Reddit user Gonkalicious_2176 shared the litter's story on r/FosterAnimals after taking on their first experience fostering this many kittens at such a young age. A friend had spotted a Facebook post looking for someone to take the motherless litter, and they agreed to help.
Thank goodness they did.
One kitten had already passed away before they arrived, leaving five babies behind. The remaining kittens were found alone in a box on the porch, filthy and severely underfed. Three were desperately begging for food, while the two white kittens, Molly and Maggie, were unconscious. Their breathing was the only indication they were still alive.
This is where things get pretty incredible.
The kittens were rushed home, and sugar rubbed onto Molly and Maggie's gums helped revive them. Going from barely clinging on to becoming healthy little kittens is one heck of a glow-up, and their foster family deserves plenty of credit for getting them there.
There was apparently a lot of trial and error along the way. This wasn't a household accustomed to caring for a litter of five fragile babies, but giving up clearly wasn't an option.
Now Simba, King, Cali, Molly, and Maggie are 8 weeks old and thriving. They have toys to attack, wet food to devour, and their first round of vaccines behind them. Basically, they're finally getting to worry about normal kitten things instead of survival.
Their foster says the experience has become the highlight of their year, and we can see why.
Watching five tiny kittens go from such a rough beginning to growing stronger every day has to make every sleepless night worth it.