4 Kittens Found Zip-Tied Together Under a Shopping Cart Were Rushed to Animal Rescue. 2 Died and 2 Are Fighting to Live

Two kittens are fighting for their lives aft being discovered zip-tied together successful nan parking batch of a shopping center.

The kittens were recovered beneath a shopping cart successful Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., according to Jessica Gercke, a typical from nan Helen Woodward Animal Center, successful an email to PEOPLE.

Gercke shared that nan 2 orange tabbies —  who are tentatively named Frodo and Sam — were rushed to nan shelter by an worker who worked astatine nan shopping center. They were recovered on pinch 2 different siblings, who did not past nan ordeal.

The kittens “still had their umbilical cords attached and were covered successful fleas erstwhile they came in,” per Gercke, who besides said that nan center’s aesculapian unit has concluded that nan kittens are little than 5 days old.

“While 1 of nan 2 survivors is mostly uninjured, nan different has important harm connected their rear near limb from nan zip tie,” she added.

And while things looked bleak astatine first, nan Center notes that “hope won out” — some of nan surviving kittens took to vessel feeding “almost immediately” 

"That was our biggest interest astatine first," adoptions head Kendall Schulz said per nan email. "We were worried they hadn't eaten successful hours and wouldn't eat."

The brace are in foster care while they activity toward making a recovery.

“Finding fosters qualified to vessel provender is ace important, because these small guys request to beryllium fed each 2 hours,” Schulz said. “Fortunately, we person an extended web of qualified fosters who tin driblet everything and thief out.”

The Helen Woodward Animal Center is simply a no-kill installation established successful 1972. It provides acquisition and therapeutic programs for people, arsenic good arsenic humane attraction and take for bum animals, per center’s website.

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The center, which does not person authorities funding, relies solely connected backstage donations to support their programs and installation up and running.

If you would for illustration to thief support Frodo and Sam arsenic they proceed to heal, you tin donate here.