Abandoned kittens find new mama

Someone tossed three kittens in a plastic bag into a gas station trash bin near Dunn, and a Benson man found them last Thursday when he heard them crying as he pumped gas. The man took them to a nearby veterinary clinic.

"They were really cold, so immediately I went and put them on heat," said Donna Taylor, a veterinary technician at Vets for Pets.

Alley Cat, a stray who has been living at the clinic for about six months, then came to the rescue. The cat recently gave birth to her own litter, so Taylor tried to see if she might nurse a few more.

"She took to them immediately. She started cleaning them and taking care of them," she said.

One of the kittens died, but veterinarian Dr. Guy Beretich said the other two are doing well.

"I think it's the difference in night and day," Beretich said.

Alley Cat then took on the role of surrogate mother again when a local farmer found two more kittens in a combine and brought them to the clinic.

"She's treating them just like she would her own kittens," Taylor said.

She and Beretich said the four kittens should be fine, thanks to Alley Cat. All five will soon be available for adoption, they said.