Please scroll down on this main story for the longer update!

I posted this story on social media and we were amazed by how many people asked us to start a GoFundMe so that they could help us. I normally would not ask for myself but we have given a ton energy and a lot of money to save these kittens and I love that people see that and care and want to help them too. I'm starting this fundraiser to make those requests of loving generosity possible. I thank you all for all the kind thoughts and concern that we and the kitties have received. It really means a lot to us!

Nate and I came to Italy for a three week holiday to visit family. On the evening of our first full day here Nate spotted what looked like fur in a small cardboard box. Well, it was five newborn kittens not more than a day old that someone had abandoned nesting on just a crinkly old plastic bag.

Here they are as we found them...

It was an extremely hot evening and they were barely moving with eyes still closed and their umbilical cords still attached.

We moved them into a blue bucket onto clean soft towels, repurposed an eyedropper and quickly started to feed them...

After much searching we were unable to find anyone willing to take on the immense task of hand rearing them. We gave up our return airline tickets (non changeable and non refundable) because we couldn't let these little foundlings just perish.

Pixie is insatiable!

It has been a whirlwind of trial and error. Zora the runt didn't eat more than a few drops for three days, she didn't know how to suck, we thought we were going to lose her. Then they all got constipated from the sheep's milk (all we could get in the village for the first few days) and we were delirious from the every three hours night and day care schedule. Four vet visits and many kitty enemas later they all made it. They are now almost eight weeks old and very playful. Each with their own distinct and adorable personality!!

Big thank you to Nate who was willing to give up a lot of our savings, and also gave up ever being able to relax on his holiday without complaining too much, to rescue a bunch of kittens.

We have tried to find homes for them here in Italy but sadly Italy is saturated with semi feral cats. The people we found who would care for them the way hand raised kittens (who don't have a mother to fend for them and teach them how to survive) need to be cared for, already have multiple cats that they are caring for. So in the best interest for the kittens (and that we have become quite attached to them) we think it's best to bring them all home with us where they have homes waiting for them with great cat people!

Now the big looming question is how to get them stateside!

There are a lot of obstacles to getting these little guys home. I have researched airline regulations, animal shipping companies, boats, charter flights, and getting them passports... It is complicated because of their young age and because there are five of them. ~ I am in the middle of problem solving this situation. We need airline tickets for us and five kittens and need to continue to cover all the other expenses for being in a foreign country.

If you would like to help these kitties get to good homes in the US, we would gladly accept a donation on their behalf.

Thank you from Spot, Pixie, Zora, Tipsie, and Nola.

UPDATE - July 25th 2024

It took forever but we finally made it home with four happy kittens!

It is exactly one year ago today since we found five newly born barely alive kittens left in a box next to a river in a small town in Italy. We went to Sora for Gelato and just like that all of our summer plans were suddenly and irrevocably changed. We embarked on a long and complicated mission to help all the kittens survive and to get them healthy and old enough to be allowed to fly.

Every step of the process seemed to take forever, but there was great motivation enabled by your support and always light at the end of the tunnel no matter how impossible and crazy it all seemed. Throughout this difficult process all that the kittens knew were their immediate surroundings; toys, food, naps, playing, more food, more naps, more playing and bugging each other... and carriers which took them on long car journeys to new experiences like the beach or mountain meadows. It was Kitten Zen at its best!

Saving these kittens from certain death and seeing it through to finding them all good homes was definitely more than I bargained for on that hot day when we first found them. I'd imagined I'd find some other rescuer to take them on within a week. But, no one stepped up. So we had to have a serious discussion. The question we asked was: Car upgrade or five tiny kittens? - It felt like some sort of cosmic test... We decided to use our car savings fund for the little guys. We decided that I would just have to keep driving my ancient 1997 Subaru until it dies a natural death.

Some people have said that we have gone mad and can't understand our choice. For me it was an easy choice made possible by a cooperative and completely on board partner! Thanks to Nate! And a big Thank You to all who have chipped in here and there, either on GoFundMe or by donating supplies or by stopping by and helping with feeding sessions and bringing us pizza and gelato and housing us when necessary... We love and appreciate you all

Europe requires kitten passports, microchips, paperwork, vet visits... we searched long to find an airline which would let five young kittens fly in the cabin. I called 20+ airlines before we found one without massive restrictions. Thank you Turkish Air! Sadly, only four were allowed to fly with us so we had to find a good home for the 5th kitten, however, we didn't know which one would be adopted so all five kittens got passports and reams of documents filled out in Italian in triplicate!

Thanks to my brother Ken's help we eventually found a great home for one kitten with a nice young couple in Rome. They picked Nate's favorite, little big eyed Tipsie. It was heartbreaking to see her separated from her siblings but I knew she would be doted on and spoiled by her new family.

Tipsie napping in her new home!

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We found the kittens on July 25th and it was September 30th before we finally got all of our ducks (um... kittens) in a row and were able to leave for the 25 hour long-haul journey from Rome to San Francisco via Istanbul. Thanks to Turkish Airlines we were able to fly with 4 under 10 week old unvaccinated kittens! It was an extremely long journey to make with them as we first had to fly in the opposite direction to Istanbul then with a 3 hour layover before boarding the 13+ hour flight to SFO. The kitties were amazingly good for that long journey stuffed two per tiny carrier for 25 hours! All that practice traveling, driving them to places in Italy paid off. They were used to being in their carriers and they pulled off the journey like little Olympian champs. Keep in mind, we're talking about four rambunctious ten week old kittens here. We built a collapsible bigger carrier and were able to let them, one at a time, use a makeshift litter box during the Istanbul layover. It was the only time they got to leave their carriers during the entire journey. They were so good, we barely heard a peep. When we finally arrived in San Francisco we talked our friend into stopping by a beach even though it was night. They really needed to have a romp before another two hour drive!

Tipsie, Pixie and Zora have kept their original names. Nola and Spot (the two little love birds pictured below) amazingly were adopted together and were renamed Daria and Argento (Dar Dar and Toto). They were always such cuddle bugs and attracted to each other. I'm so glad they get to stay together!

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We decided to keep Pixie and Zora much to the initial dismay of our three older cats and two dogs; however, they have finally all integrated into a tolerant big happy family!

​Sometimes DarDar and Toto will visit Pixie and Zora. Here they are all together just a few months ago.

​Thank you all so much for reaching out to the kittens and for the contributions towards getting them and us back home. Every bit helped tremendously but above all your encouragement was priceless!

Much Love and Appreciation,

Nate, B'anna, and five little Meows