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Unfortunately, there was no way of tracking down the mother cat. They were hundreds of miles from where the bales were stacked on the truck. However, when cute kittens are in need of care, humans often jump to the rescue to ensure their survival.
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via icanhascheezburgerShortly after their discovery, the kittens were temporarily accommodated by the SPCA in Richmond, Virginia, until a foster household was lined up. Known as the "hay bale kittens," each individual was named after a type of farmed feed—one being Alfalfa, for example. Luckily, Sara Sewell, a local foster mom who's no stranger to neo-natal kitten care, was able to take them in. Since the mother was absent and the kittens couldn't feed independently, Sara expressed that caring for the feline fry was a 24-hour process.
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03 via icanhascheezburger
"You bottle feed them every two hours around the clock," she said. Another vital facet to neo-natal care is working to stimulate bowel movements. Sara explained that "a mom would lick them" to get their digestion systems moving, but "a human would not use their tongue." Therefore, she utilized a baby wipe to gently massage the kittens' bellies. Then, "you have to clean them up."
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04 via icanhascheezburger
It was a constant process for the eight weeks Sara, her husband Jason, and their family took care of the kittens. She described that one of the most challenging parts of administering proper care for newborn kittens is keeping them warm.
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05 via icanhascheezburger
"Monitoring their body temperature is very important. Cold kittens do not eat. So, cold kittens die. You always want warm kittens," Sara explained. "They're very particular about their temperature. If the bottle is too cold or too hot, they also won't eat. So, a tricky part you have to get used to is keeping everything warm."
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06 via icanhascheezburger
While they're kept cozy in a nest of blankets, the kittens are tasked with gaining weight as fast as possible. For example, Sara stated that a kitten must be at least two pounds before spaying or neutering would be allowed for various medical reasons. She said she weighed each of the kittens two times a day, keeping track of their progress on a calendar.
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07 via icanhascheezburger
As the pinnacle of the holiday season arrived eight weeks later, it was time to say a tough goodbye to the heaps of furry cuteness. Nevertheless, each of the cats would start their new lives off by ushering in a world of happiness for local children.
The clowder of cats was ready for adoption on December 23, organized through the Richmond SPCA Adoption Center.
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"Most of these kittens were actually Christmas present for kids, which was really endearing and cute," Sara said. Yet, she became a "Christmas co-conspirator" as one adopter asked her if she could keep a kitten until late Christmas Eve, helping a single mother surprise her three children on Christmas morning. She also reached out to the other families, and two other households full of children enjoyed adorable, fluffy surprises when they woke up to open gifts on Christmas.
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09 via icanhascheezburger
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