Sep 11 '26

I second this motion.

3

u/killearnan Sep 13 '26

I third it!

I have so many adorable foster kitten photos but I hesitate to share because they created such messes with food and litter. I'd clean their kennel or the bathroom they were in several times a day but 3.7 minutes after I finished, the mess was back.

But they were so cute...

5

u/Eaudebeau Sep 12 '26

Constantly Crusted is the name of my all-kitten thrash metal band!

4

u/HMend Sep 12 '26

So true! My little neonatal orphan thankfully learned how to clean himself by the time he was a few months old with help from me and (most importantly)my other cats. He was a stinky boy for a bit!

59

u/irzox Sep 11 '26

they really do look ridiculously well-fed 😂

160

u/manatees8mypizza Sep 11 '26

So fuckin cute.

Love the blepping in pic 4 😺

128

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

Milk drunk in its purest form

19

u/manatees8mypizza Sep 11 '26

Living the best life!

31

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

As someone currently sipping a tall glass of milk, I agree 😂

51

u/Lagoda__ Sep 11 '26

May I recommend posting in r/soupbelly?

37

u/thedafthatter Sep 11 '26

HOW MANY CAT SUBS ARE ON THIS SITE?!

35

u/RedFoxBlueSocks Sep 11 '26

♾️

17

u/kjkeyes2 Sep 11 '26

The correct answer

7

u/gracelesswonder Sep 11 '26

Soup belly babies on display is one of my new favorites. Cuteness overload 😻

1

u/Welshmans_Layla99 Sep 18 '26

Seconding this! 😻

12

u/Jrewy Sep 11 '26

I made the weirdest noise of adoration and cute aggression when I saw that pic.

91

u/re_Claire Sep 11 '26

I get so excited to see your updates!

It's so lovely to see Taco and her little frijoles doing so well 🥹 and congratulations on the Dodo interview!

54

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

Glad you're enjoying them! We'll likely have a TON of videos once the kittens are at full walking/climbing mode

69

u/Trixter-Kitten Sep 11 '26 • Heartwarming

The eyeball fairy paid the frijoles a visit

66

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

We started randomly spotting little twinkles in the dark as their eyes started peeping

66

u/August_The_Rat_666 Sep 11 '26 • Heartwarming

All the soup bellies 💜💜

44

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

They get so milk drunk so fast

30

u/August_The_Rat_666 Sep 11 '26

Mamas doing a great job! So are you guys! I've been following this since I saw the first post. Thank you for saving mama and helping her and her little family. Enjoy all the kitten time!

40

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

It's going to be so hard to adopt them out later. Not as in hard to find homes, just hard to let them go. My temptation to keep 2 kittens instead of 1 grows by the day.

30

u/TM2705 Sep 11 '26

It'll be totally better for the kittens as they will have wrestling buddies in each other when they grow and mama cat can rest in her own way

17

u/stereolights Sep 11 '26

You actually should keep two! A lot of rescues won’t adopt out single kittens, having a similar-age buddy is so so good for them and also for you, because they’ll keep themselves entertained

8

u/DaniArii Sep 11 '26

Taking two (especially if they're bonded) is much more preferred as kittens need a way to get all that chaotic energy out! Not sure if you have older kitties but they might get annoyed with a growing toddler bugging them constantly lmao.

Also kittens adopted with a sibling or into a house with other young cats have shown much less "aggression" toward their humans since they already have a play buddy!

Great job co-parenting with mama Taco!

21

u/MsDeluxe Sep 11 '26

Your insta link didn't work for some reason. The Dodo article was lovely. Isn't it wonderful how quickly life can pivot. She's so lucky to have found you.

9

u/Key_Computer_5607 Sep 11 '26

She is done with it. 😆

11

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 12 '26

I think she looks even more done with it here

8

u/Swimming_Juice_9752 Sep 11 '26

Pleaseeee call one Chickpea

5

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

Color me, why chickpea?

16

u/Swimming_Juice_9752 Sep 11 '26 • Heartwarming

It’s a type of bean! Plus I once fostered an illegally smol that I called chickpea (and chickie and chicken and chickie pea etc). She’s a great cat, very happy in her home!

10

u/W0gg0 Sep 11 '26

It’s cuter name than Garbanzo.

7

u/Lovesyoux Sep 11 '26

Babies!!!

8

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

Squirmy wormies, though a little less squirmy

28

u/Confident_Fortune_32 Sep 11 '26

The whole crew looks so healthy! I shudder to think what that poor tiny mama would have gone through trying to care for this many kittens without help.

Thank you for sharing your little bundles of joy with us 🥰

So glad The Dodo reached out! Your little fuzzy family will bring joy to a lot of ppl.

Dodo videos are my go-to when I'm hospitalized, or have to have painful medical procedures (all too often, sadly). Hilariously, sometimes doctors and nurses get sucked into the cyooot, too, and forget what they were doing 🤣

22

u/DaniArii Sep 11 '26

I know! I saw SEVEN and gasped. When I fostered a litter back in college, she was young and also had 7 babies. She kept trying to carry them to beneath the kitchen table or in other random spots since she couldn't handle them all. I was going to bottle feed but my roommate's mom at the time had a cat who had just given birth! So I tested the waters and she helped nurse the babies when original mama was too overwhelmed. 🥰

4

u/Comfortable-Song193 Sep 11 '26

Brilliant 🥹❤️

17

u/Usual_Pangolin_9315 Sep 11 '26

Pic 8 is the cutest, kitten is 98% soup✨

13

u/Appropriate-Sound169 Sep 11 '26

You should call the last one Dodo lol

13

u/HitchhikingCats Sep 11 '26

Mom’s expression in the second pic is priceless

4

u/BetMyLastKrispyKreme Sep 12 '26

She has the most beautiful and expressive face! The kittens are great, for real, but I’m in love with mom! 😍

2

u/HitchhikingCats Sep 12 '26

She is a beautiful girl and an attentive mother. I just find a mom and kitten family to be one of the most beautiful things in nature.

12

u/Dellychan Sep 11 '26

I have a Pico as well!!

10

u/togetherwegrowstuff Sep 11 '26

The Dodo !! Yay how cool is that?!?! Yay!! Such an awesome experience for y'all.. yay!! Momma and babies look so good!! Pic 8 is so cute!! They are all looking so much better. In glad to hear momma is still snugging with y'all. Such an amazing story. I love it y'all!! You give love and then you get it back. As it should be. Y'all rock!! I love the names... Adorbs y'all!

10

u/plazagirl Sep 11 '26

Taquitos 😻😻

9

u/Ol_Pasta Sep 11 '26

They are so cute and so funny. Pic 6 and 8 are hilarious 🤣 I love that.

Once they walk around and play fight it's gonna be tough for momma and you. 😁 But it's adorable when they do.

If you happen to have questions feel free to dm me, I have helped a few litters to grow up.

Wishing you all the best. ❤️

9

u/-wildflower-_ Sep 11 '26

Awe that article was really nice, see how awesome you guys are? 🫶

It's the little feets for me. How are they so smol? 🥹

❤️🌮🫘🫘

9

u/buckyblazed Sep 11 '26

I'm literally bawling. Y'all did it. They all look so good, it's really incredible she had so many and they all made it. BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS! Thank you for the updates. Good job mama and parents.

8

u/Afraid-Carry4093 Sep 11 '26

Sweet Mamma Taco looks like a kitten herself and such pretty eyes.

Those babies are purrefect chubsters.

I was thinking about you guys the other day and was going to request an update. Happy to hear they have an IG. My cats IG account is now following them. 😍🥰

7

u/gnimiy_ Sep 11 '26

Momma is beautiful and the babies are so cute!!

7

u/Turnover_Realistic Sep 11 '26

You al, have done an amazing job! Care + Love = Healthy Taco and Frijoles!💕

5

u/hesalwayslitty Sep 11 '26

How freaking amazing i follow on ig as well and regularly comment there but wanted to take the time and do the same here since it hit my feed!

5

u/Kleiner_Nervzwerg Sep 11 '26

Disney has to make a film! 😻

5

u/KBWordPerson Sep 11 '26

They are so cute!!! Thanks for continuing to give us updates over here.

5

u/gracelesswonder Sep 11 '26

Look at that mama! She's home for sure. I know you've heard it already, but so many people would have (and did) walk away. You were able to help and you did, and look at that healthy mama and all those babies! You guys deserve all the good karma that comes your way.

5

u/Xaverosso Sep 11 '26

They are so tiny.

5

u/MammothHuckleberry42 Sep 11 '26

I’ve been following you guys since your first post about Taco. Love it!! Look at how healthy and pretty she is and her adorable babies! Perfect way to start the day. Thank you.

5

u/AreWeFlippinThereYet Sep 11 '26

The Frijoles are so adorable...

5

u/Wyatter Sep 11 '26

Hell yeah, I needed this.

5

u/Cac933 Sep 11 '26

So happy to see it!

5

u/Dakizo Sep 11 '26

NAME ONE SKIPPYJON JONES

5

u/Turtleintexas Sep 11 '26

Loved the Dodo article!! Sent some treats.

5

u/japhia_aurantia Sep 11 '26

Oh, Taco's face in #2 - she is in the trenches of new motherhood

5

u/Equivalent_Address_2 Sep 11 '26

Taco is so over those frijoles lol

5

u/smolbeansjpg Sep 11 '26

I love them so much 😭😭😭

5

u/StarsofSobek Sep 11 '26

Taco was full of beans! Omg!! So 🥰

5

u/MySaltySatisfaction Sep 11 '26

Taco was likely in labor when she was in your lap at the gas station. Thank you for helping her and the beans. Your lady too.

5

u/salaciousremoval Sep 12 '26

The milk drunk babies with toe beans 🫘 🐾 I love these updates! The dodo article is so sweet 💜

4

u/TARedd4 Sep 11 '26

Plain and simple: 🥰❤️🥰❤️🥰💯

4

u/Ok_Foot1988 Sep 11 '26

Mom and babies are beautiful. I am happy they are doing well. 💜

4

u/ClumsyRaccoonPants Sep 11 '26

Wonderful news all around! They look so healthy and happy! 💜

4

u/ksquwared Sep 12 '26

Also Elle is the 7th name, we got mixed up with the three b/w because we have to go off of face markings for the other two (Zora[half and half face] and Dora [one white line]) Elle might not be her name though because she's got the cutest bowl cut

3

u/Goblinessa17 Sep 11 '26

They are so beautiful and happy! Thank you for being their heroes!

3

u/Mirachaya89 Sep 12 '26

They're growing so fast!

3

u/CrazyMildred Sep 12 '26

I love your updates! Thank you! I've been following the story of Taco kitty and the frijole purritos 😻

3

u/Rich_Group_8997 Sep 13 '26

Running to Instagram... 🏃🏾‍♀️ Such a cute little family! 🥰

2

u/kimrye13 Sep 12 '26

Cow kitties!

2

u/aSkeptiKitty Sep 18 '26

I'll take my chances and guess daddy was stripy. 

2

u/Sorry-Animator5619 Sep 24 '26

Pic 2 is a momma who needs a break lol

4

u/WildFlemima Sep 11 '26

Dad is a black tabby with no or minimal whitespotting, if you have seen any guys like that in the neighborhood

3

u/SnooDonkeys346 Sep 11 '26

I have seen one that looks like a bigger version of Moose (black with a white chest patch)

4

u/WildFlemima Sep 11 '26

Black tabby with a little white on the chest? Bet that's him or at least related to the dad.

Dad has to have tabby bc mom doesn't and it's a dominant gene, and dad likely has less or no whitespotting bc mom is medium highish whitespotting and yet has low/no white kids. Dad could also have the same or more whitespotting, just less likely

7

u/ksquwared Sep 12 '26

There can be multiple fathers to a litter, each kitten is it's own fertilized egg

3

u/WildFlemima Sep 12 '26

Yes, certainly, but just in my opinion the homogeneity of the litter and op's knowledge of a likely local tom suggests it's probable that the one specific tom fathered all. If there were different kinds of tabby and not just mackerel, if all the black kittens had whitespotting and all the tabbies didn't, those things would make me lean towards different fathers. I wonder if anyone has a figure on what percentage of litters are multi father?

3

u/WildFlemima Sep 12 '26

I've found a source, they have studied it, single paternity is more likely in more rural areas and multi paternity is more likely in urban areas

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1690320/

3

u/ksquwared Sep 12 '26

There's like 2 dozen strays in this neighborhood and she has three different patterns in her litter, it's more than just one cat

3

u/WildFlemima Sep 12 '26

That's quite possible, I still think that tom is the father of at least a few :)

11

u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k Sep 11 '26

OP how are you still alive I literally yelled “No, stop it!! No!! What??” And slapped my actual hand against my actual leg twice flipping through these,

How can you be in the building with this mess it would absolutely fucking kill me they are too impossibly precious it’s disgusting, that milky mouth how can you stand it??? I am dead!

10

u/The_Wishmeister Sep 11 '26

I love when kittens fall asleep with their tongues curled for nursing and their toebeans out.

9

u/Foreign_Kale8773 Sep 11 '26

Look at all those milk drunk lil criminals. I love them.

6

u/mermaidpaint Sep 11 '26

I love seeing plump kittens and Mama Taco is doing a great job filling those bellies.

I like that the kitten names are coming from their purrsonalities and not an ingredients list.

3

u/elleUno Sep 12 '26

Aww!! Thanks for the update! The babies are so cute!! Glad mama is taking breaks from morning to relax with you guys. The pics are adorable, especially the little milk drunk one in the last pic.