A week ago, a kind-hearted woman from Las Vegas found three newborn kittens in a bush without a cat mother in sight.
Her neighbor reached out to Nikki Martinez, an avid animal rescuer, fosterer based in Las Vegas, for help.
Marti who found the kittens, handed them over to Nikki Martinez, so they could get the help they needed to thrive.Nikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
"Marti was out walking her dogs when one approached a bush. She followed the dog to the bush and saw three newborn kittens with their umbilical cords still attached," Nikki said.
Nikki was out of town at the time, so she instructed the woman to start feeding the kittens until she returned the next day. Marti rushed to the store to get kitten formula and supplies and began feeding them every couple of hours. She took them to work the next morning to continue caring for them.
"It was freezing that night and when she found them they were ice cold and stiff."
After the kittens were found, they were cold and stiff.Nikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
After Nikki picked up the kittens, they set a drop trap in the area, hoping the cat mom would show up, but she was nowhere to be found. Nikki then contacted a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) group on the East side of Las Vegas as there are many stray cats in the area that need help.
The kittens were about 24 hours old and very frail. "They have not had their mother's milk which has essential antibodies. They have a lot against them," Nikki said.
Nikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
"I'm going to give them everything I have to help them survive."
Nikki set up a warm bed with multiple heating sources to keep the kittens warm at all times and began the every-two-hour feeding regimen. The fur babies were named Pancake, Spud and Bagel! (Scroll down for video)
Nikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
Bagel, the runt of the litter, weighed just 3.2 ounces (90 grams) at three days old. While her siblings were eating well and gaining weight and strength, she stopped eating and refused to swallow any food.
"She didn't want to eat that much at her 2 AM feeding and my heart had a sinking feeling," Nikki said.
Baby BagelNikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
Kittens that age can fade very quickly if they are not eating. Nikki and her husband knew that they had to find a way to help Bagel eat. The next morning, they began tube feeding the little runt.
Nikki's husband is an ER Nurse, who is certified in newborn critical care (for people). He and Nikki both have been trained by a veterinarian on how to tube feed kittens.
He stepped up to help little Bagel and brought her back from the brink.
Nikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
After that critical day of tube feeding and trying to keep Bagel alive, she survived and began to thrive.
"I had happy tears rolling down my cheeks (partially because I was deliriously tired). Bagel gained the weight she lost, and she was eating without a feeding tube," Nikki said.
Baby BagelNikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
Today, Bagel weighs at 4.3 ounces (121grams).
"After seeing Bagel refuse eating for two days and having to be tube fed, listening to her gulp down her food is music to my ears," Nikki said.
A roll of toilet paper for scale. Baby BagelNikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
"Las Vegas has an estimated 250,000 unaltered stray/unowned living outside. That's nothing compared to the estimated 3 million living in Los Angeles. The reality is that most of those cats will be having babies outside," Nikki said.
"The problem is real and it's huge. If there are stray cats living in your area, step up and get them neutered. Call your local shelter or rescue, ask to borrow traps and bring them in to the neuter clinic."
Baby PancakeNikki Martinez @myfosterkittens
Follow Bagel, Pancake and Spud and their rescue journey on Instagram.
Watch their rescue journey in this video:
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