My phone rang early on Memorial Day. It was one of the feeders from Los Alamos telling me that he had found a note in one of the bowls, a plea for help from a Martha with five kittens.

I called her, expecting to hear the usual story of an unplanned, unwanted litter. Instead, what I heard made the hackles rise and my blood to boil. The woman told me that there were three teenage boys in the trailer park who had been seen using cats for BB gun target practice! She went on to say that hungry kittens started appearing on Friday, and over the course of three days, she captured the five she now had. One of the kittens, she said, had had his eye shot out.

Throwing cages into the car, I immediately went over to pick them up. The kittens’ mom had not been seen in several days, and we feared the worst. The poor babies were only about four weeks old, weighed less than a pound each, and were obviously still nursing. Even though Martha is not working and has young children to care for, she bought kitten food and fed them as best she could.

I must applaud this brave woman. She placed herself in a situation of possible recrimination from cruel neighbors, and took it upon herself to catch the five kittens before contacting Catalyst for help. She has since caught three older kittens and two adults on her own with a makeshift trap.

Food and water are the fundamental staples of life. Offer these to scared, starving, lonely kittens, and you will literally have them eating out of your hand in no time. There is nothing more heartwarming than being mobbed by hungry kittens, all trying to get to you first. Hard to remember that it’s not YOU they are after, but the food in your hands. Still, with this act of charity, the tiny beings imprint on you and you become their new mom.

Safely ensconced in a warm cage outfitted with litter box, hidey-hole, toys and more food, the five were soon full and fast asleep in a big purring mound. I pulled myself away from watching; I had calls to make.

Being a holiday weekend, I knew that finding someone in authority might be difficult, but this was a case of possible animal cruelty warranting a 911 call. The woman on the other end did not even hesitate, but said she’d call Animal Control immediately and for me to stay by my phone. Within a minute, Animal Control called me. Five minutes later a Sheriff’s deputy was on his way to take pictures of the injured kitten.

It is outrageous to think, much less observe, that cats and their defenseless kittens could be used as target practice by anyone. With such little regard for life, I can only fear for those boys’ personal futures.

The end of the story has not yet been reached, but suffice it to say that we are on top of things. The injured kitten, named BB (for Brave Boy and also the circumstances of his disfigurement), had surgery on June 1st. His prognosis is good, and he’ll be looking for a special home in a few weeks.