I have to say, I absolutely adore the people who save cats. These poor animals are often left with no choice but to rely on human beings since the world can be harsh sometimes.

Just imagine a litter of kittens, so small that they can fit in the palm of your hand, abandoned and left to fend for themselves after being dumped from a box on a loading dock. That’s the story I want to share with you…

These kittens were born prematurely and faced numerous challenges right from the beginning. Among them was a little kitten with gray and white fur, who was later named Grimes after the character Rick Grimes from the TV show The Walking Dead. 

Luckily, there are people such as Deej, a committed animal rescuer from North Carolina, who focuses on helping animals in need. When she received a call about abandoned kittens, she was shocked by the horrible condition they were in.

The kittens were abandoned right after birth and were so cold that they had frostbite on their tiny paws, ears, and tails. However, despite their low body temperatures, they somehow managed to survive.

One Syringe At A Time

Deej realized she needed to act fast, so she immediately sprang into action. She decided to bring the kittens home with a strong determination to rescue them.

When they arrived, she immediately set up a warm and secure place for the kittens. She mixed kitten formula and used a syringe to feed them. 

Despite their difficult beginning, the kittens eagerly gobbled up the food. It was a challenging time, but eventually, things began to look brighter.

With Deej’s care, just after five days, they grew to the size of typical newborn kittens, and some of them even started purring after their meal.

The Little Warrior

However, out of all the cats, Grimes was different. She had a strong fighting spirit and was going through the toughest time out of all of them. 

Unfortunately, the frostbite had affected her a lot – she only had one ear, three missing toes on one of her front paws, and half of her tail. 

Still, Grimes didn’t let any of this stop her. Deej called her a “warrior kitty” because she never allowed her injuries to hold her back.

On the other hand, Grimes’ siblings, Walker, Van Cow, and Ellie, had their own challenges. Walker had lost the tips of his ears, giving him a cute “teddy bear” appearance. 

Van Cow, named after the famous artist, had lost an ear and had markings that looked like a little cow. Ellie, however, was lucky to have escaped the frostbite without any harm. 

A Brighter Future

Deej worked really hard to take care of them, always making sure they were clean, well-fed, and loved. 

She organized fun play dates with older foster kittens, who were much bigger than these kittens. Chunk Norris was one of them – a big ginger kitten for his age who always made them giggle because he was so much larger than the “micro” kittens. 

Even though they were different sizes, all the kittens got along great and had a blast playing and wrestling together.

Happily Ever After 

At around 22 days old, the kittens were still drinking milk from bottles, but they were doing great, having fun, and bursting with energy, as Deej shared on Instagram:

“22 days old and cruising along! Still big ol’ bottle babies, but at the rate, the chonks are plowing through wet food these guys can stay on the bottle as long as they’d like”.

Deej put a huge, soft bed in their area, and they absolutely loved it. These little fighters, who beat all the odds, are now flourishing, playful, and super excited for snuggles.

I’m happy that this story ended well. It shows how strong and determined animals can be, and how much of a difference people like Deej can make in their lives.