'Sponspurrs': Woman Misses Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting to Rescue Kittens

A woman's unusual excuse for missing her Alcoholics Anonymous meeting has stirred hearts online.

The Reddit user known anonymously as u/SkinneyIcka shared her story on the website's "Cats" forum. Her post has garnered over 23,000 votes in one day.

"I missed an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting because of these four," she wrote, alongside a bird's-eye photo of four wide-eyed kittens looking up at her expectantly.

"Pulled into the parking lot and people were feeding them small bits of ham," she went on. "I scooped them up. Everyone meet AA Bee Cee and Dee. AA is the bigger feisty one."

AA did indeed appear larger than the other three, sitting slightly apart on a bed the woman had laid out for them. The other three kittens squished together in an adorable pile.

Their mother appeared to have abandoned them, the Redditor explained. During her trips to the building where she attended Alcoholics Anonymous, the woman said she usually spotted the mama cat multiple times, passing by to visit her little ones—but recently, she had disappeared.

"I attend two meetings daily and have not seen her pass by," the woman wrote. "I have not seen her in a week. Something might have happened to her."

She added that the kittens looked skinny and underfed—apart from AA, the large one, which appeared to be fending for itself—and they were starting to become feral.

"I am not keeping them," she clarified, "I am taking them to SPCA. I just try to keep cats off the streets."

Although she did not plan to keep them forever, the woman said she might foster the kittens until their adoption.

Pets and therapy animals can help people who are struggling with substance use disorders, according to Addiction Resource. The brain of a recovering addict is reliant on artificial stimulation through drugs or alcohol. Bonding with animals can provide a safe and natural way to stimulate pleasure receptors in the brain, while also encouraging the person to develop a healthy relationship and become accountable for someone other than themselves.

Animal-assisted therapy is not a standalone treatment, Addiction Resource emphasizes, but can be incorporated in a holistic addiction recovery program.

Viewers of the Reddit post were touched by the encounter and the woman's names for her new furry friends. A few could not resist some AA- and kitten-inspired puns.

"Your sponspurrs," said the top comment.

"Acknowledge the existence of 4 higher purrers," added another.

"Unlike alcohol, there is nothing wrong with this addiction!" a third viewer exclaimed.

Newsweek reached out to u/SkinneyIcka for comment.