Erin, a foster volunteer of Wrenn Rescues, was notified about a tiny kitten who had been rescued from a car engine during a recent storm in SoCal.
“He was found by the owners of an auto shop. The finders did everything right — they monitored the kitten, waited for the mom’s return, but she never showed again. She was probably spooked by the storm,” Erin shared with Love Meow.
“After taking him in and keeping him warm and fed, they realized that he needed a more experienced bottle feeder.”
Erin rushed to pick up the kitten the next day, and started bottle feeding him around the clock. “He is a New Year’s baby being born on January 1st.”
The kitten was lovingly named Hiro after the auto shop. His eyes had just opened and he was healthy and chunky upon arrival, thanks to the kindness and compassion from his rescuers.
After getting his belly filled to the brim, he nestled comfortably in his cozy incubator, next to a beating-heart plushy, and started rumbling with tiny purrs.
“He was lonely with no siblings or mom, so we knew we would need to find him a buddy,” Erin told Love Meow.
In just a few days, Hiro went from rolling around the nest to waddling about on his feet. “He was working his way around the incubator and strengthening up his legs.”
Hiro not only grew in size and strength, but he became very active during his waking hours. He desperately wanted a friend to wrestle and romp around with.
Around that time, Erin received a message about a tabby kitten who had been found outside a supermarket, near a dumpster.
It was after a stormy day, and the kitten was cold to the touch and almost lifeless. “The finder put him in a box and the next day took him to a ranger station asking them to take him,” Erin shared.
Unable to do so, they began searching for a rescue that would be able to help. Natasha, a previous adopter of Wrenn Rescues, was walking her dogs in the right place at the right time.
“She took one look at the kitten and said she would take him. She rushed him to her car and warmed him by the heater.”
Natasha reached out to her rescue group, and they immediately arranged for transport to get the kitten to his new foster home.
“She kept him warm and he started to come to life. When he got to us, he still didn’t want to eat. We gave him time to settle and get nice and warm.”
The tabby was about one week older than Hiro but significantly smaller. “We gave him subcutaneous fluids and some nutrical supplement. He was covered in fleas and had no appetite.”
After a long night of hourly feeding, the kitten perked up the next day and started suckling down his formula on his own. Over the next two weeks of great care, good food, and plenty of TLC, the tabby named Yuuki was nursed back to health.
“Once we saw him start eating regularly and having more energy, we knew he was going to be a great buddy for Hiro.”
The day finally came when the two kittens were placed into a shared nursery complete with their own litter boxes, just in time for the wrestling phase.
Despite having put on weight and being older, Yuuki is still the tinier of the two, but what he lacks in size, he certainly makes up for in strength.
“Hiro and Yuuki have now met and are already throwing bunny kicks.”
“While both born on the streets and orphaned during a rain storm, Hiro was found and loved on until he was able to get to us. He has a sweet disposition and purrs all the time,” Erin told Love Meow.
“Yuuki was left in the cold, alone, and hungry. Natasha made sure he was loved and warm until he came to us. He is sweet yet feisty with a lot of energy for wrestling with his new brother. His name means ‘gentle hope’, and we think it suits him perfectly.”
Sometimes, it takes a village to save a life. “We are so grateful these two found themselves in our village, and we can’t wait to watch them grow together.”
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