Lisianne was in her yard one summer day when she spotted a fluffy black cat wandering nearby. The cat belonged to a colony of strays near her house in Québec, Canada, and seemed hungry, so she put out a bowl of food and water.

Lisianne named the cat Usagi and the two settled into a routine — Lisianne would set out food for the waiting cat, and with each passing day, Usagi began to trust her more and more. Usagi’s belly started to grow and Lisianne realized that it wasn’t from her new diet.

“With this routine, the lady gained confidence and the kitty started getting close,” Chatons Orphelins Montréal, a local rescue group, wrote on Facebook. “The kitty gave birth outside, but she came back every day to eat.”

Weeks passed, and Usagi decided it was time to introduce Lisianne to her little family. The cat brought out her babies one by one until all six were lined up on Lisianne’s porch. The 6-week-old kittens looked like miniature versions of their mom, and it was clear that the little family needed help.

Lisianne coaxed the mom and babies into her house and called the rescue group Chatons Orphelins Montréal. “The mom and her six babies were finally safe,” Chatons Orphelins Montréal wrote. “[Lisianne] decided to keep the mom [and] treated and spayed her and one of her friends took one of the kittens under her wing.”

At the shelter, rescue workers discovered that Usagi had asked for help just in time. The remaining kittens were suffering from conjunctivitis and had difficulty breathing. The vet was able to treat them, and their health quickly improved. And as they healed, they started to grow accustomed to being around humans.

“The babies were reserved, they needed socialization,” Chatons Orphelins Montréal said. “They started trusting and coming out of their shell. The little ones love having fun together.”

The remaining five kittens are now ready to search for their forever homes, and thanks to their caring mom who took a chance, they will be able to live the rest of their lives in comfort.