Every week, Midtown Patch visits an area shelter and highlights the story of an animal that might otherwise get overlooked.

Adeline weighs only six or seven pounds and could fit in a shoe box. But don't be fooled. This feisty lady of two has already nursed several litters and survived being a pregnant throwaway.

She's currently up for adoption at the Midtown outpost of the Doraville-based Furkids, a no-kill animal rescue with 500 cats and a few dogs. You can visit her at the PetSmart in the Midtown Place Shopping Center, 650 Ponce de Leon Ave.

Adeline was found under some bushes in a north Atlanta neighborhood after her owner put her out.

"They just threw her out," said Renee Cardona, animal care manager at Furkids. Adeline arrived at the shelter one rainy day looking swollen and as if she was ready to go into labor, but, mysteriously, "she didn't have anybody in there."

Twenty-four hours later, the mystery was solved. A volunteer arrived with three day-old kittens found near the same bushes as Adeline. Miraculously, the newborns had survived in the rain without their mother.

"The minute she heard them meow, she just went crazy. She was a wonderful mom," said Carol Purdy, surgical coordinator at Furkids.

Adeline's three kittens have since been adopted, but she's still waiting for a home. She's spayed, microchipped and up-to-date with shots. Adoption fees for Adeline are $85.

She'll need to be a home's only feline since she doesn't tolerate her own kind very well.

"She's a much sweeter cat if she doesn't have to worry about other cats," said Purdy. Alone with humans, Adeline is playful and has an outsized spunky attitude that doesn't match her stature.

"Nobody's told her she's a very small cat."