Deep inside a hole in a suburban backyard in Long Island, New York, a pair of kitten siblings huddled together. The small space, once a rabbit den, was shielded by sticks and leaves, which shook loose bits of dirt onto the kittens’ orange fur every time they moved.
When a homeowner saw the kittens playing near the hole’s opening, she quickly contacted local animal rescuer John Debacker, who headed to the scene.
Debacker and the homeowner suspected the kittens were born in the hole. Their mother was feral, which meant she couldn’t live with people. The kittens, however, were just old enough to live without their mother but still young enough to adapt to domestic life. They could still live with a family.
The rescuer carefully reached inside the hole and gently grabbed the first kitten. The nervous cat wriggled in her rescuer’s hands, blinking into the bright light of day. Debacker plucked her brother from the hole as well and reunited the pair in a carrier.
“They were very nervous at first, slightly hissy and spitting at me,” Debacker told The Dodo. “But [they] quickly warmed up and calmed down.”
Debacker took the cats to foster care and set them up for adoption through Last Hope Animal Rescue. He caught their mother, had her spayed and then released her back into the wild — a common practice called TNR, or “trap, neuter, return,” which helps regulate feral cat populations.
“Rescue takes a village,” Debacker said. “If you feed a stray cat, it's very important to ensure that you spay [or] neuter that cat to prevent an overpopulation.”
Today, these kittens are thriving in foster care, enjoying the comforts of indoor life and learning to get along with humans.
Soon enough, thanks to the homeowner’s keen eye and Debacker’s rescue expertise, these kittens will be safe with families of their own.
