Three little kittens came to a feline clinic in New York City after they were found in the street after a storm.
The kittens were very young and in desperate need of a cat mother’s love and care.
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
A month ago, Gill Nunes, a vet tech, received a call about three tiny kittens found next to their four deceased siblings in the street. “They appeared to have drowned the night before, during the storm we had. The surviving kittens were only two weeks old,” Gill told Love Meow.
“They arrived at the hospital in horrible shape, dehydrated, malnourished, runny eyes and nose, soaking wet and shivering.”
Gill offered to foster them. He filled up a bottle of kitten milk replacer and went straight into father mode. The kittens latched onto the bottle and started eating.
“It’s moments like this that makes me so happy to be able to save and protect them. They no longer have to feel cold and hungry.”
He named them Donatella, Gianni and Santo.
Gill spent the first night with the kittens, keeping them warm on his chest. It took overnight feeding to get some strength back into their tiny frail bodies.
But their upper respiratory infection was getting worse, and two of them were put in critical care.
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
Despite their very best efforts, Gianni passed away after five days of intensive care. “Donatella the only girl, managed to get better, and Santo the smallest one, proved to me that he’s the strongest one,” Gill told Love Meow.
Over the next couple of weeks, Gill nursed the remaining two kittens back to health, and they became very attached to him.
“They react to my voice even if I’m in a different room, they like to sleep on my chest and under my beard.”
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
Despite getting little sleep, Gill kept up with the feeding schedule. He knew that these tiny fur babies relied on him to survive.
“I’m exhausted taking care of them but I love these little guys,” he added.
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
“I bring the babies to work so I can keep their feeding schedule and play with them between appointments,” Gill said.
He helped the kittens learn to eat solid food on their own, but whenever they saw a bottle, they would still cry for it.
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
Gill makes sure that they get plenty of snuggles, kisses and lots of love throughout the day.
The kittens were in poor shape when they arrived a month ago, and now they are healthy, strong and love to purr.
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
“It’s almost time to put them up for adoption. It’s so hard for me to even think about them leaving. Santo likes to look into my eyes while playing with my beard till he falls asleep. Donatella screams for me to pick her up and rub her belly,” Gill told Love Meow.
“I have so much joy seeing them running around my room playing. Knowing that I was able to save them and now seeing how happy they are is an amazing feeling of accomplishment.”
Gill Nunes @catfixerny
Follow updates on the kittens on Instagram @catfixerny.
Watch their rescue journey in this cute video:
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