At the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, two kittens were “fighting for their lives” on Wednesday after being discovered zip-tied together at a shopping mall.
According to officials, a Blue Buffalo pet food representative who has ties to the animal shelter discovered the orange tabbies, who are tentatively named Frodo and Sam, and two other kittens bound together under a shopping cart in Riverside.
The nonprofit did not disclose the nature of the other two kittens’ injuries, but animal shelter spokeswoman Jessica Gercke said on Wednesday that staff believed the animals had been tortured.
The remaining kittens were brought to the center Tuesday evening, looking as if they had not been fed since birth.
According to Gercke, staff initially believed that all of the kittens might perish, but the others passed away within a few hours of their discovery.
The medical staff at Helen Woodward concluded that the kittens “were covered in fleas,” were younger than five days, and still had their umbilical cords attached.
Don’t Miss:
- Train Strikes Family on Railroad Bridge: 2 Adults and 1 Child Killed, Another Injured
- Father Rescues 11-year-old Daughter From Attacker Who Pulled Her into a Secluded Section of a NYC Park
- ICE Operation Leads to Arrest in DUI Crash That Claimed a Mother’s Life
According to center officials, one of the kittens also had “significant damage on their rear left leg from the zip tie.”
Both of the young cats, who are currently in foster care, are anticipated to survive, according to Gercke, who stated that the kitten’s injury was probably permanent.
“Finding fosters qualified to bottle-feed is super important, because these little guys need to be fed every two hours,” the center’s adoptions director Kendall Schulz said. “Fortunately, we have an extensive network of qualified fosters who can drop everything and help out.”
