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Newborn Kittens: We’re Not Garbage!

(Photo by Cindy Roth)
(Photo by Cindy Roth)
A litter of six newborn kittens, umbilical cords still attached, was found tied up in a garbage bag and thrown into a trash dumpster in Corona, Queens. A passerby heard their cries of distress and hit the Internet looking for help.

The NYC Feral Cat Initiative of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals responded immediately. Our trapper arrived within minutes and sifted through mounds of garbage bags looking for the source of the cries. She quickly found the bag with the kittens inside, ripped it open, and rescued the kittens. We arranged for a foster volunteer to take in the kittens and care for them, including feeding and stimulating for elimination every two hours, around-the-clock.

The kittens are now two weeks old and thriving. We saved them in time to avoid any brain damage, which is a risk with kittens that are deprived of oxygen, as these kittens were when they were sealed into an airtight plastic trash bag. They will be ready for adoption placement in a few months.