AirTag leads volunteers to hidden cat and six kittens in Waltham

Volunteers raced against the cold last week to rescue a litter of newborn kittens after discovering that a recently saved stray cat had just given birth.

As a blizzard took hold of New England, The Cat Connection, a nonprofit based in Waltham that helps rescue stray cats and find homes for them, was hearing reports of a pregnant cat approaching a home for food. 

Karen Evans, the vice president of the nonprofit’s board and director of development, said that early last week, volunteers trapped the cat and brought it to the vet. But after the vet said the cat was no longer pregnant and was producing milk, the nonprofit’s board was called to action. 

Evans said the board was like, “Oh my God, now what do we do?,” as they debated sending the cat back out into the cold or, if not, losing the kittens. 

Then one of the board members said they had a collar with an AirTag attached. So, on Monday evening, they sent Emerald back out and traced her movements. 

The board members traced Emerald’s movements into a mountain of debris inside a self-storage facility in Waltham. 

On Wednesday, two volunteers followed her and found the kittens, burrowed inside an old box of T-shirts. 

The volunteers gathered the family up and took them to a foster home. 

“They are doing amazing,” Evans said. 

The all-volunteer Cat Connection helped save over 500 cats and rehome them last year, as they celebrated their 25th anniversary. Evans said that Emerald and her six kittens will be up for adoption in about two months.