Her humans might have mistaken eight-month-old Mikey for a boy when they adopted the beautiful cat from their local shelter, but this little lady was clearly made to be a mom.

Sadly, her own litter of three kittens were born a bit prematurely and just weren’t strong enough make it. Owner Hillary told Huffington Post how devastated the feline mama was by the loss, watching as she frantically searched for them after they passed.

It was heartbreaking for the family to see her in such a state so they contacted a local cat rescue organization, Dori’s Darlings, for advice.

The shelter happened to know of a woman fostering three small kittens, each only a few days old, and a perfect match was made.

Before they got the call from Dori’s Darlings, foster mom Amanda Lowe and her photographer friend, Kelli Nicole, had been providing around-the-clock care for the little ones. They’d even named them Teddy, Abby, and Lily.

As soon as Mikey was introduced to the kittens, she took to mothering them with affectionate licks, hugs, and, after about 15 minutes, allowed them to nurse from her.

Lowe stayed for about two hours, watching as Mikey took to the kittens as if they were her own.

The cats would have been fine fostered by a human mom, but this new family was exactly what Mikey needed to recover from her loss.

Now her pain is gone and replaced by three incredibly sweet faces.

(via Huffington Post)

It’s amazing how after so much sadness, things can work out just the way they’re supposed to.

You can see more cute rescue kitties by following Dori’s Darlings on Facebook and Instagram and find more of Kelli Nicole’s awesome photography on her website and Facebook.