In 1970, Disney released an animated movie called The Aristocats. The story revolves around a family of cats owned by an exceptionally wealthy retired opera singer. Her mother cat, the Duchess, is the love of her life, and the three cats, Berlioz, Marie and Toulouse, are brought up in a true aristocratic lifestyle. When the lady decides that when she passes on her fortune it should be bequeathed to her cats until she too dies, her servant-girl kidnaps her, hoping to speed up his inheritance. The sweet family finds their way home courtesy of an alley cat named Thomas O’Malley.
The animated musical has continued to touch hearts to this day, so much so that when Texas resident Shelby Sewell Lopez adopted an absolutely stunning white cat in 2018, she named her a Duchess. Shelby says that when she adopted a cute duchess, she wasn’t very healthy. She was weak, had a hernia, and thanks to several parasitic infections, the poor cat’s hair was falling out.
Nevertheless, Shelby pursued recovery and health for Duchess with compassion and enthusiasm. In an interview with Bored Panda, she said:
Duchess was “reborn” in all the glory she clearly was intended to possess. An elegant, beautiful, sweet cat.
Shelby and her family had the impression that the Duchess had been sterilized. However, this turned out not to be true, and they discovered it because they opened a closet in their house one day, to see the Duchess writhing with what at first seemed to be a rat. However, upon closer examination, this “mouse” was a newly born kitten!
Shortly after, Duchess birthed three more precious kittens!
The first three kittens born were, amusingly, im-paws-ible not to compare to Disney’s favorite litter: first Berlioz, then came Marie, and Toulouse. A quiet came and calm came over, but shortly after the fourth, a bonus kitten was born, too. Shelby named the bonus kitten Blue, saying:
Duchess may have had a rough start in life, but that has definitely not hindered her ability to be a devoted and affectionate mother. As the kittens grew and began to explore the world around them, Duchess could always be seen nearby, following her purr-fect babies everywhere they went.
Shelby admits, however, that Duchess became at least slightly spoiled during her recovery, as all of her meals and water were brought to her.
Four kittens may not seem like a lot to someone whose cat had a larger litter, but it’s quite a bit for a small family to take on. For Shelby, though, separating the purr-fect family was not something she could bring herself to do!
Deciding to keep the kittens was a no-brainer for Shelby, but she says she did have to convince her husband.
Today, the kittens are thriving!
Marie:
Toulouse:
Berlioz
Today, Shelby and her family are keeping up with their growing fan base via their Facebook Page.
And there are, indeed, fans.
As Disney’s The Aristocats has remained a favored story, it’s no surprise that people are super excited about Duchess’s story and her sweet litter of kittens
Even better, Duchess and her kittens have brought some joy to the daily lives and hearts of the people of the Internet.
Today, if you follow them on their Facebook page, you will see that Shelby’s family is using this awesome opportunity to raise awareness to other cats like Duchess, who need love and support to heal and overcome obstacles. The bonus is that you also get to watch The real-life Aristocats grow and glow!
