A pair of orphaned kittens in Texas have been given a last-minute reprieve from being euthanized.
Erin Berger took to TikTok to reveal how she ended up fostering the two young cats who were "about an hour" away from being put to sleep.
The hope now is that Berger can help find the kittens loving new homes.
"I work with several rescue groups here in Houston and I am always alerted of animals that are to be put to sleep each day. If I'm able to, I go pick them up," she told Newsweek. "Then, the rescue groups I work with help find them homes."
As the video shows, when Berger first went to pick up the kittens they were handed over in a cardboard box with little to keep them warm.
Thankfully she came prepared with blankets to line the box and get the young cats snuggled up for the journey home.
Weighing just 245 grams and 242 grams (just over 8 ounces) each, Berger has set it up so that the two kittens sleep on a series of blankets laid over a heated pad.
Orphaned kittens required an extra level of care though, as the video shows. Berger can be seen bottle feeding the young felines and offering words of assurance as they adjust to their new surroundings. "You're safe now, don't worry," she is heard to say on the clip.
Little is known about where the kittens came from. "They are about three weeks old," she said. "We aren't sure what happened to their mom or siblings."
Sadly euthanasia is an all too common reality for animal shelters at the moment.
Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet Shelter Watch Report found. Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
Writing alongside the video of the two kittens, Berger admitted: "Texas shelters are extremely overcrowded and they have no choice but to make more room by euthanizing."
However, she said everyone can do their part to address the issue of overcrowding. "We can all help prevent this by spaying and neutering pets and adopting instead of going to a breeder."
These two kittens may have escaped euthanasia, but sadly others won't be so lucky.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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