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My husband was helping a friend of ours on his farm. He called me during the afternoon, which was unusual, and said they found a couple of kittens. I'm like, "Oh, okay." He then tells me that the mother must have died during birthing. There were four kittens, but only two had survived. If I wanted to help them, I had to come out and get them.

PHOTO: BARB ROEDER

That was all I had to hear. My son and I drove the 15 miles to pick them up. When the guy handed me the babies, I could hold them both in my hands. They were so tiny and helpless.

We went straight to the vet's office for help on how to take care of newborns. They were marvelous. They gave us formula, eye droppers, and syringes. They showed us how to feed them with the eye dropper first because they were so small. They showed us how to help them pee and poop. I know it sounds gross, but it's a natural thing that the mother does for the babies. And with no mother except us, we had to do the job.

We had to feed these two babies every four hours and keep them warm and dry. By the second week, we were both wiped out. We both worked full-time jobs, and trying to get enough sleep and these guys fed was exhausting. In the long run, it paid off. They slowly grew bigger and stronger, started eating on their own from a dish, went to the litter box to do their duty instead of us doing it for them.

PHOTO: BARB ROEDER

The vet was very happy with the progress they made. They didn't charge me for any of the supplies or appointments, for which I'm very grateful. I still take them to the same vet and I recommend them to everyone I know who needs a veterinarian.

I named the tabby Gibbs and the gold one Gus. Gus was diagnosed as blind from birth. We don't think he is completely blind. We think he can see shadows or images. When he looks at something, he will move his head up and down a few times before he moves forward to sniff it. The vet wants to remove his eyes because they feel he is in pain keeping them the way they are. We don't agree. He can get around the house without any problems. He climbs the cat tree to the top level to sleep.

PHOTO: BARB ROEDER

Needless to say, these two boys are spoiled. Gussy crawls up on my lap and he loves to do happy paws on my chest. When he's really happy, his nose will run and drip. He will do lots of head bumps against my shoulder, my cheeks, my face. I'm his mama. Gibbs is a man who knows what he wants. He will cuddle up to everyone and anyone that he can.

Story submitted by Barb Roeder.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!