Abandoned in a plastic bag at just 2 weeks old, these kittens were given the gift of a second chance

June 19, 2020

Defenseless and vulnerable, these tiny kittens were sadly separated from their mother and dumped in a plastic bag in Port Lincoln.

Luckily, a compassionate member of the Port Lincoln community swiftly brought the five young kittens to RSPCA’s Port Lincoln Animal Care Centre, where the baby animals weighed in at a mere 200g each.

With their fresh eyes not even fully open, the tiny creatures were helpless.

Animal lovers across SA do all they can to help these tiny kittens

Being unable to feed or toilet themselves properly meant the five siblings needed ongoing specialist care.

To give the kittens much-needed nutrients normally received from their mother’s milk, RSPCA’s expert foster carers provided round-the-clock feeds of special formulas,

We wanted to make sure we did everything we could to give each kitten the best chance of survival.

But having so many neonatal animals come into our care at once put pressure on our charity’s already-stretched resources – so we reached out for help to cover the costs of these tiny kittens’ extended care and specially formulated milk.

Once again, our generous supporters proved that they are willing to support the care of any animal who walks through our doors.

Julia Churchett, Animal Care Manager at RSPCA Port Lincoln at the time, was involved in hand-rearing the group of kittens – and tells us that when this litter of kittens was first rescued, it was well known across the tight knit town.

“These kittens were rescued in October last year – and all these months later, we still have people asking us about them and wanting to know how they are,” Julia adds.

Today, we’re excited to update you and bring you happy stories of these kittens in their new homes.

Meet Archie, the ginger kitten absolutely smothered with love by his new family

One of the five kittens, Archie, was adopted by Anna and her family

“I was looking for a ginger kitten, and when we heard about him and the tough start he had, we hoped we would be able to adopt him,” Anna says.

When Anna and her family met Archie, they didn’t think twice before adopting him. Now, this gorgeous ginger is the perfect fit to their family.

“He is best mates now with our other cat and our Kelpie dog,” Anna says.

Archie has well and truly made himself feel at home.

Seen lying on the bed with Anna’s Kelpie, it’s evident that Archie loves being around his fur-siblings – canine or otherwise.

But it’s not only his fur-siblings who Archie loves to snuggle with. Archie is also often found lying at the end of his human siblings’ blankets, snoozing away. Our hearts :’)

Anna is extremely grateful for all the support that was provided to make it possible for Archie to find his new home.

“Thanks so much to everyone who donated, allowing him to have the extra care and attention he needed,” Anna says.

“You have given us the opportunity to have an awesome new family member.”

As beautiful as the flower she’s named after, Lily the white-coated kitten is stealing the hearts of her new family

Sister to Archie, Lily is stealing the hearts of her new family in her fur-ever home.

Adopted owner Shae tells us that she and her partner were looking for another white indoors cat to keep Alfred – Lily’s now older fur brother – company.

“We saw her on RSPCA’s website and after seeing her picture, and hearing her story, we couldn’t say no,” Shae says.

“We really wanted to give her a loving home,” she adds.

With the influence of an older brother, Lily loves pushing the boundaries and being the boss in the household.

Shae tells us, “She is definitely a little bossy boots when it comes to feeding time.”

“She has a good time playing with Alfred and also loves to lay on the bed in the warm sun to have a nap.”

A total attention seeker, Lily also thrives off the attention Shae gives her.

“She is always at the door when I get home from work ready to greet me,” Shae says.

“She still likes to sleep on my chest even though she is getting bigger!”

It looks like Lily absolutely loves the company of her new family – and none of this would’ve been possible if it weren’t for our supporters’ generosity.

“To everyone who helped make Lily’s adoption possible, we would like to say thank you so much!” Shae tells us.

“They have all given this lovely little kitten a second chance at life, and also given us another fur baby.”

Too sweet.

With the loveliest personality, Kimura has totally brightened the life of her human sister

Kimura, another of the gorgeous white kittens, found a loving home with Kyley and her daughter – who we’re told was just overjoyed to have a kitten join the family.

As the specialised foster carer of the group of kittens, Julia Churchett nursed Kimura to health.

“Having been there with the kittens right from the start and given them round-the-clock care, I was lucky enough to meet all their new families when they were ready for adoption,” Julia tells us.

“Port Lincoln is such a close knit community anyway, so to be able to follow these kittens’ journey right through from beginning to end was very special.”

When processing Kimura’s adoption, Julia remembers just how excited Kyley’s young daughter was to bring the tiny kitten home.

“She was so happy that her mum was adopting Kimura that she excitedly proclaimed she would be the one to feed the kitten, clean her litter tray and do all that,” Julia says.

“It was really heartwarming, and I felt so happy knowing that Kimura was going to be provided with all the care and love she could ever need in her forever home.”

The harsh reality of abandoned animals

Sadly, being the young age they were when they came into our care, it was hard to predict if all five kittens would make it.

It was our best hope that every single kitten survived, but unfortunately, two sadly didn’t make it.

We did everything we could to give all five kittens the best chance of survival, but one of the many perils of animals being abandoned, instead of surrendered to a reputable organisation, is that they may not be able to receive care in a timely manner.

We know that these types of stories aren’t easy to read.

But at RSPCA, we want people to know the devastating consequences of abandoning animals instead of surrendering them – and ending up with unwanted litters as a result of failing to get their animals desexed.

If you do find yourself with an unwanted litter of animals, please do the right thing by these animals, and get them desexed to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Thank you to all our supporters, and the kind adoptees who have shown unconditional love to these kittens

We want to thank everyone who kindly contributed to the care of these beautiful kittens when they came through our doors at just 200g, so fragile and vulnerable.

It is only by working together, as a community, that we can achieve the best possible outcomes for any innocent animal that comes into our care.

From the bottom of our hearts, we’re so grateful to all our supporters who made the happy new lives of Archie, Lily and Kimura a reality. If you’d like to continue helping animals like these kittens, head over here to see our current emergency funds.


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