Thanks to one kind man, four kittens named Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw are thriving in North Carolina.
Chuck Campbell, a retired 85-year-old man, was driving along a deserted road at spotted a paper bag. Most people would have driven past without a thought, but Campbell was a rare soul who decided to investigate. Why? He knew that dogs and cats had been found abandoned before in the same grassy field.
This kind man has cared for feral cats for almost a decade.
“I’m an 85-year-old person, but you get emotional sometimes, especially with animals,” he told the News & Observer.
So, Campbell got out of his vehicle and looked into the paper bag. To his surprise, “five beautiful kittens” were inside, gasping for breath. The outlook for them was grim.
“I opened up that bag, and here are those babies. Five of them in that bag all crunched up and laying together,” he told WRAL news. “Had I not stopped, they would have been smothered,” said Campbell.
It made him “want to cry,” knowing someone had done this to kittens, which appeared about two weeks old.
“I can’t believe people can do that,” he said of the abandonment. “It’s heartless,” Campbell said.
A Call for Emergency Help
Fortunately, Campbell happened by soon after somebody heartless abandoned the kittens. He knew it must have only just happened because someone had cut the grass in the field that morning. Since kittens need to be fed every two hours, they had very little time left.
All of the kittens were overheated, dehydrated, and hungry. However, Campbell realized they needed urgent medical attention and called the SCPA Wake County. From there, they were able to save four of the kittens.
A woman named Stephanie Estep nursed them gently back to health. Due to their young age, they needed bottle feeding around the clock as well as veterinary care. Despite the cruel treatment they received, the kittens were loving and affectionate.
“They were still bottle-feeding when I got them,” said Estep. “They were really loving and affectionate. You would never know a human had done that to them,” reported WRAL.
Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw
In the care of the rescuers, the kittens soon began to thrive and received new names, Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw. In just four weeks, the kitties had quadrupled in size.
“They’ve grown like weeds,” said Samantha Ranlet, from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County.
Over four weeks, Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw have received veterinary attention and round-the-clock neonatal care. Judging by their state when they arrived, Ranlet said it was “a miracle they survived at all.” But the dedicated work of their foster mom @fittin.in.kittens made all the difference in the world.
Finally, at six weeks of age, the kittens were robust, healthy, and ready for adoption. On the local news, Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw made a debut on television!
A ‘Tidal Wave’ of Summer Kittens
During the summer months, the shelters see a “tidal wave” of calls about orphaned kittens. For example, the SPCA took in over a thousand homeless kittens from across North Carolina last year. However, Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw’s story helped raise awareness as the shelter raised donations to care for numerous kittens and cats.
A Happy Ending for Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw
After Crow, Raven, Magpie, and Jackdaw became local TV celebs, they soon found their forever homes!
“These kittens are safe not only because of the lifesaving work happening at the SPCA but because of the kind actions and support of people in the community just like Chuck,” says Kim Flowers, SPCA Adoption Center Director.
If you would like to help the rescuers save other kittens, please visit the SPCA of Wake County.
All images property of Facebook/SPCA of Wake County / @fittin.in.kittens
REMEMBER: RESCUED IS THE BEST BREED AND ADOPT, DON’T SHOP!