Workers found a litter of kittens at their auto shop. When the cat mom disappeared, they jumped right in to help.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
A stray cat had been wandering around an auto shop in downtown Los Angeles for some time. A few weeks ago, the employees were surprised to discover a litter of kittens born in a tire.
The cat mom wouldn't let anyone near her babies and continued to care for them until one day she vanished and never came back.
After not seeing the cat for a few days, the workers were worried and began to look for help.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
One of their clients, Maggie, works at a vet clinic. They immediately contacted her as the kittens were in desperate need of rescue.
Maggie came to pick up the kittens, and with help from the rescue community, they were able to find an experienced foster volunteer to take them in.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
The auto shop workers breathed a sigh of relief knowing the kittens were in good hands.
Ashley Kelley, a volunteer from Wrenn Rescues, stepped up to help. "The kittens were in bad shape. Maggie had tucked one of the kittens into her shirt to try and keep him warm," Ashley told Love Meow.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
She brought the kittens home that night, wiped the tire grime off their little faces, and began emergency tube-feeding them as the kittens were too weak to eat on their own.
The little ones had been without food for 2-3 days prior to the rescue. "They got small feedings every two hours the first night (at their foster home), to keep their stomachs from getting upset with the new food."
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
It was a labor of love but so worth it — the kittens started perking up and gaining weight almost immediately.
Two of them were much smaller (around 190 grams at 2.5 weeks old) than their siblings and needed a few extra days to really fill out.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
On day three, Ashley woke up to six very vocal kittens, demanding breakfast.
"They were very underweight (when they came to us) and would have most likely not lasted much longer without their mama," Alissa Smith, cofounder of Wrenn Rescues, said.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
"Feeding six bottle babies is a lot of work. Fostering truly saves lives."
Watch these adorable kitties in this video:
Kittens rescued from auto shopwww.youtube.com
The cat mom never came back to the auto shop. The workers believed that most likely she didn't survive the outdoors.
It took a village to save the kittens. They are now thriving in foster care.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
In just a week, the kitties (all boys) have nearly doubled their weight.
They are healthy, happy and ready to explore.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
Even the tiniest kitties from the litter have caught up in size.
"That's the difference one week of food made for even the runtiest one," Ashley said.
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
The kittens were so dirty and sickly when Ashley first received them.
"Now, they are happy and plump and all named after tire brands — Dunlop, Cooper, Falken, Toyo, Pirelli and Michelin."
Ashley Kelley @bruceandfoxfosters
Share this story with your friends. Follow updates on the kitties and Ashley's fosters on Instagram. Follow Wrenn Rescues on Facebook and Instagram.
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