THEY were just eight days old when found abandoned in a drawer dumped at Capalaba bushland.
But the six rescued kittens are all set for good homes after an outpouring of support from the Redlands community.
Small Paws Animal Rescue carer Lale Christ said she was asked to look after the cats after they were given to a Capalaba vet for care.
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She said someone had found the kittens after walking over to look at the drawer, which they thought was rubbish.
Ms Christ vented her frustrations to an Alexandra Hills Facebook group about the kittens’ abandonment but was stunned when other people, who read her post, began offering help.
“I was trying to tell that awful person who dumped the kittens that there would have been others ways to have helped them,” Ms Christ said.
“But instead, I’ve had a lot of people wanting to adopt them.”
Ms Christ said one man had given her $100, which had helped pay for five boxes of formula milk for kittens.
Other donations, like dried cat food, baby wipes and tissues, were also needed and could be dropped off at Alexandra Hills Shopping Centre management.
Ms Christ said she would keep the cats for another few weeks until they were old enough to feed and toilet themselves.
Warm winter days has meant cat breeding season was expected earlier this year.
The season usually peaks between November and February.
Redlands Veterinary Clinic vet Dr Chloe Oxford urged owners to get their cats desexed to avoid becoming caught out by unexpected litters.
She said the practice once had 50 unwanted cats admitted at the one time.
Up to 40 per cent of dumped kittens could be euthanised because of health problems before efforts to re-home healthier offspring began.
“They are sick and we want to do the right thing by them,” Dr Oxford said.
Practice manager Abbey Lovell said she had heard many horror stories about how people had disposed of unwanted cats.
Kittens had been left under park benches and shoved into postal tubes.
Ms Lovell said abandoning unwanted kittens only made the problem worse.
The kittens would later have their own feral offspring if they survived without their mum.
Unwanted cats can be given to Redland Shelter and vet clinics, which can give the animals to cat rescue groups for care and re-homing.
To become an animal rescue carer, visit The Not Forgetton Ones or Small Paws Animal Rescue.
Discounts of 20 per cent from desexing prices are offered through Operation Wanted at participating vets.
